Visura ipotecaria: how to read it
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What a mortgage search is, in simple termsWhere you request it and what you needHow to read it, line by lineWhich lines should worry youAn example with round numbersMortgage search and auction appraisal reportWhat the mortgage search does not tell youIn practiceFrequently asked questionsSourcesThe visura ipotecaria (mortgage search) is the official list of what weighs on a property: mortgage liens, seizure orders and other deeds that the law calls «trascritti» (recorded). Read it before signing anything, because it tells you whether the house has debts or proceedings under way linked to that property.
What a mortgage search is, in simple terms
The visura ipotecaria is a search of the registers of the Conservatoria dei registri immobiliari (the property registry office), the office where deeds concerning ownership and rights over property are recorded. Many people also call it ispezione ipotecaria.
Inside you will find three types of entry. The trascrizione (recording) is the registration of a deed, for example a sale or a seizure order: it serves to make it enforceable against third parties, that is, to make it valid even against someone who buys later (this is stated in article 2643 of the codice civile, the Civil Code). The iscrizione (registration) is the recording of the mortgage lien (ipoteca), that is, the guarantee a bank obtains over the house when it lends a mortgage loan (mutuo). The annotazione (annotation) updates a deed already registered, for example when a mortgage lien is cancelled.
The amount written in the mortgage lien can be higher than the loan, because it also covers interest and costs. It is not a debt to be paid twice: it is the maximum limit of the guarantee. To understand better how a mortgage loan and its guarantee work, the guide from the Banca d'Italia (Bank of Italy) is a good starting point.
Where you request it and what you need
The search is requested from the Conservatoria dei registri immobiliari with jurisdiction over the area where the house is located, now also available online. You need the property details (municipality, address and, if you have them, foglio, particella and subalterno, the cadastral sheet, parcel and sub-unit) and the name of the owner, with the codice fiscale (tax code) where possible.
For the cadastral details you can start from the seller's notarial deed (rogito) or from the visura catastale (land registry extract). Costs and request methods can change: check them at the time you make the request.
How to read it, line by line
The visura is divided into two parts. The first contains the details of the property and of the subject (the owner). The second contains the list of formalità (registered acts), that is, the deeds registered in date order. Each formalità has a date, a type of deed, the names of the parties and a register number.
To read it without getting lost, follow these steps:
- Check that the property is the right one: municipality, foglio, particella and subalterno must match the notarial deed or the notice.
- Check the owner's name: it must match the person selling to you or the debtor named in the appraisal report (perizia).
- Put the lines in date order and follow the story: who bought, who registered mortgage liens, who seized.
- For each mortgage lien, look for its cancellation, or for an annotation that reduces or closes it.
- Look for seizure orders and other legal actions, and note the dates.
Do not assume that a name from the past is still the owner. If the house has changed hands several times, every transfer must be registered and linked to the next.
Which lines should worry you
Not all lines carry the same weight. It is best to start with two cases.
A mortgage lien without a cancellation. If you find a registered mortgage lien and cannot see a cancellation, the debt may still be open. Or the bank may have closed the mortgage loan, but the cancellation has not yet been registered. This is not necessarily a serious problem, but it needs to be clarified. Ask the seller for proof that the mortgage loan has been paid off and for the cancellation of the mortgage lien.
A recorded seizure order. This is a foreclosure proceeding in progress: a creditor has asked that the house be sold to satisfy a debt. A seizure order that has not been cancelled is a serious problem and must be clarified before the notarial deed (rogito), with the seller and with the notary. If the house ends up at auction, the transfer decree (decreto di trasferimento) cancels mortgage liens and seizure orders (article 586 of the codice di procedura civile, the Code of Civil Procedure), but it does not cancel everything, as you will see further on.
An example with round numbers
Invented example. You are looking at a house for sale at €100,000. The search shows these lines, in date order:
- 2008: mortgage lien registered in favour of a bank, for a mortgage loan taken out by the seller.
- 2018: annotation of cancellation of the 2008 mortgage lien.
- 2024: seizure order recorded in favour of a creditor other than the bank.
How do you read it? The 2008 mortgage lien appears closed, because the cancellation is there. The 2024 seizure order, however, is still registered and you cannot see any cancellation. So the house is not free. Before going any further, ask the seller for the documentation of the seizure order and its current status, and ask the notary how they intend to resolve it.
If the 2024 seizure order also had its own closing annotation in the search, the picture would be different. In any case, do not sign a preliminary contract (compromesso) until this point has been clarified.
Mortgage search and auction appraisal report
If you are buying at auction, you do not receive a search as you would in a private sale: the situation is summarised in the appraisal report (perizia). The appraiser (perito) reports the constraints and encumbrances. The creditor who starts the seizure also files a notarial certificate with the mortgage history of the property. Read the part of the appraisal report devoted to constraints and encumbrances with the same care you would use for the search, and compare it with the lines you know. To understand how to read the appraisal report as a whole, see the guide on how to read an auction appraisal report section by section.
Remember that mortgage liens and seizure orders are cancelled by the transfer decree. What remains, for example, are easements, planning constraints, third-party rights enforceable against you such as a usufruct recorded before the seizure, and enforceable leases. For this reason the appraisal report must be read carefully even when it is an auction.
What the mortgage search does not tell you
The search deals with registered rights and deeds, not with the physical house. It does not tell you whether the property is compliant with the cadastre: for that you need the visura catastale, which shows category, cadastral income (rendita catastale) and the details of the unit. It does not tell you whether the house has unauthorised building works (abusi edilizi), how much it is worth, or whether the condominium (building owners' association) has arrears. These are separate checks, carried out with other documents.
In practice
- Ask for an up-to-date search, not an old one: a seizure order may have been recorded only recently.
- For each mortgage lien, look for the matching cancellation and ask for proof that it has been registered.
- If you see a seizure order, do not go any further until you have clarified with the seller and the notary how it will be resolved.
- Compare the names in the search with those in the notarial deed and the seller's identity document.
- Read the visura ipotecaria and the visura catastale together: they complete each other.
Frequently asked questions
Is the visura ipotecaria mandatory?
It is the check that protects you most before buying. The notary verifies it before the notarial deed, and at auction you will find it summarised in the appraisal report. There is no special form required: what matters is knowing what burdens the house.
Is a search from a few months ago enough?
No. Registrations and seizure orders can change in a few days. Ask for an up-to-date search shortly before signing and ask the notary to carry out their own check.
Does a cancelled mortgage lien fully protect me?
Only if the cancellation is actually registered. Check it in the search: there must be an annotation line for the cancellation. If you have doubts, ask the seller for the bank's documentation and ask the notary to verify it.
Who pays for the search?
Costs and request methods change over time. Check them at the time and ask for the amount before making the request.
Sources
In the same chapter
- APE (attestato di prestazione energetica): what it isThe APE is the document that shows how much energy a home consumes and gives it an energy class from A4 to G. Here is when you need it, how to read it and how long it lasts.
- Cadastral category (categoria catastale): A/2, A/3, C/6 and the others explainedThe cadastral category is the code that classifies the property (A/2, A/3, C/6…) and determines cadastral income and taxes. Here is what the letters and numbers mean.
- Certificate of habitability (certificato di agibilità): when it is neededThe certificate of habitability confirms that a home is fit for use. Here is when it is needed, how to check it before buying and what to do if it is missing.
- Cadastral code of the municipality (codice catastale del comune): what it isThe cadastral code is a four-character code that identifies the municipality (comune) in the land registry, and you need it to look up a land registry extract. Here is where to find it.
- Foglio, particella and subalterno: how to find themFoglio, particella and subalterno are the numbers that identify the property in the land registry (catasto): you find them in the notarial deed, the land registry extract and the auction appraisal report.
- Mortgage on a home: what it is and how it is cancelledThe mortgage is the guarantee the bank registers on the home for the loan. It is closed after the final payment, but it should be checked with a mortgage search: here's how.
General information, not legal or tax advice: the law and the notice of sale prevail.
