Land Registry – Everything You Need to Know

Quick Overview

The Real Estate Cadastre is a public registry where you can verify basic information about a property, its owner, and any legal restrictions. Online access to the Land Registry is free, but it is limited in scope—you can obtain a complete extract from the Land Registry, documents from the collection of deeds, or an ownership overview through paid services provided by ČÚZK, Czech POINT, or the cadastral office. When buying real estate, it’s not enough to just check the owner. It’s also crucial to review Section C of the title deed, any seals, the title of acquisition, potential foreclosures, joint marital property, and the contents of the purchase agreement.

Do you need to be sure that the property you’re buying has no legal issues? Let us review the purchase agreement, title deed, and related documents before you send a reservation deposit or sign the contract.

What is the Real Estate Cadastre?

The Cadastral Act answers this question, and we’ll base our explanation on it. The Real Estate Cadastre is a public registry containing a set of data on real estate defined by the Cadastral Act, including its inventory, description, geometric and positional specifications, and the registration of rights pertaining to it. Among other things, it serves to protect rights; for the purposes of taxes, fees, and other monetary payments; to protect the environment, mineral resources, and cultural heritage; for land-use planning; for real estate appraisal; and for scientific, economic, and statistical purposes.

This data is most commonly used to protect property rights, appraise real estate, and protect the environment, as well as for tax and fee purposes. People most often search the real estate registry for extracts, but thanks to the archives, they can also view other documents related to real estate. In the cadastre, you can also find:

• titles of acquisition—inheritance, purchase, or gift agreements,
• survey plans,
• mortgage agreements,
• occupancy permits,
• declarations by owners,
• documents relating to easements
• and, of course, cadastral maps.

The Land Registry is indispensable for anyone who wants to verify a plot of land or a property, and consulting the Land Registry allows you to find out key information about the ownership and encumbrances of a property.

Owners and other authorized parties are required to notify the cadastral office of any changes to the information regarding their real estate within 30 days of the change occurring, upon request, permanently mark the boundaries of the parcels, and supplement missing information or correct errors in the documents submitted for registration. If they fail to mark the boundaries, the office may mark them at the owners’ expense.

An accessible attorney advises: “Keep in mind that the land registry records land as parcels, buildings with a descriptive or registration number (unless they are part of a parcel or a building right), and buildings without a number, provided they are the main structure. However, not all real estate is listed there. For example, if you need information about underground structures or buildings under construction, your search in the land registry will not be successful.”

The administration of the real estate cadastre in the Czech Republic is carried out by cadastral offices, surveying and cadastral inspectorates, and the Czech Office for Surveying and Cadastre.

The modern land registry is fully digital and allows for convenient online access to the registry, saving both time and money.

Free Online Land Registry Search: What Can You Find Out for Free?

Free access to the land registry can be easily done online, as we mentioned above, but of course, the traditional method still works—you can visit the relevant land registry office and find the information in person. On the ČÚZK website, you’ll find a complete list of land registry offices and land registry branches.

If you’re missing basic information, such as a parcel number or house number, you can use the map tools to quickly search the land registry.

The essential search criteria you’ll need when searching the land registry are:

• usually the cadastral area or the name of the municipality,
• the house number or the parcel number of the property,
• or the case reference number.

However, it is very common that you do not know this information. In such situations, you can use the map on the website of the Czech Office for Surveying, Mapping, and Cadastre or the more user-friendly map on ikatastr.cz.

Various price maps, which focus on actual (rather than advertised) real estate sales prices, offer a completely different perspective on the real estate market. These are paid services that track sold properties and gather information from completed sales recorded by cadastral offices. However, the quality of these individual services can vary considerably.

A common question is whether it is possible to search the land registry by the owner’s name. This is not possible, but once you find a parcel of land, you can identify the owner. While viewing the land registry online is free, a full extract from the land registry is subject to a fee.

How do I search the real estate cadastre?

On the ČÚZK website, you’ll find an abridged version of the title deed, which you can view for free, as well as a full extract, which costs 50 Kč per page.

Let’s break down what you’ll find in the full title deed. In the introductory section, you’ll find basic information about the property. The most important details are the cadastral district and the title deed number. In Section A), you’ll find information about the property’s ownership, including the name, address, and birth number of the property owner, as well as details on the co-ownership share if the property has multiple owners, or a note indicating that the property is part of the joint property of spouses.

When reading an extract from the real estate cadastre, also focus your attention on Section B, which contains specific information about the property—including the parcel number, building number, unit number, area, type of land, and intended use.

Without a doubt, the most important section to review in a land registry extract is Section C, where restrictions on ownership rights are recorded—restrictions that often affect a property’s value. The most commonly recorded restrictions are:

• Easements related to the property.
• Liens —typically a bank’s lien if the property was financed through a mortgage loan , but they may also include enforcement liens if the property owner owes a debt to a third party.
• Other rights or agreements with the effect of real rights, such as a right of first refusal, a prohibition on alienation or encumbrance, or a right of repurchase.

Section C is often the riskiest part when purchasing real estate. A lien in and of itself need not be a problem if it is properly resolved upon payment of the purchase price. However, an easement, a prohibition on alienation, or a lien arising from enforcement proceedings can significantly complicate the transfer. If you are unsure what a specific entry means, have a lawyer review the title deed before signing a reservation or purchase agreement.

The real estate registry continues with Section D, which lists so-called “other entries,” such as notes or seals (indicating that the cadastral office is conducting proceedings regarding an entry that has not yet been finalized—ownership may therefore change soon, or a lien may be added, etc.).

In practice: We often deal with situations where a buyer obtains a copy of the title deed several weeks before signing the contract but fails to review it again just before signing. In the meantime, a seal may appear on the title deed, indicating ongoing proceedings at the Land Registry. This isn’t necessarily a problem right away, but it could signify a change in ownership, a new lien, or other restrictions that should be explicitly addressed in the contract.

In the final Section E, you will find the title to the property—that is, the manner in which the property was acquired. This section contains a list of contracts on the basis of which the owners listed on the title deed acquired the property. These may include purchase agreements, gift deeds, inheritance decisions, court rulings, auction sale orders, etc.

Free access to the real estate cadastre provides you with basic information, while paid extracts from the cadastre include detailed information about the owners and any encumbrances on the property.

What You Can Learn from a Search of the Real Estate Registry

Consulting the real estate cadastre will reveal, for example, restrictions on ownership rights, such as easements or liens, which may affect the property’s value. When searching the real estate cadastre, you generally start with information about the property (house, land, or apartment unit). For example, when searching for a residential unit, you first enter the name of the municipality and its district, and then you need to know both the house number and the unit number. If you try to search by a person’s name or birth number, for instance, you will not be successful.

The most important information you can obtain by consulting the real estate cadastre includes details about the property owner—that is, their first name, last name, and permanent address—as well as specifications of the property, such as the parcel number, house number, or unit number, and their respective areas.

This allows you to verify whether you are actually purchasing the property from the rightful owner. Another important piece of information is any restrictions on ownership rights that apply to the property. Such restrictions include, for example, easements or liens that limit the sale or purchase of the property.

Thanks to a relatively new intermediate step in the land registry search process, you will initially receive only general information about the property, without the owner’s name being listed. For an apartment unit, for example, you will find out its intended use, the share of common areas, and the types of protection in place.

You’ll reach the property owner in the next step. You’ll need to either have an account set up for remote access to the land registry or simply enter the code from the image (a CAPTCHA). You’ll then be taken to the final and most important detail: the owner’s name.

It’s a very good idea to check the land registry every time you’re planning to buy a property. It’s a fundamental step that you shouldn’t skip. You can learn a great deal from the land registry, but by no means everything. That’s why we’ve also provided additional tips on what you should keep an eye out for.

What You Won’t Find Out When You Check the Real Estate Registry

However, there is some information that you cannot find out by consulting the real estate cadastre. This may include, for example, the fact that one of the owners has had their right to dispose of the property revoked. To verify this, we recommend requesting a document from the land registry proving the owner’s title to the property—that is, the purchase or gift agreement under which the owner acquired the property in question. These documents can reveal whether, for example, the owner’s right to dispose of the property is restricted (e.g., by a court decision or by contract).

Similarly, an extract from the title deed does not reveal whether, upon the sale of a share in the property, the owner of the share is required to offer a right of first refusal to the other co-owners, as this information is derived directly from the law.

Another potential issue may arise when the property being sold is registered in the real estate cadastre in the name of only one spouse, even though the spouses do not have a restricted community property regime and acquired the property during the marriage, meaning it is part of their community property.

In such a case, the other spouse—who is not listed as the owner in the land registry but is in fact the owner—must expressly consent to the sale. The bank will always require consent to the sale if you are financing the purchase of the property with a mortgage loan.

In practice: We often encounter situations where the seller argues that they are listed in the land registry as the sole owner and can therefore sell the property on their own. However, if the property was acquired during the marriage and there is no limited community property regime, the consent of the other spouse may be required. Without it, there is a risk of a dispute over the validity of the transfer or complications when obtaining a mortgage.

Are you in the process of buying an apartment, house, or plot of land, and the seller claims that “everything is in order in the land registry”? The land registry is an important starting point, but not the end of the legal review. We’ll review the title deed, the title of acquisition, spousal consent, liens, easements, and the draft purchase agreement on your behalf to ensure you don’t inherit someone else’s legal problems.

What about enforcement proceedings?

You also cannot determine from the land registry extract whether there are any enforcement proceedings that have not yet been registered or are pending—proceedings that are ready to be filed by a bailiff and may appear on the title deed before you acquire ownership of the property. Unfortunately, you can only find this out by asking the owner, who is obligated to disclose all legal defects of which they are already aware—including the aforementioned enforcement proceedings that are not yet listed in the land registry. Enforcement proceedings that have been initiated are recorded in the land registry, but the entry is made only after the enforcement order has been served. In the meantime, the owner may transfer the property—which is why it is advisable to request confirmation directly from the owner.”

The most common mistake buyers make is relying solely on the current land registry search. If the enforcement order has not yet been recorded in the land registry, the risk may not be apparent at first glance. Therefore, for high-risk transactions, we recommend not only using the title deed but also obtaining a statement from the seller, setting up an appropriately structured escrow account with an attorney, and including contractual penalties in case a legal defect arises between the signing of the contract and the approval of the title transfer.

Viewing the real estate cadastre online is a useful tool that allows you to quickly check a property from the comfort of your home.

Summary

The Real Estate Cadastre is a public registry that contains key information about real estate—such as who owns it, what rights and restrictions are attached to it, and where it is located. Users can access it online for free to find out, for example, whether a property is encumbered by a lien or easement, or whether a change in ownership is in progress. Extracts from the Land Registry can be obtained for a fee, and for thorough verification, it is advisable to also request related documents, such as the title deed. However, the Land Registry does not show everything—some legal facts (e.g., unregistered foreclosures or disputes) may not be recorded in it.