Real estate deeds will be able to be done remotely

29 Apr 2020 min de leitura

The objective of making the purchase and sale of real estate viable from a distance was old and has continued over time without materializing. But with the crisis generated by the Covid-19 pandemic, the realization of public deeds - among other procedures involving conservatories and notaries that are decisive for the real estate sector and for the economy in general - jumped to the top of the Government's list of priorities , within the measures to promote the digital economy. And the legal diploma - which should have an experimental character at the moment - is contemplated to enter the agenda of the Council of Ministers this Thursday, April 30, 2020, found the idealist / news.

Coordinated by the Secretary of State for Justice, Anabela Pedroso, the project also involves the Tax Authority - for taxes associated with transactions - as well as the National Institute of Registries and Notaries and the Institute of Public Markets, Real Estate and Construction, in addition to other parties as representatives of the real estate sector and the Order of Notaries, according to information collected by idealista / news from various sources.

In this way, and after it is already possible to execute purchase and sale contracts, as well as leases - in addition to other procedures that have given relief to the real estate sector in this context of crisis, when carrying out operations - the purchase and sale of real estate at a distance is now closer to being realized.

The Ministry of Justice made it known that it is preparing, together with notaries and real estate agents, a set of procedures, through computerized mechanisms, which will facilitate, for example, public deeds, carried out by law in conservatories and notary offices. The authentication of signatures is also on the table, but there are still no dates for the launch of the measures.

The objective is to maintain this new functionality even after the return to “normality”, according to information provided by the Minister of Justice, Francisca Van Dunem, so that business can continue to take place. The Jornal de Negócios writes that one of the measures will involve the possibility of notaries and real estate agencies having direct access to simplified building information on the properties, that is: description of the building, identification of the owners and data on possible burdens, that is, if the property is mortgaged or if there is an attachment.

In practice, access to this type of information avoids going to the land registry asking for and paying for certified information about the building when, for example, a purchase and sale proposal is being prepared, and it is not yet known if the business is really going advance. According to the newspaper, access will not be free, but the amounts will be much lower than the cost of a certificate issued by the conservator, which in this way will only have to be requested if and when the deal is concluded.