A Seller Requests Payment to Another Person: Checks Before Transferring Money

The apartment is agreed and the contract almost ready, but the seller supplies somebody else's account. The explanation may sound reasonable: a relative, representative, partner or convenient bank. Establish how that payment relates to your purchase obligation rather than debating the motive alone.

A mismatch is a reason to pause and investigate, not automatic proof of fraud. Before payment, identify the recipient, legal basis, authorised agreement, banking procedure and evidence of performance.

🧾 Identify the mismatch precisely

Compare the contractual seller, property information and account holder. Is it another individual, company, representative or a replacement recipient?

Do not change the contract or payment reference yourself merely to make fields match. Establish the real arrangement first. A similar surname, common brand or shared office does not make separate parties identical.

A shortened name or transliteration difference also needs checking, but is not automatically another person. Confirm identity rather than relying on appearance.

Independently confirm the seller's request

Use a previously verified channel, not only the new number or link accompanying changed instructions.

Ask the seller to confirm the request, exact recipient and proposed reason. Where a representative acts, check payment-related authority separately.

Showing an apartment or signing some documents does not automatically authorise changing the recipient. Establish authority for the actual action.

Retain the request and response. Correspondence helps record history without replacing the necessary form and legal review.

Distinguish transfer from contractual performance

A bank record may establish payment to a particular person. Whether that payment counts towards the price owed to your seller is a separate question.

Georgian civil law addresses the recipient of performance and the basis on which it is recognised. Do not assume any account supplied in conversation automatically discharges the obligation.

Have a lawyer review the agreement, authority and seller's required confirmation. Another transaction's conclusion should not be copied to yours; bases and evidence differ.

See BuyHome's property-document guide for wider checks. The additional issue here is linking the recipient to your payment.

Document more than an account number

Establish who directs payment, the amount, obligation and outcome. Check:

• exact seller and recipient identities;
• the property and agreement concerned;
• amount, currency and sequence;
• basis for a third-party recipient;
• authority of signatories;
• how the seller confirms credit towards the price;
• consequences of return or failed completion.

This is a question list, not a universal legal instrument. A lawyer determines form and sufficiency for the case.

Confirm the banking process separately

Describe the transaction accurately to the bank: a property purchase with a recipient different from the seller. Ask which documents and restrictions apply.

Different banks or countries should not be assumed to have identical requirements. The sending bank's review does not promise an identical result at every later institution.

Clarify currency, fees, expected stages and evidence. Do not assume one transfer time for all cases. Settlement planning needs actual responses from the institutions involved.

Do not disguise the purpose or split payments to avoid checks. An unsuitable arrangement needs a lawful, clear alternative rather than concealment.

Relatives and partners do not answer the legal question

Family relationships do not automatically link a payment to a contract. Companies in a group also remain separate participants whose roles require documentation.

In a hypothetical example, seller A asks you to pay B under a separate arrangement. Knowing that A and B are connected is insufficient. Establish why payment to B counts as performance to A and who confirms this.

This is a teaching scenario, not approval of every such structure. Personal explanations may clarify the motive without replacing records and bank review.

Treat last-minute changes as a new checkpoint

Do not continue automatically under the old plan. Compare new instructions with draft agreements, bank decisions and the settlement sequence.

Explain that the details need verification and agree realistic timing. “Pay now, documents later” does not create a sufficient basis.

If a contractual deadline is affected, discuss consequences and an adjusted timetable with a lawyer. Lack of time does not establish entitlement to receive the money.

📋 Prepare questions for bank and lawyer

Topic	Legal assessment	Bank clarification
Parties	Seller and recipient	Identification evidence
Basis	Why third-party payment performs the obligation	Transaction documents needed
Authority	Who can agree the arrangement	Who may give instructions
Amount	Price components and obligation	Currency, fees and account
Sequence	Preconditions to payment	Transfer triggers
Result	Evidence of performance	Banking confirmations
Failure	Refunds, dispute and remaining duties	Available transfer procedures

Answers must address your structure, not simply state that such transfers sometimes happen.

Retain the settlement file

Collect executed payment-arrangement documents, bank evidence and the agreed seller confirmation. Compare property, amount, currency, date and reference.

For legitimate agreed stages, record each result. Do not confuse instruction submission with receipt and allocation where these are separate events.

Keep the file with the sale agreement. An unexplained third-party account can later make the history difficult even for the participants.

If payment has already been sent

Do not pay again merely because the seller reports non-receipt. Contact your bank through a verified channel, establish status and preserve evidence.

Ask about actions available for the actual transfer; recovery is not guaranteed. Obtain legal advice about performance and remaining obligations where explanations conflict.

For suspected wrongdoing, contact appropriate official services. Do not pay an unknown person to release or recover funds without independent verification.

When to reject the proposed arrangement

Without confirmed identity, basis, authority or banking acceptability, the arrangement remains unverified. Propose a legally and operationally clear alternative.

Rejecting particular instructions need not mean rejecting the property. However, settlement is not ready without an agreed solution.

Frequently asked questions

Is another person's account always fraudulent?

No automatic conclusion is justified. Verification and a documented connection to the obligation are still needed.

Is a seller's message enough?

Its significance and necessary form depend on the case. Do not treat a message as a universal substitute for legal documentation.

Does a processed transfer guarantee the seller accepts payment?

Bank processing and contractual performance are separate matters to resolve beforehand.

✅ Before confirming a transfer

Pause at the mismatch, independently verify the request, check the legal basis and banking requirements, then agree documents and sequence. A familiar name cannot replace these steps.

When buying through BuyHome, report recipient changes before settlement. We can help organise clarification; legal structure and banking feasibility require the relevant specialists and institutions.