Search by property
You start from the cadastral identifiers and get the data and holders of that single property.
Property · Cadastral procedures
Land registry searches (visure catastali)
It is the document behind IMU (the municipal property tax), the ISEE (the indicator of household economic situation used for benefits), inheritance and almost every procedure involving a property. It costs little, takes a few minutes to get, and contains a figure worth thousands of euros: the rendita catastale (cadastral income).
01 · The document
What a land registry search contains
The visura is an extract of the information the Catasto (the Italian land registry) holds on a property: where it is, how it is identified, how it is classified, what it yields for tax purposes and who is recorded as the holder.
It is important to understand straight away what it is not: it is not a title of ownership. The Catasto exists for tax purposes and its records are not proof of who holds the right. Ownership is proved by the deed and by the records of the conservatoria (the property and mortgage register), not by the visura.
| Item | What it shows | What it is used for |
|---|---|---|
| Foglio, particella, subalterno (sheet, parcel, sub-unit) | The unique identifier of the property | Every procedure starts here: without it, the property cannot be identified |
| Category | The use: residential, ancillary, commercial, office | It determines the tax treatment and the benefits available |
| Class | The quality level within the category | It affects the cadastral income |
| Size (consistenza) | Rooms, square metres or cubic metres, depending on the category | The basis for calculating the cadastral income |
| Cadastral income | The notional income assigned to the property | IMU, transfer taxes and the ISEE all start from here |
| Holders | Who is recorded as holder, with which right and which share | It needs checking: late transfers of title are common |
| Address | Location with street and number | Not always up to date: changes of street name arrive late |
02 · The figure that matters
Cadastral income and its effects
The cadastral income is the figure from which almost every tax on the property flows. It is not the market value and does not resemble it: it is a notional income, set with administrative criteria, used as the basis for calculations.
- IMU: the taxable base is found by revaluing the cadastral income and applying the multiplier set for the category.
- Transfer taxes: in sales between private individuals, the prezzo-valore rule lets you be taxed on the cadastral value instead of the price.
- Inheritance and gifts: the taxable base for property is the cadastral value.
- ISEE: property is valued using the IMU criteria, and so from the cadastral income.
- Income from buildings: the revalued cadastral income is the income declared for properties that are not let.
A wrong cadastral income brings years of wrong taxes with it, too high or too low. Checking it once, when you buy or inherit, takes a few minutes; finding out ten years later that it was wrong costs a great deal more.
03 · Which one to ask for
There is more than one kind of land registry search
Depending on what you need to do, the document to ask for changes. Asking for the wrong one means going back to the start.
Search by person
You start from the codice fiscale (Italian tax code) and get a list of every property in that name. This is the one you need to take stock of your assets.
Historical search
It shows every change over time: transfers of title, subdivisions, changes of category. Essential in inheritance and in checks before buying.
Cadastral floor plan
The plan on file. Only the holder or someone they authorise can request it, and it should be compared with the actual state of the property.
Building layout plan
It shows the sub-units and common parts of a building. Useful for understanding ancillary spaces and garages.
Mortgage register search
This is a different database: it records deeds, mortgages and registrations. It is where you see whether a property is encumbered.
The Catasto and the conservatoria are two separate archives. The first tells you what the property is like and what it yields; the second tells you who acquired it and what encumbrances it carries. Before buying you need both.
04 · The occasions
When a search becomes necessary
In most cases someone else asks for it: a public body, a notary, a bank. In some cases it is worth getting it before anyone asks.
- Income tax return: for properties you own you need the identifiers and the cadastral income, especially in the first year.
- ISEE: property must be declared with the exact data, even for very small shares.
- Inheritance: you need a historical search for every property of the deceased, to reconstruct shares and origins.
- Sale and purchase: cadastral compliance is a condition for the deed to be valid, and it must be checked beforehand.
- Registering a rental contract: the cadastral data are mandatory on the form.
- Building procedures and bonuses: every filing requires the correct identifiers.
- Separation or division: to define shares and values you need the complete cadastral picture.
When it is worth getting one before anyone asks
Four situations in which a search by person settles doubts that have dragged on for years.
- After an inheritance, to find out what you have actually inherited
- When you suspect that a share inherited years ago was never declared
- Before selling, to check that the holders and the floor plan match
- When an IMU notice arrives for a property you did not think you owned
05 · Corrections
When the cadastral data are wrong
It happens more often than you would think, and hardly ever through the owner's fault: changes never recorded, transfers of title never made, floor plans that do not reflect works carried out decades ago.
Office errors
Wrong holders, wrong personal details, addresses not updated: they are corrected with a request for self-correction by the office (istanza in autotutela), free of charge.
Floor plan discrepancies
The actual state of the property does not match the plan on file: a cadastral update drawn up by a qualified technician is needed.
Missing transfer of title
The property is still recorded under the previous holder: you file the voltura (transfer of cadastral title), which brings the holders into line.
Cadastral income out of line
If the classification does not match the real features, you can ask for it to be revised through the set procedure.
Cadastral compliance is now a condition for a sale deed to be valid: the seller must declare that the floor plan and the actual state of the property match. Discovering a discrepancy the week of the completion means postponing it.
06 · In practice
Where to request a land registry search
There are three routes, with different costs and limits.
- Your personal area on the Agenzia delle Entrate website (the Italian Revenue Agency): with SPID or CIE (Italian digital identity or electronic ID card), free for properties you hold. It is the simplest route if you only need your own situation.
- Counter or paid online services: for properties you do not hold, with the special fees that apply.
- Through the practice: when you need several searches, the historical reconstruction of a set of assets or a technical reading of the data.
- The floor plan follows stricter rules: only the holder, or someone authorised with an ID document and a proxy, can obtain it.
- Mortgage register searches have their own channel and costs separate from cadastral ones.
Frequently asked
The questions that keep coming up
Does the search prove that the house is mine?
No. The Catasto exists for tax purposes and its records are not proof of ownership. Ownership is proved by the deed of purchase and by the records of the conservatoria.
The search does, however, let you check that the holders are recorded correctly: a property still in the name of someone who has died points to a transfer of title that was never made, and that is a problem to solve.
I have found a share in a property I did not know I had. What do I do?
It happens regularly with inheritances from more distant relatives. The share must be declared for income tax and IMU, and it counts towards the ISEE.
For the years not declared, ravvedimento operoso (voluntary correction) is worth considering, since it reduces penalties considerably compared with waiting for an assessment.
My cadastral income looks too high. Can I challenge it?
If the classification does not match the actual features of the property, you can ask for the cadastral income to be revised through the set procedure, usually with the help of a technician.
It has to be weighed case by case: a lower cadastral income reduces IMU and transfer taxes, but the procedure has its own costs and the outcome is uncertain.
What is the difference between a cadastral search and a mortgage register search?
The cadastral search describes the property and its cadastral income. The mortgage register search lists the deeds recorded and registered: sales, inheritances, mortgages, seizures.
Before buying you need both: the first tells you what you are buying, the second whether anything weighs on it.
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