Hellenic Cadastre: How Registration Errors Can Cost You Your Property

The completion of the Κτηματολόγιο (Hellenic Cadastre) is bringing critical issues to the surface regarding the incorrect registration of rights and the inaccurate recording of the property status of thousands of owners. Even a seemingly insignificant error can have serious consequences, preventing a transfer, the issuance of a building permit, or even leading to the loss of ownership rights over a property.

According to data, the primary problem lies in the fact that owners often do not realize errors during the cadastral mapping process. As a result, in areas where the Cadastre has already been established, properties are being identified with discrepancies of up to 50% between the actual area and the recorded percentage. As surveying engineer Γραμματή Μπακλατσή (Grammati Baklatsou) explains, the problem is usually discovered late, at the moment when a need arises for a transfer, the issuance of a building permit, or the general utilization of the property.

Causes of Errors

Discrepancies in Cadastre entries are not random but stem from the way properties were initially declared or mapped. The most common causes include a lack of clearly defined boundaries, such as the absence of fences or natural markers, and old measurements based on inaccurate methods. Furthermore, old contracts that mention areas vaguely or "approximately" play a significant role, as do discrepancies arising between the area stated in a contract and the area resulting from the digital background of the Cadastre.

Most Common Geometric Errors

Errors in geometric data, which represent the biggest trap, are divided into three basic categories:

1. Area Errors: Owners may find that the Cadastre records a smaller or larger area compared to their contract. For example, a property declared at 1,000 square meters may appear registered as 920 sq.m. This is mainly due to old topographic diagrams lacking modern measurements or contracts with general references (such as "approximately two stremmata").

2. Property Location Errors: Quite often, properties appear "shifted" on the map. The result is that they either appear to "invade" neighboring properties or lose part of their own actual area. This is primarily caused by a lack of coordinates during the declaration, rough mapping, or the non-existence of clear boundaries on the ground.

3. Boundary Errors (Overlaps): These constitute one of the most frequent causes of conflict and disputes between neighbors. In these cases, the Cadastre records a different boundary line than what the owners previously acknowledged.

To avoid future risks, it is clear that owners must thoroughly check the data posted in the Cadastre in order to proceed with timely corrections and avoid being forced to resort to legal action.