How to find out who owns a property: 6 tips

The desire to find out who owns a particular property may be due to a number of reasons: from the desire to purchase a house or an abandoned plot you like to simple curiosity. In most cases, this information is publicly available, but it is not always easy and quick to get it — it all depends on the location of the object and its type. Let’s look at the main methods of searching for real estate owners in different countries.

Determine the exact address

Before looking for the owner, you need to accurately determine the address of the object you are interested in. There are several ways to do this:

• Visit the facility in person. When you get closer to a house, you can usually see its number or other identifiers.
• Use online maps. Use Google Maps, Yandex Maps or local mapping services. Find the desired object on the map and zoom in — the address should be displayed. Satellite images will help you better assess the size and features of the site.
• Resort to cadastral maps. If the previous methods did not work, refer to the cadastral map. It marks the boundaries of land plots and their cadastral numbers. Such maps are usually available online on specialized sites: for example, in France it is Cadastre, in Russia it is Rosreestr, and in the USA GIS (Geographic Information System) portals operate in many districts.

Use the power of the Internet

When you have an address or cadastral number, you can start searching for information about the owner:

• The website of the cadastral service. As a rule, you can order an extract from the state register of real estate, which contains information about the owner. The service is paid, but it is the most reliable way to get up-to-date information.
• Real estate sites: Zillow (USA), Rightmove (UK), ImmoScout24 (Germany), CYAN (Russia).
• Search engines. A simple search at Google or Yandex can lead you to the right information, especially if we are talking about commercial real estate.
• Facebook or local social networks are for residential use. Social networks: LinkedIn for commercial properties.

Contact the official authorities

Most countries have official real estate registries, where you can contact directly, for example:

• USA: County Assessor’s Office and County Recorder’s Office in each county.
• United Kingdom: HM Land Registry for England and Wales, Registers of Scotland for Scotland.
• Germany: Grundbuch (land registry) and Katasteramt (cadastral office).
• Australia: Land Titles Offices in each state.
• Canada: Land Registry Offices at the provincial level.
• Japan: Legal Affairs Bureau and Real Estate Register.
• India: Sub-Registrar’s Office and Land Records Departments in each state.
• UAE: Dubai Land Department in Dubai, Abu Dhabi Municipality in Abu Dhabi.
• Brazil: Cartório de Registro de Imóveis and Cadastro Nacional de Imóveis Rurais.

Contact the professionals

If an independent search did not bring results, professionals can help you:

• Realtors. They often have access to databases with information about real estate and its owners.
• Real estate lawyers. They can help not only to find the owner, but also to conduct a deeper check of the legal purity of the object.
• Private detectives. In difficult cases, they can investigate and find the information they need.

There are also a number of bonus tips that can help you when looking for more information about a particular property.

Study the history of the object

Sometimes, to find the current owner, it is useful to find out the history of the property using sources such as:

• Archives. Old property documents may be stored in city or regional archives. This is especially useful for historical buildings.
• Libraries. Local libraries often have local history departments with information about the history of the area and individual buildings.
• Historical societies. If an object is of historical value, local historical societies may have information about its past and current owners.

Check the public registries

In addition to the state register, there are other public databases: 

• Registers of bankruptcies. For example, the Unified Federal Register of Information on Bankruptcy in Russia. Here you can find out if the owner of the property is in the process of bankruptcy.
• The register of liens of movable property. For example, the file of arbitration cases in Russia, Public Access to Court Electronic Records (PACER) in the USA. Although it does not directly relate to real estate, it can sometimes contain useful information about the owners.
• The file of arbitration cases. If the owner is a legal entity, here you can find information about litigation related to real estate.

It is important to remember that laws on access to information and protection of personal data vary from country to country. Always act within the framework of local laws and respect the right to privacy. In some cases, it may be necessary to prove a legitimate interest or obtain court approval in order to obtain information.

In addition, the ownership structure of real estate can be complex, including joint ownership, ownership through legal entities or trust management. Therefore, in some situations, you may need to consult a local real estate specialist or a lawyer.

Author

Yulia Yanukovych Editor-in-Chief

I am responsible for the work of the editorial office. I write expert interviews and guides.

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