Visura (Search/Extract)

In real estate, visura commonly refers to a search in the property registers or cadastre to obtain information. There are two main types: visura catastale and visura ipotecaria (o ipocatastale). A visura catastale is an extract from the Catasto showing cadastral details: owner (intestatario) as per cadastre, property address, category, class, rendita, and possibly a floor plan if requested. It can be done by property ID or by owner’s name nationwide (for current holdings). Note: since Catasto isn’t proof of ownership, visura catastale is mainly for tax and identification, and might list outdated owners. A visura ipotecaria (also called ispezione ipotecaria) is a search in the Conservatoria registers by person or property that reveals all recorded deeds (trascrizioni) and liens (ipoteche, pignoramenti) for that person or property. This is fundamental for due diligence: notaries do an ispezione ventennale (20-year title search) to ensure the seller has clear title, checking for any mortgages or seizures. Individuals can also obtain visure from the Agenzia delle Entrate’s Sister or at the Conservatoria office, often needing the seller’s name and birthdate or property identifiers. When listing property, an owner might provide a visura to prove what they own. Visura is also used in other contexts (e.g., visura camerale for company registration info), but in real estate, if someone asks “hai fatto la visura?”, they mean have you checked the registries for encumbrances. The visura ipotecaria will show, for instance, a purchase deed from 2010 to the current owner, a mortgage in 2015, etc. It often requires some interpretation by professionals because it gives data like registration numbers and brief descriptions. These searches are critical to avoid buying something with surprises (like an undischarged mortgage). Many notaries now provide the final buyer with a visura or relazione notarile preliminare summarizing results. Land Registry visure typically cost a small fee per name or property searched, though owners can get their own property’s visura catastale free via AE’s portal. In short, fare una visura is to pull the official records on a property or person’s property holdings.