What is the public property registry?
The public property registry is the government record of who owns each parcel of land and of the mortgages, liens and easements attached to it. A buyer's title search starts there.
Last updated · Buying & ownership glossary
About Public property registry
Each country names it differently — the Registro Nacional in Costa Rica, the Registro Público in Mexico, Panama and Nicaragua, the Conservatória do Registo Predial in Portugal — but the role is the same: a recorded deed is what protects an owner against competing claims.
A registry search shows whether the seller is the recorded owner and whether the property carries debts or other encumbrances that would pass to the buyer.
- Also called
- Registro Público, Registro Nacional, land registry, property registry
This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm with a licensed local attorney before you buy.
Related terms
- Titled property
- Titled (fee-simple) property is land held in full private ownership and recorded in the country's public property registry in the owner's name. It can be sold, mortgaged, leased or inherited without a government grant behind it.
- Escritura pública
- An escritura pública is a public deed: the formal document, drawn up and certified by a notary, that transfers ownership of real estate in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries. It is then recorded in the public property registry.
- Due diligence
- Due diligence is the set of checks a buyer makes before committing to a property: the registry title and any liens, the survey and boundaries, zoning and coastal rules, permits, access, utilities and unpaid taxes.