Tag: cadastre

TIME LIMITATION FOR RESPONSIBILITY: ILLEGAL SUBDIVISIONS RUSTIC LAND ANDALUSIA (DAFO)

Written by Gustavo Calero Monereo on 25 September, 2016. Posted in AFO, costa del sol, illegal building, non developable land, rural land, solicitors Nerja, subdivision, undeveloped land.

illegal subdivision rustic land andalucia

On 6 August 2016, the amendment of article 183.3 of the Urban Planning Law of Andalusia (LOUA) came into force.

The main objective of this amendment was to introduce a statute of limitations for subdivisions in non-developable land that contain buildings. Since 2003, the Administration was able initiate the administrative proceedings for the grouping of these plots divided illegally at any time, which entailed an order to demolish anything built illegally on such lands. There was no time limit, i.e. the legal responsibility never expired.

What this amendment has done is introduce a statute of limitations of six years for such subdivisions, provided that they contain buildings over six years old. This statute of limitations introduced for buildings constructed in non-developable land, results in the legal responsibility expiring after six years without the administration initiating proceedings against such subdivision.

It should be made clear that subdividing rural land means the segregation or division of a plot of land into several more plots, usually for the purpose of selling these plots independently and building there. These subdivisions are illegal unless they comply with the smallest unit for crops, which, in dry lands, is usually between 20,000 and 25,000 square metres. The general idea is to limit plots in rural land from being divided to form new independent properties as much as possible.

This is not a minor issue as, both before and after the passage of the LOUA in 2003, thousands of illegal subdivisions of rural land that did not comply with the smallest unit for crops took place in Andalusia. This situation was widespread until 2009, when the economic crisis put an end to frantic speculation in the property market.

The existence of thousands of such subdivisions led to the sale of many properties originating from illegal subdivisions, which were then transferred to other buyers, whom were also transferred the legal “problem” represented by the possibility of the Administration initiating procedures against them.

This was a situation that created a high level of legal uncertainty, as the offence of dividing such land illegally never expired. The sale of these plots led to the appearance of third parties acting in good faith.

In practice, the Administration in general and City Councils in particular did not have –and do not have– any interesting in pursuing proceedings against these subdivisions to re-establish legality in urban planning. In fact, the enforcement of the resolutions of these proceedings, by grouping all segregated plots into a single property in the Land Registry and in the cadastre, with the demolition of anything built illegally on such plots, seems a complicated task, not to say an impossible one.

In addition to this, the fact that there was no statute of limitations caused a situation of comparative tort, as the offence of having built on non-developable land, on a plot that did not come from a subdivision, would expire after six years. However, if the building was located on a plot divided illegally, the building could be “attacked” with no temporal limit as the offence of subdivision did not expire, i.e. despite the building being over six years old.

I think this amendment is sensible, as it equalises the statute of limitations for plots with buildings and that of buildings constructed on non-developable land. This will lead to greater legal certainty, with the ability to determine the legal regime applicable to these properties clearly.

The logical consequence of this amendment is that buildings that are over six years old and that are built on land subdivided illegally will able to apply for the Assimilated-Outside-of-Planning Procedure (DAFO).

This procedure does not entail the legalisation of the building as the situation of illegality is always maintained but it can lead to greater legal certainty, as the City Council will certify the situation of the property on which legal liability has expired, without the possibility of being “attacked” again by the Administration itself, provided that, of course, no new buildings, renovations or improvements are made on said building.

This recognition, in addition to being a relatively significant financial outlay for the owner, will also entail the certification of a series of limitations for buildings on rural land, despite the fact that, with or without DAFO status, these limitations still exist. It will be up to each owner or new buyer to decide whether he or she is interested in requesting that recognition for the property in question, without forgetting that the City Council can require the owner to initiate it ex officio.

Author: Gustavo Calero Monereo, C&D Solicitors, Malaga, Andalusia

PROPERTY LAW AND THE CADASTRE OFFICE IN SPAIN

Written by Gustavo Calero Monereo on 1 September, 2010. Posted in Property law. No Comments on PROPERTY LAW AND THE CADASTRE OFFICE IN SPAIN

Legal importance of correct inscription in both Spanish Cadastre and Land Registry

Although little by little the situation is changing in an important way for the real estate owners, this can not be used to comply with the obligation established in the Real Legislative Decree 1/2004, of 5 of March, in that the text is approved refunded of the Law of the real estate land registry, of recording to its name the property that it possesses or the one that it has just acquired, whether by means of buying and selling, succession or any medium, or to record any physical change that be produced in this, whether group, segregation, new work…etc.

This “bad” custom nowadays can have quite serious consequences in the enjoyment of the right to the property on the part of any person that possesses good real estate in Spain.

Article 1 in their first section of indexed norm is that to regulate the land registry defines the same one as “…a registration administrative clerk of the Treasury Department in which the goods are described urban, rustic real estate and of special characteristics just as they are defined in this Law”. Subsequently in its second section it exposes that this Law is applied in ah the Spanish territory.

Any owner of a dwelling or plot, or both it should be affirmed that the details of the property coincidence with the physical reality of the same or with the title of property, normally Public Deeds for three important motives from a practical point of view.

1.- Because the Real Decree indexed at the start of this article and that to regulate the real estate and registry, collected explicitly in their article 70, establishes the classification of simple tax infraction, the lack of presentation statements done, does not perform in a time limit and the ones that be false or inexact, that is to say that the people that acquire a good real estate, or those being the owners segregate, they group their plot, or they expand the metres of their dwelling, but they declare said alterations or modifications in the land registry through the official forms, can be guilty persons with a fine that oscillates between 60.00 and 6,000.00 euros according to the circumstances. That is to say, since it is an obligation imposed by normal ranks of Law, the obligation to declare in the land registry any variation or modification of the property on the part of its holder, if it does not comply the same, there can be sanction.

2.- Because upon being a public registration, the land registry that incorporates the plans of each one of the plots or properties of each municipality with inclusion of the sensitive data of the same, without a person with a plot or property does not have the same one recorded in the land registry, or the same one presents some error in its inscription or, still being collected in the land registry, is not to it’s name and did not carry out the corresponding change of property ownership, can be found with the unpleasant surprise that its neighbour, for example, recorded in the land registry its property or carries out some modification of the same that can affect him to its boundaries and, if its property does not appear as its name in the land registry or the same not even appears recorded as we have commented, the and registry wit not be able to notify him that its neighbour is going to proceed to carry out a change and that you have a period of time to allege what estimates convenience. That is to say, if that property modification of its neighbour affects him in the use and enjoyment of his property, you will not be able to allege anything in defence of his interests and, possibly, its neighbour will be able to carry out that alteration in the and registry with the damages that this can cause him in his property. And all because you did not do what the law obliges when you bought the property or when you carried out the modifications in the same one that is perfectly recorded in the land registry the details of its property.

3.- In any operation of buying and selling of good real estate, the notaries are obliged to request descriptive property certificates and graphics since said information can obtain by telematic way. In the supposed one that they cannot contribute that document because there exists some problem in the and registry with the buying and selling of said property, they have to make it to be evident in the Public Deeds and, although that lack of contribution of the property reference by means of the certificate does not impede that the notaries authorize said Deed, neither does it impede the inscription in the Registration of the Property of the same, except in supposed punctuality, the problems that can arise for the good of the operation should be keep in mind, since that the buyer of said real estate before the warning of the notary have doubts of the situation of said property and this can cause the break, or at least the complication, of said operation of buying and selling. It is kept in mind that, although the Public Deeds be the reliable document of property, the land registry is used to being but exact with the existing reality in the real estate, since it incorporates in their fiat detailed database that they be brought up to date from time to time and in which the changes are incorporated that themselves are not collected in the titles so much as relating to the dimensions of the plot and boundaries, as in the constructions that be carry out in the same.

In conclusion, i would like to emphasize that the correct inscription in the land registry of any property has as main consequence in the legal security of the proprietary person of the same and of the person that can acquire it in the future, as well as of administrative agencies. If you have a property real estate in Spain or are thinking to acquire one, be sure that the same one found recorded in the land registry is with at the most important date; situation, ownership, extension and boundaries.

Author: Gustavo Calero Monereo, C&D Solicitors (lawyers)
Torrox-Costa (Malaga/Costa del Sol/Andalucia)