Cadastral descriptive and graphic certification: what information it certifies

What the cadastral descriptive and graphic certification certifies exactly

The cadastral descriptive and graphic certification is the document with which the Cadastre certifies the characteristics of a property recorded in its database. Its main purpose is not to state who the owner is with the effects of public faith, but to record the physical and graphic description of the asset and other associated cadastral details.

The rule is clear: the cadastral description includes physical, economic and legal characteristics, including location, cadastral reference, surface area, use or purpose, quality of the buildings, graphic representation, reference value, cadastral value and cadastral owner. In addition, the descriptive and graphic certification certifies those characteristics and may be incorporated into public documents and administrative procedures as a means of certifying the physical description of the property BOE, article 3.

It is worth distinguishing two separate areas:

1. **Cadastre**: identifies, describes and maps the property.

2. **Land Registry**: produces legal effects on ownership and real rights, with its own rulings.

That is why, if you need to know whether the square metres, location or graphic representation match reality, the cadastral certification is the right document. If what you need is to check charges, mortgages or ownership with registry effects, the correct reference is different documentation.

What data it includes and why it is useful for an owner

The certification is especially useful for owners who are going to sell, regularise, inherit or review their home, because it summarises information that can then be cross-checked against the deed, simple note and physical reality.

The data it certifies includes:

1. **Identification of the property**: cadastral reference and location.

2. **Surface area and configuration**: plot or property data and its graphic representation.

3. **Use or purpose**: for example, home, commercial premises or land with another use.

4. **Characteristics of the building**: where applicable, the quality or associated cadastral description.

5. **Cadastral value and reference value**, where shown in the cadastral information.

6. **The cadastral owner** and their tax identification.

This means that the certification is useful for checking whether the cadastral record correctly reflects the material reality of the property. In sale and purchase transactions, for example, it may be useful for detecting differences between actual surface area and cadastral surface area or for verifying that the plot or home is correctly defined.

However, the Cadastre itself establishes that, unless proven otherwise and without prejudice to the Land Registry, cadastral data is presumed to be true. That presumption helps in day-to-day administration, but it does not make the certification a title of ownership or replace the legal effects of the Land Registry BOE, article 3.

What it does not certify: registered ownership or real rights

This is the most important point to avoid confusing documents. The cadastral descriptive and graphic certification **does not on its own certify registered ownership with public faith**. It may contain the identification of the cadastral owner, but that does not automatically mean they are the registered owner or that there are no legal discrepancies regarding the registered right.

Indeed, the law itself makes clear that the legal rulings of the Land Registry prevail and that the Cadastre operates as an administrative register. This fits with the idea that the Cadastre describes the property and serves as documentary support, but does not replace the Land Registry when it comes to ownership, charges or real rights.

Nor should the certification be confused with a simple numerical reference. The cadastral reference identifies the property; the certification sets out its descriptive and graphic content.

How to use it if you detect discrepancies in your property

If you are an owner and you see that the certification does not match reality, the sensible approach is to act methodically. The law provides procedures to correct discrepancies and rectify cadastral information when it does not correspond to the property reality.

Under article 18, a discrepancy correction procedure may be started when the Administration becomes aware that there is a mismatch between the cadastral description and the property reality, provided the cause is not a failure to comply with the duty to declare or notify. Rectifications linked to public documents are also contemplated, and when the notary detects a difference between the physical reality and the certification, they may request evidence and process the rectification if appropriate BOE, article 18.

Practical steps for you:

1. **Review the certification and compare surface area, boundaries and graphic representation** with your deed and with physical reality.

2. **Check whether the difference is purely descriptive** or whether it affects a possible legal discrepancy with the Land Registry.

3. **If you are going to sell or provide documentation for a deed**, submit the updated certification to avoid working from an incorrect description.

4. **If you detect a material error**, consider seeking rectification before signing a transaction.

5. **If there are doubts about the identity between the cadastral property and the registered property**, it is advisable to coordinate the review with individual advice.

Practical tip: always keep the most recent version of the certification if you have carried out works, amalgamations, subdivisions or surface adjustments. Cadastral information may change through rectification, notification or coordination with the Land Registry.

Common mistakes when interpreting this document

1. **Thinking that the certification replaces the simple note**: it does not.

2. **Confusing cadastral owner with registered owner**: they may not be the same.

3. **Using an old certification** when the property has been modified.

4. **Not reviewing the graphic representation** and focusing only on the text.

5. **Assuming the surface area is correct without comparing it with physical reality and existing documentation**.

If you need to assess whether the cadastral information for your property is properly aligned with the rest of the documentation, you can request an indicative review at online property valuation in Madrid or write to us from /contacto.

The online estimate is indicative, includes a range and PDF report and, if you wish, can be completed with an optional visit. At our office at Calle Montesa 29, Madrid, we are open Monday to Friday from 10:00 to 15:00 and from 16:00 to 19:00.

In short, the cadastral descriptive and graphic certification certifies the physical, descriptive and cartographic identity of the property and serves as supporting documentation in procedures and transactions. But it should not be interpreted as full proof of registered ownership. For an owner, its value lies precisely in helping to verify whether the property is correctly described and represented before making decisions.