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Registry office · Real Estate Registry Office (Cartório de Registro de Imóveis)

Registry office cases

Recordings on the property record (averbações), registrations, property records (matrículas), deeds, and corrections at property registry offices (cartórios).

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Quick answer

Registry office cases in São Paulo at a glance

For a building to appear on the property record (matrícula), it must be recorded (averbação) at the real estate registry office, with the Habite-se (certificate of occupancy), the Certificate of Completion or the Regularization Certificate from City Hall. Federal law also requires the building work clearance certificate from the Federal Revenue Service (CNO and SERO), and the registry office confirms what it requires in each case. Area rectification and merging of property records are also done at the registry office.

Updated on by the MTC technical team, based on the rules cited on this page.

Recording
With the Habite-se or an equivalent City Hall document
Source: Rules of the São Paulo General Inspectorate of Justice (Corregedoria Geral da Justiça) for registry offices, Volume II(opens in a new tab)
At the Federal Revenue Service
Work registered in the CNO, assessment in SERO and building work clearance certificate
Source: Federal Revenue Service: assessment of the building work in SERO(opens in a new tab)
Area rectification
A neighbor who did not sign has 15 days to respond
Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973(opens in a new tab)
Informal contract (contrato de gaveta)
Does not transfer ownership; only registration does
Source: Civil Code, arts. 108 and 1.245(opens in a new tab)

How the property record works

The property record (matrícula) at the Real Estate Registry Office is the document that says who the owner is, what the area is and what exists on the property. Everything that changes must be registered or recorded on it.

In practice, many people buy with a contract and never register, build and never record the construction, or inherit and never divide the estate. The property record stays frozen in time while the property changes.

Construction, demolitions, name changes, purchase, inheritance and area corrections are examples. MTC organizes the documents, handles the requirements and follows the process through to registration.

What MTC does

  • Property record analysis

    We check what is registered and what is missing.

  • Recording of construction

    Registration of the built area after the Habite-se.

  • Rectification

    Correction of area, measurements and boundaries.

  • Deed registration

    Follow-up of purchase, sale and estate division.

Understand it in one image

What it means to record the construction

Property record (matrícula)Property Registry Office
  • PropertyDescription of the lot, with area and boundaries
  • R.1Purchase and sale: the owner is registered
  • AV.2Construction recorded: 120 m² house, with the Habite-se or the Regularization Certificate

R is registration (who the owner is); AV is recording (what changed on the property). Without the recording, the house exists on the lot, but not on paper.

Illustrative example of a property record, based on the Public Records Law (Law 6.015/1973). Each registry office has its own format.

What the property record must show correctly

If any of these points is wrong, the property record is out of date.
  1. 01 · OwnerWho the owner is today
  2. 02 · AreaMeasurements and boundaries of the lot
  3. 03 · ConstructionRecorded built area
  4. 04 · EncumbrancesMortgages, seizures and restrictions
Most common issues on a property record:Purchase with only a contractUnrecorded constructionInheritance without estate divisionArea different from the real oneOutdated nameMortgage already paid off

What each act requires at the registry office

Each act at the real estate registry has its own requirements. Knowing which one is your case avoids back-and-forth at the counter.

ActWhat it takes
Recording of constructionHabite-se, Certificate of Completion or Regularization Certificate; the building work clearance certificate from the Federal Revenue Service, depending on the registry office
Area rectificationFloor plan and descriptive report with ART and the signatures of the neighbors on the property line; a neighbor who did not sign is notified and has 15 days
Merger of property recordsNeighboring properties of the same owner
Subdivision (desmembramento)Prior City Hall approval
Purchase and salePublic deed above 30 minimum wages and registration of the title
Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973(opens in a new tab)

Why keep the property record up to date

From an outdated property record to an up-to-date one

Tap a problem to see how it is solved.

What happens with an outdated property record

An outdated property record does not generate a fine, but it exposes the property. The risk grows the longer it takes between the transaction and the registration. Until a sale or probate comes up, correcting the property record is simpler.

  1. 1

    Transaction without registration

    The purchase, inheritance or construction is not taken to the registry office.

    What can be done

    Gather the documents and file the registration or recording.

  2. 2

    Registry office requirements

    The registry office points out missing documents or discrepancies.

    What can be done

    Respond to the requirement notes with the certificates and technical documents.

  3. 3

    Block or seizure

    The former owner's debts reach the property.

    What can be done

    Register the acquisition and, if necessary, defend possession with the documents.

  4. 4

    Lawsuit

    Regularization is only possible through the courts, as in adverse possession (usucapião).

    What can be done

    Evaluate the judicial or extrajudicial path with technical and legal support.

Outside the registry office, the problem shows up here

When selling or financing

  • Deed deniedThe registry office requires an up-to-date property record.
  • Bank refusesPending issues prevent financing.

In the property's security

  • Third-party debtsThe property may answer for the seller's debts.
  • FraudWithout registration, protection is lower.

In the family's assets

  • Probate stalledEstate division depends on the property record.
  • Accumulated costsOld pending issues require more steps.

Bought, built or inherited and did not register? Start with the property record.

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What an up-to-date property record brings

  • Secured ownership

    The property is in your name with legal certainty.

  • Fast transactions

    Sale and financing without surprises.

  • Simple inheritance

    Probate based on a correct document.

  • Real value

    The property record shows everything that exists on the property.

  • Protection

    Registration protects against fraud and third-party debts.

  • Basis for other licenses

    City Hall and the Fire Department check the property record.

When it is needed

  • Purchase and sale of a property
  • Completed construction to be recorded
  • Inheritance and estate division
  • Difference in area or measurements
  • Requirement from the bank or the buyer

Documents that help you get started

You do not need all of them. The team will tell you what is missing.

  • Updated property record
  • Owners' personal documents
  • Deed or contract, if any
  • Habite-se, if recording a construction
  • Property IPTU

How we handle your case

  1. 1

    Analysis

    Reading the property record and identifying the pending issues.

  2. 2

    Documents

    Gathering certificates and technical documents.

  3. 3

    Filing

    Filing the request at the registry office.

  4. 4

    Requirements

    Responses to the registry office's notes.

  5. Registration

    Completion and a new, updated property record.

Important
  • Each registry office may have specific requirements.
  • There are registry fees (emolumentos) and, in some cases, taxes such as ITBI or ITCMD.
  • Area rectifications may require the neighbors' consent.

Questions about registry office cases

The questions that come to the team and show up in searches most often, with the answer and the source.

See all questions

With a request and the Habite-se, the Certificate of Completion or another equivalent City Hall document, at the real estate registry office where the property is registered.

Source: Rules of the São Paulo General Inspectorate of Justice (Corregedoria Geral da Justiça) for registry offices, Volume II (opens in a new tab)

Federal law requires the building work clearance certificate for the recording, except for an economical single-family home for the owner's own use built without hired labor. The São Paulo Inspectorate of Justice rules, updated in 2026, mention the City Hall document. So confirm with the property's registry office.

Source: Law No. 8.212/1991, art. 47 (building work clearance certificate) (opens in a new tab)

The work is registered in the National Works Registry (CNO), assessed in SERO, declared in DCTFWeb and, once payment is made, the certificate is issued.

Source: Federal Revenue Service: building work clearance certificate (opens in a new tab)

Only in one case: a single-story, single-family house, completed more than 5 years ago, in a low-income area, with a declaration from the owner with a notarized signature.

Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973 (opens in a new tab)

At the registry office, with a floor plan and descriptive report signed by a professional with an ART and by the neighbors on the property line. A neighbor who did not sign is notified and has 15 days to respond.

Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973 (opens in a new tab)

No. Ownership only transfers with the registration of the title at the registry office, and above 30 minimum wages a public deed is mandatory.

Source: Civil Code, arts. 108 and 1.245 (opens in a new tab)

Through a merger of property records, which joins neighboring properties of the same owner into a new property record.

Source: Public Records Law, Law No. 6.015/1973 (opens in a new tab)

Legal basis and sources

Informational content, reviewed on October 22, 2026. The rules may change; the analysis of each case considers the rule in force on the date of the application. MTC is a private company, not affiliated with government agencies.

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