Netherlands property guide
Netherlands Home Buying: Kadaster Ownership vs Mortgage Information
Understand what Dutch Kadaster ownership information includes, why mortgage checks are separate and how to organise a purchase file for the notary.
By MarkMyProperty · Updated
Coverage: Netherlands registered property; apartment rights and ground leases require attention to the particular deed and arrangement.
Choose the right Kadaster enquiry
Kadaster’s Eigendomsinformatie identifies the owner and information about the property right. Its published description includes certain use rights and restrictions, ground-lease information and cadastral size for parcels. It explicitly excludes registered mortgages and attachments, which belong in Hypotheekinformatie. Ordering one product does not answer every purchase question.
Use the seller’s documents to identify the exact parcel or apartment right first. A report associated with the right street but the wrong garage or apartment is still the wrong report. Keep the selected address, cadastral reference and download date together in your file.
Turn ownership information into questions
Check whether the seller is the person or entity shown in the records and whether the advertised property is owned outright or involves erfpacht, a ground lease. If a ground lease is relevant, ask for its deed and current financial terms rather than treating the headline sale price as your entire cost.
For an apartment, do not substitute the whole building’s parcel area for the space in the individual home. Kadaster notes that its cadastral size field is not supplied for apartments in this product. Compare the apartment description with the documents identifying the apartment right and its included storage or parking.
- List the home, parking and storage references separately.
- Ask for ground-lease terms when relevant.
- Keep area labels consistent when comparing asking prices.
Follow the deed through registration
Kadaster explains that a purchase contract is followed by a deed of transfer executed by a Dutch civil-law notary and recorded in the land register. Ask the notary how ownership and the financial settlement will be completed in your transaction. Your signed offer and your final registered position belong at different points in the timeline.
Request an explanation of any mortgage or attachment found during the checks. Write down the document or arrangement needed to resolve it and who is responsible. Do not translate the amount of a registered mortgage directly into the seller’s current outstanding debt without appropriate evidence.
Fictional comparison: two equally priced homes
The following decision exercise uses no market prices or real listings.
An erfpacht question changes the comparison
Two homes have the same advertised asking price. One buyer file mentions erfpacht but does not contain the lease terms. The buyer adds an unknown recurring-cost line and asks about the lease duration, payment arrangements and any review provisions.
The ownership information has helped identify a question; it has not supplied the missing contract terms. The buyer delays treating the homes as financially equivalent until the notary and seller explain the arrangement with documents.
Keep property condition in a separate file
Arrange a suitable inspection and investigate the permissions relevant to your intended alterations. Registry data and a building-condition assessment answer different questions. For an apartment, also request the documents needed to understand common-building responsibilities and costs.
Browse Netherlands properties through the country links below and use the same identifier worksheet for each serious candidate. MarkMyProperty’s location information helps discovery; it does not replace Kadaster evidence, notarial work or a survey.
Sources and further reading
Frequently asked questions
Does Eigendomsinformatie include mortgages?
No. Kadaster directs buyers seeking registered mortgage and attachment information to Hypotheekinformatie.
Does signing the purchase contract complete the register transfer?
Kadaster describes a further notarial deed-of-transfer and registration process. Ask your notary how the final transfer will be completed.
Can the cadastral parcel size tell me the apartment size?
Do not use it that way. Kadaster’s ownership-information product excludes cadastral size for apartments; compare the unit documents and the stated floor-area basis.