What is the cadastral appraisal

1Quick definition

The cadastral appraisal is the value recorded in a property's cadastral record. The multipurpose cadastre treats it as part of an inventory that identifies the property's physical, legal and economic components. In practical terms: area, use, designation, characteristics, ownership or legal relationship, and a valuation used for fiscal and territorial management.

2What information it uses

A serious cadastral appraisal does not come from a single table. It cross-references three families of information:

• Physical: land and building area, use, economic designation, age, condition, materials, boundaries and location.
• Legal: property identification, relationship with the registration folio, owners or possessors, and registry restrictions where they apply.
• Economic: homogeneous physical and geo-economic zones, reference market, unit values and valuation models.

That is why a cadastral update should not be limited to raising percentages. If the area, the use or the economic zone changes, the appraisal changes for reasons other than an annual adjustment. The Terraes methodology guide explains how we separate cadastral reference, market listings and recorded sales in the public estimate.

3Relationship with the property tax

The cadastral appraisal is the base, but the property tax is calculated by the municipality. Two properties with the same appraisal can pay different amounts if rates, estrato, use, preferential treatments or increase limits change. There can also be annual adjustments to the base and mass update processes when the cadastre is outdated.

The practical consequence: if your bill went up, it is not enough to look at the total due. First check whether the appraisal changed, then the rate, and then any caps or discounts the municipality has.

4Who updates it

The competent cadastral authority may be the IGAC or an authorized cadastral manager. Under the multipurpose cadastre policy, cadastral operators may carry out technical work under contract, but the manager is responsible for the formation, updating, conservation and dissemination of the information. Resolution 1040 of 2023 consolidated the single regulation governing that management and its processes.

In territories with Indigenous communities or collective territories of Black, Afro-Colombian, Raizal and Palenquera communities, Law 2294 of 2023 mandates a differential and intercultural scheme. That difference matters because not all territories are updated through the same institutional route.

5What to check if it changed

If the cadastral appraisal changed more than you expected, start with the verifiable data before disputing the final value:

• Registered land and building area against the deed, plans or cadastral certificate.
• Use and economic designation: housing, commerce, lot, rural productive or other.
• Zone or barrio used as the economic reference.
• Process records: administrative act, effective date, methodology and review channels.
• Comparison with the market: nearby listings and sales, without confusing asking price with closing price.

6Frequently asked questions