Cadastre ·
IVGA and ICUC: updating your deed before a mortgage
What the IVGA and the ICUC are, what they prove and what they do not, and how we use them so that a home's title deed reflects its real boundaries and buildings.
The IVGA and the ICUC are two reports from the Cadastre (Catastro, Spain’s land and property register for tax purposes) that make it possible to bring the reality of a property into the title deed (escritura): where its boundaries run and where its buildings stand. They are often requested when a house has grown over the years (an extension, a pool, a garage) and the title deed still describes what was there decades ago. This case is that of a property whose owners wanted to bring the title deed up to date in order to apply for a mortgage.
What is the IVGA?
The alternative graphic validation report (IVGA, Informe de Validación Gráfica Alternativa) is the report issued by the Cadastre’s online office (Sede Electrónica) when it receives an outline of the property that differs from the cadastral one. The technician measures the property, generates a GML file (the georeferenced parcel format the Cadastre and the Land Registry require) with its coordinates and submits it. The Cadastre checks that the new shape fits with the surrounding parcel map: that it does not overlap the neighbours or leave gaps.
If it fits, the result is positive, and that report is the one taken to the notary or to the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) to register the graphic representation of the property.
It is worth reading the small print of the report itself: a positive result says that the graphic representation meets the technical requirements to be incorporated into the Cadastre. It does not say that the property is yours or that the legal transactions are correct. That is for the notary and the land registrar to assess.
What is the ICUC?
The cadastral building location report (ICUC, Informe Catastral de Ubicación de Construcciones) places the buildings within the parcel with their coordinates. It is also generated by the Cadastre’s online office, from a GML that we prepare with the survey of each building. It is used above all to declare a new build or an extension in the title deed, because the Land Registry requires the building to be located within the property.
The case: bringing the title deed up to date to apply for a mortgage
The owners wanted to update the boundaries of the property and its buildings in the title deed. What had been built did not match what was described, and that reduced the value of the property for financing purposes.
What we measured
Using classical land surveying, we defined the boundaries of the property and each of the buildings.
What we analysed
We compared the title deed with the measured physical reality: what area and which buildings the title described and what was actually on the ground.
What we delivered
- A technical report defining the physical reality of the property.
- The reports the authorities require to update it: the IVGA for the boundaries and the ICUC for the buildings, with their GML files.
How it ended
The title deed was updated to match the physical reality, and the owners were able to apply for the mortgage with a description that matched what was on the property.
Why does it matter for a mortgage?
The bank lends against what it can verify. If a building is not in the title deed, the valuer may not take it into account, and if the described boundaries do not match the real ones, doubts arise about what is being mortgaged. A property described in the same way on the ground, in the Cadastre and in the Land Registry is valued and financed with less friction. If you are interested in the valuation side, we cover it in how to value your property.
In what order are the steps taken?
- Survey of the boundaries and buildings in official coordinates.
- Comparison with the title deed, the Cadastre and, if needed, historical aerial photographs.
- GML of the parcel and of the buildings.
- IVGA and ICUC at the Cadastre’s online office.
- Notary’s office and Land Registry, where the update of the title deed is processed.
If the IVGA comes out negative, it is usually because the new outline overlaps the neighbours or leaves gaps. Then the survey has to be reviewed or the adjoining owners have to be consulted. In graphic validation report you will find more detail on this document.
Frequently asked questions
Do the IVGA or the ICUC prove that the property is mine?
No. They are technical reports from the Cadastre about geometry. Ownership is evidenced by the Land Registry, and the registration of the new description is decided by the land registrar.
Do I need both reports?
It depends on what needs updating. If only the boundaries change, the IVGA. If there are buildings to declare or locate, the ICUC as well. In many homes with extensions or a pool, both are needed.
Who can generate the GML?
A competent technician. The GML is a file with the coordinates of the property or of the buildings, in the format the Cadastre requires, and it has to come from a rigorous measurement.
If your title deed does not describe your house as it is today, we prepare the survey, the GML, the IVGA and the ICUC as part of our Cadastre and Land Registry service, always based on a measurement of the plot and its boundaries.
Tags actualizacion catastralgmlregistro de la propiedadtasacion
Written by Vicent Doménech, geodesy and cartography engineer, chartered surveyor no. 8948.
