Puerto Rico Real Estate Glossary: Spanish and English Terms for Buyers

Deeds, registry certificates, tax bills and zoning documents in Puerto Rico are written in Spanish, and many of the terms have no exact mainland equivalent. This glossary lists the words a buyer of land or a home is most likely to meet, alphabetically by the Spanish term, with the closest English equivalent and a plain explanation. Where a term has its own guide on this site, it is linked.

Glossary

AAA (Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados) Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA)

The public water and sewer utility. Many rural roads have AAA service, but not all, and pressure can be intermittent at elevation.

Acta notarial Notarial certificate

A document in which a notary certifies facts, such as a delivery, a notice or a condition, as distinct from a deed that records an agreement.

Affidávit (declaración jurada) Sworn statement, affidavit

A statement signed under oath before a notary. Common in closings, for example to confirm marital status or the absence of unrecorded liens.

Agricultor bona fide Certified bona fide farmer

A farmer certified by the Puerto Rico Department of Agriculture, for four years at a time, who qualifies for agricultural tax incentives, including property tax relief on land used in farming. See Property tax on farms.

Agrimensor Licensed land surveyor

The professional who measures a property and prepares the survey plan (plano de mensura). On rural land the survey is how discrepancies between the deed and the ground get resolved.

Arras Earnest money deposit

A deposit paid when signing a purchase contract. Depending on how the contract is written, it may simply confirm the deal or allow either party to withdraw by forfeiting (or returning double) the deposit, so read the clause carefully.

Arrendamiento Lease

A rental agreement. Long leases of real property can be formalized before a notary and, in some cases, recorded.

Arrendamiento con opción a compra Lease with option to buy

A lease combined with the tenant's right, but not obligation, to buy at an agreed price during the term. See Lease with option to buy in Puerto Rico.

Asiento Registry entry

Any entry made by the Property Registry on a property's record: a recording, a note, a cancellation.

Cabida Stated area

The area of a property as described in the deed and the Registry, traditionally in cuerdas and now also in square meters. It often differs from what a new survey finds.

Calificación Zoning district

The land use classification of a parcel, such as A-G (general agricultural) or R-1 (residential), which determines what can be built or operated there. See Puerto Rico zoning codes for rural land.

Carga Encumbrance

Any right or burden affecting a property, such as an easement or a restriction. Often paired with gravamen in the phrase cargas y gravámenes.

Catastro (número de catastro) Cadastre (cadastral or parcel number)

The parcel identification number used by CRIM and the Planning Board. It appears on the tax record and is how you look a property up on official maps.

Certificación de deuda Tax debt certificate

A CRIM certificate showing whether property taxes are owed. Unpaid property taxes follow the property, so the notary requires one before closing.

Certificación registral Registry certificate

An official certificate from the Property Registry showing the recorded owner, area and liens of a property.

Cierre Closing

The signing of the deed before the notary and the exchange of funds.

Colindancia (colindantes) Boundary (adjoining owners)

The boundaries of a parcel and the neighbors who share them. Older deeds describe boundaries by neighbors' names rather than coordinates.

Comprobante de rentas internas Internal revenue voucher

Proof of payment of the government charges due on deeds and certified copies, which have largely replaced paper revenue stamps. The notary collects and attaches them at closing.

Comunidad hereditaria Undivided estate of heirs

Property owned jointly by heirs who have not yet divided an inheritance. Buying from one requires all heirs to sign, a common complication on older family land.

Consulta de ubicación Location consultation (discretionary land use approval)

A review by the Planning Board or an autonomous municipality for a use or project the zoning district does not allow outright. It takes studies, notice and time. See Puerto Rico zoning codes for rural land.

Contrato de compraventa Purchase and sale contract

The agreement to buy and sell, signed before closing. The transfer itself happens in the public deed.

Contrato de opción Option contract

An agreement giving a buyer the exclusive right to buy at a set price within a set time, usually in exchange for a payment.

Contribución sobre la propiedad Property tax

The annual tax on real and personal property, assessed and collected by CRIM. Because assessed values are tied to old valuation tables, bills are low by mainland standards. See Property tax on farms and rural land.

Corredor de bienes raíces Real estate broker

A broker licensed by Puerto Rico's real estate licensing board. Buyer's agents are usually paid from the listing commission.

CRIM (Centro de Recaudación de Ingresos Municipales) Municipal Revenue Collection Center

The agency that assesses property, bills and collects property tax, and distributes it to the municipalities.

Cuerda Cuerda (about 0.97 acre)

The traditional Puerto Rico land unit, exactly 3,930.395625 square meters, or 0.97122 acre. See Cuerdas, hectares and acres and the converter.

Declaratoria de herederos Declaration of heirs

The proceeding that officially identifies who inherits from a person who died without a will. Heirs need it before they can sell inherited property.

Decreto Tax decree

The grant of tax incentives under Act 60, such as the Individual Resident Investor decree. See The Act 60 real estate requirement.

Deslinde Boundary determination

The formal fixing of a property's boundaries. On the coast it refers to the line between private land and the public maritime-terrestrial zone.

Dominio pleno Fee simple, full ownership

Complete ownership of a property, as opposed to a usufruct, lease or other partial right.

DRNA (Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales) Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

The agency that manages forests, coasts and water resources and issues well permits and water franchises. See Water rights in Puerto Rico.

Embargo Attachment, judgment lien

A court-ordered lien recorded against a property to secure a debt. It must be cleared before a clean sale.

Escritura Public deed

The document signed before a notary that transfers or burdens real property. The escritura de compraventa is the deed of sale; the escritura de hipoteca creates a mortgage.

Estudio de título Title search

A review of the Registry record showing ownership, area, liens and pending filings. It is the starting point of due diligence. See Property Registry and title.

Exoneración Property tax exemption

Most often the residential exemption that removes the first $15,000 of assessed value from tax on an owner's principal residence. A seller's exemption does not pass to the buyer.

Expediente de dominio Ownership proceeding (quiet title)

A court proceeding to establish and record ownership of property that has never been recorded or whose record is broken, common on older rural land.

Finca Registered parcel; farm

In registry language, any property with its own record and number. In everyday speech, a farm or rural property.

Finca matriz Parent parcel

The original parcel from which smaller parcels were segregated.

Franquicia de agua Water franchise

DRNA authorization to extract or use water from a well, stream or spring beyond basic exempt uses. See Water rights in Puerto Rico.

Gravamen Lien

A financial charge on a property, such as a mortgage or tax lien, that must be paid or cancelled at or before closing.

Hacienda Estate, plantation; Treasury

A large rural estate, often a historic coffee or sugar property. Hacienda is also the short name of the Puerto Rico Department of the Treasury.

Heredero Heir

A person who inherits. All heirs must sign to sell property held in an undivided estate.

Hipoteca Mortgage

A lien on real property securing a debt, created by public deed and effective once recorded in the Registry. Sellers who finance part of the price take one back. See Owner financing in Puerto Rico.

Inmatriculación First registration

The first recording of a property in the Registry. Unrecorded land must be registered before it can be sold with clear title.

Inscripción Recording

The Registry's recording of a deed. Until recorded, a buyer's rights may not be effective against third parties.

IVU (Impuesto sobre Ventas y Uso) Sales and use tax

Puerto Rico's sales tax, generally 11.5 percent combined. Certified bona fide farmers are exempt on qualifying farm inputs.

Junta de Planificación Puerto Rico Planning Board

The agency that sets land use classifications island-wide, maintains zoning maps and decides location consultations.

Karibe Registry's electronic system

The Property Registry's digital platform for filing documents and searching records.

LUMA LUMA Energy

The private operator of Puerto Rico's electricity transmission and distribution grid, which handles service connections and outages.

Mensura Survey

The measurement of a property by a licensed surveyor, documented in a plano de mensura. Required for segregations and essential on rural purchases.

Notario Notary (always an attorney)

In Puerto Rico a notary is a lawyer who drafts and authenticates public deeds, verifies identity and capacity, collects government charges and files the deed. The notary is impartial and does not represent either party.

OGPe (Oficina de Gerencia de Permisos) Permit Management Office

The central agency that issues construction and use permits, except where an autonomous municipality handles its own.

Opción de compra Purchase option

The right to buy a property on agreed terms within a set period.

Pagaré Promissory note

The written promise to repay a loan. A mortgage note (pagaré hipotecario) is secured by the mortgage deed.

Permiso de uso Use permit, certificate of occupancy

The permit authorizing a building or property to be used for a given purpose, such as a residence or a guest lodging.

Permiso único Single permit

The consolidated permit that combines several agency approvals for an operation into one.

Plano de mensura Survey plan

The drawing prepared by the surveyor showing boundaries, area and features.

Poder Power of attorney

A document authorizing someone to sign on your behalf, often used by buyers who close from the mainland. It must meet Puerto Rico's form requirements, so let the closing notary draft or review it.

Presentación Registry filing entry

The entry of a document in the Registry's filing record. The time of filing sets priority between competing documents.

Prima de opción Option fee

The payment for an option to buy, usually non-refundable and credited to the price if the option is exercised.

Protocolo Notarial record book

The notary's permanent bound record of the original deeds they authorize. Copies issued from it are certified copies.

Registrador Registrar

The attorney in charge of a Registry section who reviews documents before recording them.

Registro de la Propiedad Property Registry

The public registry, under the Department of Justice, where ownership, mortgages, easements and other rights in real property are recorded. See Property Registry and title.

Residente bona fide Bona fide resident

A person who meets the tests for Puerto Rico residency for tax purposes: presence, tax home and closer connection. Required for Act 60 investor benefits.

Segregación Subdivision of a parcel

Dividing a parcel into two or more, which requires approval, a survey and new deeds for the resulting parcels.

Servidumbre Easement

A right one property has over another, such as passage, utilities or drainage.

Servidumbre de conservación Conservation easement

A recorded agreement that limits development of land to protect its natural value, which under Puerto Rico law can carry tax benefits for the owner.

Servidumbre de paso Right of way

A right to cross a neighbor's land to reach your own. If the drive to a property crosses another parcel, confirm the right of way is recorded.

Solar Building lot

A lot intended for a house, usually in an urban or subdivided area.

Suelo rústico común (SRC) Ordinary rural land

A soil classification for rural land outside the urban footprint without special protection.

Suelo rústico especialmente protegido (SREP) Specially protected rural land

Rural land protected for agricultural, environmental or scenic value, where development is more restricted.

Tasación Appraisal

A professional valuation of a property, required by lenders and useful in setting an option or seller-financing price.

Terreno Land, lot

Land in general, built or unbuilt. Listings for vacant land use terreno.

Testamento Will

A will, typically executed before a notary in Puerto Rico. It determines how property passes, subject to forced-heirship rules.

Título Title

The legal basis of ownership, evidenced by the recorded deed.

Tracto sucesivo Chain of title

The rule that each recorded transfer must come from the person who appears as owner in the Registry. A gap in the chain blocks recording until it is cured.

Urbanización Residential subdivision

A planned residential development. Not a synonym for "urban".

Usufructo Usufruct (life estate or use right)

The right to use and enjoy property owned by someone else, for life or a set term. Common in inheritances, where a surviving spouse holds a usufruct over part of the estate.

Zona inundable Flood zone

An area mapped by FEMA and the Planning Board as subject to flooding. Mountain properties are rarely in one, but check the map.

How to use this glossary

Terms are listed alphabetically by their Spanish name, the way you will see them on documents, with the closest English equivalent beside them. Many Puerto Rico concepts come from civil law and have no exact mainland counterpart, so the English is a guide, not a translation for legal use. When a word appears in a contract or deed you are about to sign, ask your attorney what it means in that document. For the process these terms belong to, start with How to buy land in Puerto Rico from the mainland.

Where you would meet these terms

A purchase of the Cayey estate described on this site would involve many of them: a contrato de opción or arrendamiento con opción a compra, an estudio de título on its two fincas, a certificación de deuda from CRIM for its roughly $990 annual contribución sobre la propiedad, and an escritura de compraventa before a notario. The property is about 100 acres, roughly 103 cuerdas, offered at $2,375,000, reduced from $2,500,000, with owner financing available, or on a furnished long-term lease at $15,000 a month. See the main page, or arrange a visit.

Frequently asked questions

Sources and further reading

• Karibe digitization notice, Registro de la Propiedad de Puerto Rico.
• Ley Hipotecaria y del Registro de la Propiedad (Act 198-1979, later replaced by Act 210-2015), Puerto Rico Office of Management and Budget legal library.
• Siete preguntas acerca de las contribuciones sobre la propiedad, El Nuevo Día, on CRIM property tax.
• Cayey territorial plan, explanatory memorandum, Junta de Planificación, on soil classifications and zoning.
• Cuerda, Wikipedia, on the legal definition of the unit.

This glossary is general information for prospective buyers, not legal advice. Definitions are simplified and Puerto Rico law changes; have a Puerto Rico attorney explain any term in a document you are asked to sign. Information about the Cayey estate is provided by the owner and should be independently verified.