¿Cómo saber el valor catastral de un inmueble?

Do you want information about the cadastral value of your apartment or house? In the following article, you will find out how to find out the cadastral value, how it differs from the reference value and much more.

The Cadastral Registry is an administrative registry managed by the Ministry of Finance that contains the physical, economic and legal characteristics of all properties. It includes data such as the type of property, the built surface area (which in another article we already told you about the difference between the useful and built surface area), the owner of the property, the age of the property, its use and a graphic representation of the floor plan. It also includes a cadastral reference and a cadastral value, specific for each property: essential information to take into account if you want to sell your apartment in Barcelona. Registration is compulsory and free of charge. We give you the example of the Catalan capital, as we are a luxury agency in Barcelona, and we are specialized in this area. So if you are looking for this information to sell your property, contact us to speed up the process.

If any changes arise, such as renovations, extensions, divisions of a property or modifications of its use, the Cadastral Office must be notified as this could affect the assigned cadastral value and therefore any applicable tax that may arise in the future.

And the truth is that it is. That is why in other articles we have already talked about important information such as the transfer tax in Barcelona, so you know how much you have to pay in case you want to transfer a property to another person, which is part of the package of documents and procedures to sell your apartment or house.

What is the cadastral value of a property?

The cadastral value of a property is an administrative value set for each real estate property, regardless of what has been paid for the property. The cadastral value is used as the taxable base when calculating certain taxes due, including the local property tax (IBI) and personal income tax (IRPF).

In general the cadastral value does not exceed the market value of the property. The cadastral value is updated by applying coefficients approved by the General State Budget Laws, ensuring as much as possible that the cadastral value is in line with the current market value.

What is the difference between the cadastral value and the cadastral reference value?

Until January 2022, real estate properties were valued based on their real value (ie the property purchase price) when it came to any taxes due when buying a property, unless the tax authorities could prove that the market value was higher. This taxable base was used to calculate the two taxes due when buying a property, Property Transfer Tax (ITP, Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales) and Stamp Duty (AJD, Actos Jurídicos Documentados).

However, in January 2022 a new valuation method was implemented and a cadastral reference value is now used as the minimum taxable base for calculating the ITP and AJD. This is not the same as the cadastral value, which continues to be used as the taxable base for the IBI.

The cadastral reference value is determined by the Cadastral Office annually, based on real estate transactions made before a notary in the previous six-month period and according to the cadastral features of each property.

In contrast to the cadastral value, whilst the location and type of property will be considered when calculating the cadastral reference value, the state of the property will not. This can lead to a cadastral reference value that is higher than the purchase price. For example, two properties in the same building, one fully refurbished and one not, will have the same cadastral reference value regardless of their different market values.

Therefore, if the unrenovated property is purchased it is likely that the purchase price will be lower than the cadastral reference value, but this cadastral reference value will still be used as the taxable base when calculating the ITP and AJD due. On the other hand, where the purchase price is higher than this new cadastral reference value then the purchase price will be used as the taxable base. In other words, the higher of either the cadastral reference value or the property purchase price will be used.

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How can I obtain the cadastral value of a property?

Maybe you have received an apartment or house inherited by several siblings and you want to know what taxes you have to pay (which are not the same taxes to pay for the sale of a property in Barcelona)? Or you want to know the cadastral value of your property because you want to sell your penthouse in Barcelona? Maybe you have another type of property such as an apartment or a house… in any case, you should know that you can know the cadastral value of your property by consulting the IBI receipt or going to your local town hall.

If you are looking for an agency to sell your property, we can help you with the whole process, whether you need to sell a penthouse in the Born, or sell your penthouse in Sarrià.

Some of the data included in the Cadastral Register is available to the general public and can be accessed through the online version of the Cadastral Register. However, there are some data, such as the cadastral value and the name of the owner of the property, which can only be accessed by the owner (or his representative) of the property, the authorities or someone who can prove that he has a special interest in the property.

What factors are used to calculate the cadastral value?

The cadastral value is calculated by considering various factors such as the location of the property, the environment, the cost of the materials used to build the property, the built surface area of the property, its historical characteristics and its usage.

What can I do if I do not agree with the cadastral reference value of my property?

If you believe that the cadastral reference value is higher than the price you paid for the property then you can appeal to your local tax authority and ask them to review the cadastral reference value. If you win the appeal then any excess tax will be returned to you plus any interest accrued.

You can alternatively request that the purchase price is used as the taxable base. You will need to provide a mortgage appraisal together with a certificate from the real estate agency confirming that they believe that the purchase price aligns with the market value. If the tax authority subsequently decides that the purchase price is not appropriate for the property then you would be required to pay a fine as well as the difference in the tax that should have been paid, plus any interest.

The cadastral reference value is also now used as the minimum taxable base for calculating Gift Tax, Inheritance Tax and Wealth Tax (a tax payable on net wealth above a certain threshold, which in Catalonia is €500,000). In the case of Wealth Tax, the taxable base is considered as the higher of the cadastral reference value, the purchase price or the value used for any other taxes. Therefore, if you wish to appeal then this would need to be done at the point at which the property was purchased, inherited or received as a gift. If you find yourself in this situation, we leave you another article in which we talk in detail about the process of selling an inherited house in Catalonia, so that you are informed about everything.

How do I know if the cadastral value has been revised in the last ten years?

The Spanish tax office publishes a list of municipalities where the cadastral reference has been updated in the last ten years.

Please note that the information in this article is a guide only. A qualified tax lawyer should be used for specific advice.

How to know the cadastral value of a property?