Title study

Comprehensive analysis of the legal history of your property

A title study is the review of a property's registry history, normally over the last ten years, to confirm that the seller is the owner and that the property carries no mortgages, attachments, prohibitions or defects that would prevent registering the sale. It is done before signing and before paying. A report takes between three and ten working days, and costs considerably less than undoing a bad purchase.

The title study is the fundamental step from which every legal movement on the property object of the management must be analyzed. As experts, we carefully review the conservatory history of the property, evaluate the legal viability of projects, and refine solutions.

We professionally analyze in detail previous deeds, registrations at the Real Estate Registrar, and verify the absence of mortgages, encumbrances, attachments, or prohibitions on alienation that could put the property at risk.

Discover the services we offer for a satisfactory legal experience.

What a title study actually reviews

The review starts with the chain of title: who sold to whom over the last decade, verifying that every transfer was correctly registered and that there are no missing links. A single badly registered transfer means the current seller is not, legally, the owner.

Then come encumbrances and prohibitions. Live mortgages, attachments for debt, prohibitions on transfer, usufructs, easements and pending litigation are all noted in the margin of the registration, and the Registrar will see them even if the seller does not mention them. We also check that the area and boundaries in the deed match reality and match the survey plan, because a difference in metres blocks mortgage financing.

When it is worth doing

Before signing any promise of sale, and all the more so before handing over the deposit. That is the moment when you can still walk away at no cost. Many buyers commission it after signing, when the bank demands it, and by then the options come down to losing the deposit or buying a problem.

It is also called for before starting any other procedure over the property: a regularization, a subdivision, probate or a rectification of boundaries. Filing a case without knowing what the titles say is the most expensive way to discover that the chosen procedure did not apply.

The most frequent findings

The commonest is the untransferred inheritance: the registered owner died and nobody completed probate, so whoever offers to sell has no power to do so. The second is a purchase of shares and rights presented as though it were a specific plot of land. The third is buildings without final approval that the seller omits and that block bank financing.

To that are added cases of inflated area, boundaries described by reference to landmarks that no longer exist, and properties that come from a recent regularization and still carry restrictions on selling. None of these problems is necessarily insurmountable, but all of them change the price and the timeline of the transaction, and it is better to know them before rather than after.

What you receive at the end

We deliver a written report that closes with an explicit recommendation: buy, buy with specific safeguards, or do not buy. Where there are observations, we set out which can be cured, in what time and at what cost, so that you can negotiate with information in hand rather than with the feeling that something does not add up.

That report is also the document your bank and your notary are going to ask for. Having it ready in advance speeds the transaction up instead of holding it back.

What a title study does not cover

The study reviews the legal status of the property, not its physical condition or its market value. It does not replace a valuation, a technical building inspection, or a topographic survey, which is what confirms on the ground that the registered boundaries match the existing fences.

Nor does it guarantee that no situation will arise after the date of the report. That is why the study should be recent at the moment of signing, and not one from two years ago that the seller happens to keep.

Secure and guaranteed transactions
Prevention of future litigation
Comprehensive lien check

Frequently asked questions

Why is it mandatory to do a title study before buying?

It is vital to ensure that the seller is the real owner, that there are no liens or hidden mortgages, and that the dimensions match the reality of the land.

How long does a title study normally take?

Depending on the age of the property and the volume of deeds, a complete and exhaustive study usually takes between 10 and 15 business days.

What documents do I need to start the study of titles?

We require basic property data (pages, number and year) or a copy of the current deed. We take care of requesting the certificates directly from the Conservator.

Is the title study the seller gives me good enough?

It is useful as background, but it does not replace one of your own. Whoever commissions the report defines its scope, and a study paid for by the other side has no reason to dwell on the points you would want reviewed. It is also usually out of date relative to the signing date.

What happens if the study finds a problem?

It depends on the finding. Some are cured in weeks, such as releasing a mortgage that has already been paid off. Others require a full procedure, such as pending probate. The report tells you which is which, how long each way out takes and what is worth negotiating with the seller.

Is a title study the same as a current ownership certificate?

No. The current ownership certificate is a document showing who appears as owner today, and it is obtained in minutes. The title study analyses ten years of registry history and interprets legally what it finds. One is a data point; the other is a diagnosis.

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