How to find the owner of an abandoned house in Puerto Rico

 This section explores:

1. How does one find out who owns a property in Puerto Rico?
2. What if the owner has passed away?
3. What if the owner is a corporation or limited liability company?
4. What happens when a property in Puerto Rico shows a parcel number but not the owner's name at the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIM)?

How does one find out who owns a property in Puerto Rico?

In Puerto Rico, the main purpose of the Property Registry is to check the legal status of registered real estate or property rights. The Property Registry is a public office, so anyone can go to any of the 29 sections, depending on the demarcation of the property of interest. You can visit the Registry without needing a lawyer to request the registration of a document or obtain information about a property. The data from the Property Registry always prevails: the Deed of the property or property.

In order to find out who owns a property in Puerto Rico one must get acquainted with the 'Tax Payer Service Center Office' in Puerto Rico: CRIM (Centro de Recaudación de Ingresos Municipales). CRIM is the Taxpayer Service Center and Taxpayer Assessors Center office for Puerto Rico. CRIM classifies, plans and evaluates all real estate in Puerto Rico and maintains information about the taxpayer (generally the owner). CRIM maintains a copy of the last property inscription executed at the 'Recorder of Deeds' office. The copy includes, but its not limited to: Ownership, Parcel Identification Number, Book (volume) and Page (folio) where Deed (instrument number) inscribed with Puerto Rico Register of Deeds. 

Real Estate ownership transfers in the U.S. territory and commonwealth of Puerto Rico are handled by Attorney's at Law (Law Firms) not a 'Title Company". Law Firms act as ESCROW holding all money or assets as a third party for the benefit of the parties involved in any given transaction. In addition to escrow the 'Law Firm' handles: 

  • Title Abstract, 
  • Ownership-Transfer document preparation, 
  • Notary Seal,
  • Recording Solicitations of  Real Estate at one of 29 sections of Land Registry and, 
  • Recording Solicitations of  Real Estate at CRIM (Taxpayer Service Center).

Puerto Rico Attorney Directory -HERE  A Single Registry of Lawyers (RUA). The RUA was created to centralize in a single database the information on individuals authorized by the Supreme Court to practice law and be a notary public in Puerto Rico.

In the United States counties have online access to the property tax card at the county assessors website. In Puerto Rico CRIM (Centro de Recaudación de Ingresos Municipales) is the Taxpayer Assessors Center office. At the CRIM'S website a computer system stores, analyzes, and displays data related to locations. With the parcel id (or Cadastre) one can quickly look up:

  1. Ownership, 
  2. Book (volume) and Page (folio) recording at Recorder of Deeds, 
  3. Deed (instrument number) at Recorder of Deeds and,
  4. Property Sale Price.

If you don't have the parcel id or Cadastre number convert property address decimal coordinates to degrees minutes seconds (DMS) and place the DMS at the PR CRIM Digital Cadastre browser window at top.  

If you notice significant discrepancies in the configuration of a property on the map and the legal reality, this may be due to parcels whose configuration dates back long before the digitization of the cadastral map. The team at the Digital Cadastre office updates and corrects the cadastral map continuously.

What if the owner has passed away?

If the owner has died, the heirs (the estate) have the right to the property and must make a change of ownership at the CRIM with a stamped copy of the ‘CRIM Change of Ownership Request’; form AS-52, Request for Change of Ownership.

An estate is the set of assets and liabilities of the people who are part of the estate. If there is a will, the heirs are those who are named in it. If the person dies without a will or the will does not include all the heirs, a court process is carried out to identify who they are. This process is known as the declaration of heirs (in the United States the problem goes to the probate court). At the end of the process, and depending on the evidence presented, the court will issue a decision (known as a resolution) identifying the heirs.
In Puerto Rico, if you know the name of the deceased (First Name, Last Name, and Last Name), you can search for the status of the case (declaration of heirs). If an estate is in the process of 'Resolution of Heirs' a court case number is displayed at the Judicial Branch of Puerto Rico/Case Consultation web site. Visit: https://poderjudicial.pr/consulta-de-casos/

What if the owner is a corporation or limited liability company?

Vacant, dilapidated and/or a public nuisance property owned by a Corporation or Partnership conducive to “Rent-to-Own”, “Contract for Title”, "Owner Financing".

When a visit to the CRIM Taxpayer Assessors computer system results in the property owner a "Corporation" visit the Puerto Rico Secretary of State's office. Secretary of State office offers a free online tool that allows you to search for corporations registered with the "Puerto Rico Department of State"; the term "Corporation" refers to all types of corporations, including but not limited to corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, etc., that are required to register with the "Puerto Rico Department of State". In the United States search the online services of the "Secretary of State" of the state where you are looking for a home.

Puerto Rico Secretary of State go HERE: https://prcorpfiling.f1hst.com/CorporationSearch.aspx

What happens when a property in Puerto Rico shows a parcel number but not the owner's name at the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIM)?

Generally, when a property in Puerto Rico displays a parcel number at the CRIM website but not the owner's name, it means that the parcel has not been formally segregated or registered in the Property Registry as a separate property, or that the records are simply outdated. This is a common situation that requires an official title search and collaboration with government entities.

If you have already searched the Municipal Revenue Collection Center (CRIM) to identify the property, even if the Property Registry is incomplete, and you used the CRIM's online portal (https://catastro.crimpr.net/cdprpc/) and searched by parcel number (also known as the cadastral number) to look up tax records and checked if a name is associated with the property for tax purposes, and you verify tax payments, and the search is inconclusive, request a formal Title Study through the Property Registry. This is a complex legal process that is recommended to be handled through a qualified Puerto Rican attorney or notary. 

An attorney can:

  1. Find the parent parcel: In many cases, an untitled parcel is a minor division of a previously recorded larger property. An attorney can check the history of the parent parcel to find information about the division and the original deed. The original segregation deed, executed by a notary, would reflect the transfer of ownership and an attorney can locate the notary to obtain a copy of this deed from the Notarial Archive.

Hire an attorney (Puerto Rico Attorney Directory -HERE) A local real estate attorney can provide a title search, obtain the necessary documentation, and represent you in court if necessary. Consult with support groups. Legal aid organizations and services such as https://ayudalegalpr.org/ can offer pro bono advice for complex cases, such as those involving inheritance or unclear property titles.

*** 

Outdated records are common. Many records, especially in the CRIM (Registry of Property and Immigration), may be outdated or incomplete. The Property Registry is the definitive source for formal ownership. Registering a property is technically optional in Puerto Rico; failure to do so increases ownership risk and complicates future transactions. Properties with unregistered or unclear title generally cannot be used as collateral for traditional bank loans.

 

 

 

 




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