REAL ESTATE ALERT: New BUPi rules. Ignoring notifications may forfeit land to the State

REAL ESTATE ALERT: New BUPi rules. Ignoring notifications may forfeit land to the State By the Real Estate Law Team at Global Lawyers

Regulatory Decree No. 8/2026 of September 21 has been published, introducing substantial changes to the legal framework of the Simplified Cadastral Information System and the Single Property Desk (BUPi). The new rules make land identification stricter and establish severe consequences for inactive property owners.

The Real Estate Law team at Global Lawyers has analyzed the diploma and highlights the three major changes that require immediate action from those holding rustic or mixed heritage assets:

1. The 90-Day Risk and "Ownerless Lands" The most impactful change relates to owner notifications. Whenever a plot of land appears in the Tax Authority’s matrix but is not properly described and registered at the Land Registry Office, the titleholders will be notified by the IRN to regularize the situation within 90 days. Warning: If the owner fails to comply with this notification within the stipulated period, an ex officio procedure is initiated to declare the land as a "property without a known owner", running the risk of it being transferred to the State.

2. New Resolution for Boundary Conflicts It is very common to have overlapping land when two neighbors try to draw the boundaries of their properties in BUPi. The new law clarifies that if the conciliation procedure fails and the neighbors do not reach an agreement, the conflict can now be resolved more swiftly through the Justices of the Peace (Julgados de Paz) or arbitration, avoiding the long and expensive processes of common courts.

3. Ex Officio Rectifications and Cancellations The diploma tightens control over Georeferenced Graphic Representations (RGG). It now provides for the ex officio (automatic) cancellation of submitted drawings if a violation of legal rules or improper overlaps is detected. Furthermore, the responsibility to rectify geometry errors on the platform now falls directly on the promoter or interested party.

Property inertia is costly These changes prove that having land "in your grandfather's name at the Tax Office" no longer offers any legal security. The Real Estate team at Global Lawyers ensures the follow-up of the entire identification process at BUPi, regularization in the registries, and defense in cases of litigation with neighbors, ensuring that your family heritage remains protected.

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