Documentary due diligence · España
The property registry extract, Land Registry and Cadastre answer different questions about a property.
Before buying, the property registry extract helps you understand the current Land Registry information on the property, its owners, rights and encumbrances; the Property Registry is the institution that records and makes public real rights over property; and the Catastro is an administrative register containing cadastral and mapping information. Comparing them can help identify discrepancies, but none of them alone replaces planning, technical, community or occupancy checks.
Direct answer
The Land Registry and Cadastre are not the same thing
The Land Registry focuses on ownership and other registered real rights. The Cadastre administratively describes properties and maintains alphanumeric and mapping information. The property registry extract is a means of public access to Land Registry content; it is not a document issued by the Cadastre.
| Buyer's question | Primary source | What it can provide | What should not be concluded from that source alone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who is listed as the owner? | Land Registry / land registry extract | Registered holder or holders of rights, and the nature and scope of those rights. | That the property's entire physical or planning status is correct. |
| Is there a mortgage, usufruct, attachment or other encumbrance? | Land Registry / land registry extract | Current rights, encumbrances and restrictions recorded in the Land Registry. | That there are no debts or unregistered circumstances that may also affect the purchase. |
| What is the cadastral reference and description? | Catastro | Cadastral information, mapping and, depending on the document, descriptive and graphic data. | That the cadastral holder is necessarily the person holding the right registered in the Land Registry. |
| Are the boundaries and mapped area coordinated? | Land Registry + Catastro | Land Registry information indicates whether graphical coordination exists and the relevant date. | That a specific building work, extension, enclosure or use has a licence or is legal under planning regulations. |
| Is an enclosed terrace or extension legal? | Planning department / town hall + regional regulations | Planning, licences, enabling permits, enforcement and case files depending on the location. | That the answer can be obtained solely from the land registry extract or Catastro. |
Good due diligence does not ask which document is “the correct one”; it asks which legal, cadastral, physical or planning issue each document must resolve. The Land Registry, Catastro and physical reality must be cross-checked, not treated as interchangeable sources.
Property Registry
The Land Registry publishes registered rights over the property
The Mortgage Act establishes that the purpose of the Land Registry is to register or record acts and contracts relating to ownership and other rights in rem over real estate. For a buyer, this layer is essential for checking who is registered as the owner and which rights or encumbrances are currently recorded.
- Compare the seller’s name with the registered owner or owners.
- Review the registered property, its identification and the available description.
- Identify any mortgages, usufructs, attachments, easements, prohibitions or restrictions shown.
- Check the scope of the right: full ownership, bare ownership, usufruct or other arrangements.
- If there are encumbrances, determine whether they will be cancelled, remain in place or affect completion.
The Mortgage Act also presumes, under the terms of Article 38, that registered rights in rem exist and belong to their holder as determined by the entry.
The fact that a property, building or area appears in the Land Registry does not in itself mean that all works, uses or extensions comply with current planning regulations. This verification has its own regional and municipal dimension.
Informative Land Registry extract
What an informative extract contains and its value
The Registrars' online office explains that the informative extract has purely informative value and shows information on the current entries relating to the property. It may include the Land Registry identification, the Unique Registry Code (CRU), the identity of holders of registered rights, and the scope, nature and limitations of those rights.
Property identification
It makes it possible to confirm that the Land Registry information relates to the property actually being negotiated.
Registered ownership
It identifies the holder or holders of the current rights recorded in the Land Registry.
Charges and rights
It may reveal mortgages, usufructs or other current rights, charges or limitations recorded in the Land Registry.
Informative value
It does not certify the content of the entries in the way a Land Registry certificate does.
Registradores de España states that it can be requested in person at the Land Registry or through its official online platform.
As of 9 August 2026, Registradores publishes a cost of 9,02 € plus IVA for a standard informative extract requested through its platform. This amount is current and should be checked again if the request is made at a later date.
It does not, by itself, allow you to conclude that there are no homeowners' association debts, occupants, unregistered contracts, technical defects, works without sufficient planning authorisation, or discrepancies in surface area. Each risk should be addressed through the appropriate source.
Property registry extract vs registry certificate
A registry certificate is the evidentiary instrument, not a “more detailed” version of a property registry extract.
Registradores clearly distinguishes between the two instruments. A property registry extract provides practical, informational access to the current basic details. A registry certificate is a public document signed by the Registrar and serves to formally certify the contents of the Registry.
- A property registry extract is usually suitable for an initial, practical review of a purchase.
- A registry certificate should be considered when a matter needs to be formally established in the Registry with evidentiary effect.
- The Mortgage Act establishes that the unencumbered status or encumbrances of properties or real rights may only be evidenced against third parties by means of a Registry certificate.
- The choice depends on why the information is needed, not merely on how much detail you wish to read.
| Document | Purpose | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Property registry extract | Obtain current registry information in a practical format. | For information purposes only. |
| Registry certificate | Formally certify the contents of the Registry. | Public document signed by the Registrar. |
Property Cadastre
The Cadastre is an administrative register: it describes properties, but does not replace the public authority of the Property Registry.
The consolidated text of the Property Cadastre Act defines the Cadastre as an administrative register under the Ministry responsible for Finance. The regulations themselves expressly keep the powers and effects of the Property Registry separate.
Cadastral reference
The property's cadastral reference, which should be compared with the title deed, receipts and transaction documentation.
Alphanumeric data
The Cadastre maintains descriptive information on properties within its area of responsibility.
Mapping
The Electronic Office allows you to consult cadastral maps and, depending on the service, obtain descriptive and graphic documentation.
País Vasco and Navarre
The State Cadastre Act applies without prejudice to the special regional regimes in force; the competent cadastral source must be determined by territory.
The Directorate General for the Cadastre maintains the Electronic Cadastre Office as its preferred access channel and also provides access through its local offices and Cadastral Information Points within their respective areas of authority.
Cadastre–Land Registry coordination
When a property is graphically coordinated, the Land Registry information must state this
Coordination incorporates the cadastral graphic representation—or, in certain cases, a validated alternative graphic representation—into the Land Registry record. Once coordination is achieved, the regulations grant a specific presumption to the location, boundaries and surface-area data shown in the incorporated graphic representation.
- Land Registry information must state whether the property is graphically coordinated with Catastro and the date on which this occurred.
- Coordination may improve the accuracy of information on location, boundaries and graphic surface area.
- It does not mean that all constructions, uses or alterations comply with planning regulations.
- In a horizontal property regime, a cadastral parcel may contain several properties that share the parcel's graphic representation.
Graphic coordination has a specific scope. It does not turn the Land Registry, Catastro, deed, plans, built reality and planning file into a single source. The buyer must identify exactly which data they are comparing.
Surface areas and discrepancies
If the Land Registry, Catastro and physical reality do not match, do not automatically assume that one source is “wrong”
Differences may have different causes: pending updates, different description criteria, alterations, appurtenances, horizontal divisions, errors, unrecorded works or planning issues. The correct response depends on the data that do not match and the property's documentary history.
Surface area, boundaries, reference, appurtenances, floor, use, ownership or geometry are not the same issue.
Land Registry extract, deed, cadastral certificate, plans and available technical documentation.
Verify what actually exists: enclosed terraces, appurtenances, storage rooms, garages, extensions or reconfigurations.
If the discrepancy involves construction or use, review the relevant planning and territorial regulations.
If the issue is material, avoid assuming it will be resolved after signing without a documented solution.
Different surface area
Determine which surface area each document compares and whether the difference affects the registered property, parcel, private unit or construction.
Added construction
The fact that an extension physically exists, or even appears in the Catastro, is not enough to conclude that its planning status has been regularised.
Annexes and garages
Check whether they form part of the property, are independent registered properties, linked elements or simply commercially advertised uses.
Before making a reservation or paying a deposit
Land Registry information should be reviewed before making a commitment that is difficult to undo
A recent land registry extract may reveal issues that change the negotiation, the drafting of the contract or the documentation that must be requested before signing.
Different seller
If the person negotiating or signing does not match the registered owner, representation, power of attorney, succession or another legal basis must be clarified before payment is made.
Outstanding mortgage
The existence of a mortgage does not in itself prevent a purchase, but it requires defining how and when it will be cancelled financially and in the Land Registry.
Attachment or registration entry
A registration entry or encumbrance requires understanding its scope and how it will be dealt with before completing the sale.
Usufruct or third-party right
The buyer must know exactly what right they are acquiring and who must be involved to transfer it.
Description does not match
A different area, annex or configuration must be investigated before turning the commercial listing into a contractual obligation.
No graphic coordination
The absence of coordination does not automatically mean that the property is invalid, but it may justify an additional review where there are physical or boundary-related doubts.
Limitations of the documentation
Six things a land registry extract should not lead you to assume
Planning legality
Licences, planning, use and enforcement fall within the remit of the relevant planning authority.
Technical condition
The Land Registry does not replace an inspection of the structure, damp, installations, defects or maintenance.
Community debt
The status of community fees, special assessments and community certificates requires separate verification.
Actual possession
The transaction must establish who occupies the property and on what basis; not all possession-related issues can be resolved by reading the Land Registry information.
Full physical correspondence
A Land Registry description should be checked against Catastro and the physical reality where there are doubts.
Tax value
The Catastro reference value has its own tax purpose and is covered in a separate tax guide; it is not synonymous with price, cadastral value or registered ownership.
Buyer checklist
What to compare before considering the document review complete
| Information | Land Registry extract / Land Registry | Catastro | Physical reality / other source | If it does not match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Ownership of registered rights. | Cadastral ownership, subject to the applicable access regime. | Identity and legal capacity of the seller. | Pause and clarify the authority to act or discrepancy. |
| Identification | Registered property / CRU. | Cadastral reference. | Address and property viewed. | Confirm that all documents relate to the same property. |
| Floor area | Land Registry description. | Cadastral data / graphical representation, where applicable. | Plans, measurements and the built reality. | Identify which area differs and why. |
| Attachments | Garage, storage room or other rights, if recorded. | Associated cadastral data. | Physical use and homeowners' association/developer documentation. | Check whether they are an independent registered property, an appurtenance or merely a right of use. |
| Encumbrances | Mortgages, attachments, usufructs, easements, restrictions. | It does not replace a Land Registry review of encumbrances. | Cancellation documents or closing agreements. | Define a solution before signing or making payment. |
| Works / use | It may contain descriptive information or certain registered arrangements. | It may reflect physical characteristics. | Town Hall, regional regulations, licences and case file. | Do not conclude legality until planning regulations have been reviewed. |
Practical example
The land registry extract states 82 m², the Catastro shows 96 m², and the property has an enclosed terrace
The difference should not be resolved by choosing the higher figure or automatically assuming that the terrace is illegal. The buyer needs to identify which area each source measures, when the enclosure was built and what documentation exists.
- Confirm whether the 82 m² is the area recorded in the Land Registry for the private unit.
- Check which cadastral measurement corresponds to the 96 m² and how it is broken down.
- Review the deed, plans, horizontal property division and homeowners' association documentation where relevant.
- Request the planning documentation applicable to the terrace enclosure.
- Determine whether the discrepancy affects valuation, financing, taxes, the possibility of regularisation or the contract.
Until the cause of the discrepancy and the specific planning status are resolved, a categorical answer would be an inference not supported by the Land Registry or Catastro.
Official sources
Verified sources for the Land Registry, land registry extract and Catastro
Last verified: 9 August 2026. Procedures, service fees and electronic access may change; they should be checked again on the date of the transaction.
Related guides
Continue without duplicating this page's purpose
This guide focuses on the practical review and cross-checking of the registry extract, Land Registry and Cadastre before buying. Charges, planning, reference value, the notarial role and full due diligence each have their own pages.
Help by location and service
A document discrepancy may require different specialists
A Land Registry issue, a cadastral discrepancy and a planning query are not necessarily resolved by the same professional. Always prioritise the property's location, the type of issue and the required service before deciding whom to consult.
Frequently asked questions
Property Registry extracts, Land Registry and Cadastre when buying a home
It is a form of Land Registry disclosure with purely informational value. It provides current information about the property, including its identification and the owners, rights, encumbrances and restrictions recorded in the entries, under the terms published by the Land Registry.
A Land Registry extract provides information on the current registered holder or holders of rights. However, it is for informational purposes only. When the contents of the Land Registry must be formally evidenced to third parties, a Land Registry certificate has a different scope.
The land registry extract is for information purposes. The certificate is a public document signed by the Registrar that formally certifies the Land Registry's contents. The Mortgage Act reserves certification as the means of evidencing freedom from encumbrances or the existence of encumbrances to third parties.
As of 9 August 2026, Registradores de España publishes an official fee of 9,02 € plus IVA per property for a standard Land Registry extract requested through its platform. This is operational information that should be checked again if requested at a later date.
No. The Land Registry is responsible for registering and disclosing ownership and other property rights over real estate. Catastro is an administrative register that describes real estate and maintains cadastral and mapping information within its remit.
It means that a cadastral graphical representation or, in the legally established cases, an alternative graphical representation has been incorporated into the Land Registry record. Land Registry disclosure states the coordination and its date, and the regulations assign specific effects to the incorporated location, boundary and graphical surface-area data.
First, identify the surface area described by each source and compare it with the deed, plans and physical reality. A discrepancy may have different causes and does not automatically mean there is any illegality. If construction works, extensions or use are involved, the relevant planning checks must also be carried out.
This cannot be confirmed solely because it appears in Catastro. Catastro serves an administrative and descriptive function; the legality of works and uses requires reviewing planning regulations, licences, authorising documents and any proceedings before the competent authority.
No. Land Registry checks do not replace checks of Catastro, planning matters, the owners' association, occupancy, contracts, taxes, technical condition or any other checks relevant to the property and its location.
State cadastral regulations apply in España, without prejudice to the special regional regimes in force in País Vasco and Navarra. For a property located there, the competent regional cadastral source must be identified before applying procedures or links from the state Cadastre.
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