I was aware that there was a register of ownership which meant that deeds were not as important in France as in Ireland or the UK.
I assumed this was the Cadastre but the Cadastre is backed up by the service de la publicité foncière. When the Notaire conveys a property a copy of the deed is sent (now days electronically) to the service de la publicité foncière (conservation des hypothèques as was).
Thus I have no need of a copy of my deeds when the time comes to sell (that’ll probably be someone else’s problem anyway)
It may not be a boundary-dispute, yes. But, to assure that it does not become one, you would be well-advised to obtain your own surveyor who can verify the boundary between the two properties according to what was contractually established. That formal property-demarcation you must find and have - and if you do not have it then your city-hall may have one.
The cadastral plan is an administrative document which sets out land boundaries and ownership. However it is not the deeds of a property! You can’t go to a notaire and sell a parcel of land on the basis that your name is on the cadastral plan. You need to show the actual deeds that you get given physically on purchase (or as John says which have been lodged electronically).
When we planned to sell a house, but retain the garage and some of the garden…
The geometre came and discussed with us, what we wanted to do.
He then measured everything from every angle…
Drew up a plan showing the division of the 1 parcel… which resulted in 2 new numbers (2 parcels) and cancelling the previous 1 number…
He assured us that these alterations would be lodged/noted at what I understood to be the equivalent of “Land Registry” … in Perigueux.
He told us to mention to our Notaire that he had done this…
Subsequently, the Cadastre showed the newly sectioned parcels with their appropriate numbers…
and when we actually sold the House, the Notaire had our original deeds which included the “old” single parcel, and buildings… plus the newly drawn up plan showing the new division…
Worked like a charm… we sold one plot and kept the other.
So… in my mind… Cadastre links to Land Registry and will enable the owner of a Plot to be identified.
The Deeds themselves are the detailed legal document, agreed by both parties Seller/Buyer… identifying just what is what… and where… and who has paid what etc.
Of course, I might well have gone off my rocker… but I think it’s roughly right…
That’s certainly in agreement with what I was told by the notaire who has handled two purchases for me - one of which involved dividing a parcel of land.
