WHY YOU NEED A CADASTRAL CERTIFICATE TO BUY A SPANISH PROPERTY AND NOT JUST THE “NOTA SIMPLE”

02 Apr WHY YOU NEED A CADASTRAL CERTIFICATE TO BUY A SPANISH PROPERTY AND NOT JUST THE “NOTA SIMPLE”

The Cadastral Certification (Certificado Catastral) is an extract from the Land Registry (Oficina del Catastro). It is a report of the property’s physical characteristics. The measurements of the building are described and the borders of the plot.  There is also a description of such property in the “Nota Simple” provided by the Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad), however this last description is usually almost always devoid of graphic drawing, so although there are mentions on the extension of each boundary, etc., these mentions are no more than approximate and never have the efficacy and rotundity of a Topographic drawing.

There are, as you see, two bodies in Spain, which allocate the registration of real estate properties. The Spanish Land Registry (Oficina del Catastro) has a more accurate description of the physical aspects and perimeters of the property, and the Spanish Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) has more accurate information about the juridical aspects of the property such as the use and destiny of the property’s different zones, the owner of the property, the characteristics of his title and details of any mortgage debt, unpaid taxes, judicial claims, etc.

It is, therefore, advisable to get a Certificado Catastral from the Land Registry (Oficina del Catastro) as well as a “Nota Simple” from the Property Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) and to include these in the list of documents for the buyers. It can take some time before you obtain the document, from two weeks to a few months. You should apply for it here http://www.catastro.meh.es/esp/productos.asp