What is the property record — and why does it stop fraud?
The property record (matrícula) is the up-to-date extract of a property's registration at the Property Registry Office — and checking it before paying is what separates a safe purchase from a scam. It shows who the legal owner is, the full chain of owners and the liens on the property (mortgage, fiduciary lien, attachment, unavailability, restrictive clauses). Most real estate fraud works for one reason: the buyer doesn't check who really owns the property. Under article 1,245 of the Civil Code, only registration transfers ownership — so whoever is on the record is the owner, not whoever merely claims to be.
In other words: the scammer bets that you'll trust the listing, the conversation and a nice-looking document without pulling the record. Pulling the up-to-date record is exactly the step they hope you'll skip.
What does the property record reveal?
The record works like the property's "birth certificate": it logs its entire history. The up-to-date record is the most recent snapshot of that history — and each line protects the buyer from a different risk.
| What appears on the record | What it protects |
|---|---|
| Current owner and chain of owners | Confirms the seller is really the owner |
| Mortgage / fiduciary lien | Shows whether the property secures a debt |
| Attachment / unavailability | Shows whether it's blocked by a lawsuit |
| Clauses (inalienability, etc.) | Reveals restrictions that block a sale |
| Real actions and other liens | Flags disputes that could void the deal |
A clean record in the seller's name is the first green light. A pending item there — an attachment, a previous owner still in the chain — is the warning that prevents the loss.
Which scams does the property record dismantle?
The most common scam is the fake owner: someone poses as the owner (or as a trusted broker) and collects payment for a property they can't sell. In August 2026, a fake broker was arrested in Maceió selling other people's properties with forged documents and receiving Pix payments as if she were the owner (G1 Alagoas, 8/6/2026). The antidote would have been just one thing: check the record for who the owner is before paying.
There's also the forged power of attorney, used to sell someone else's property. Here the law is harsh on the scam, but the loss has already happened: a sale made by someone who isn't the owner (a non domino) is void and can be annulled at any time, the Mato Grosso court (TJMT) ruled in a case on a forged power of attorney. And fraud has moved to the digital world: according to real estate lawyer Carlos Alberto Zonta Junior (Bar of Paraná), "today criminals can reproduce logos, contracts, documents and even the visual identity of well-known agencies" — they clone listings, create fake brokers and swap the bank details moments before the Pix transfer (Segs, 9/1/2026). Recent cases go beyond the sale itself: in Rio, the Civil Police served 12 warrants in a scheme that used a rented property and a front person to move funds of suspicious origin (Metrópoles, 8/31/2026).
In all of them, the common denominator is unchecked paperwork. The up-to-date property record is what exposes the lie before the money leaves the account.
Why real estate fraud grew — and what the market says
Documentary fraud has stopped being an isolated case and become an industry-wide alert. In São Paulo, a campaign by the registry offices (ONR/Arisp) went as far as citing nearly "one scam per hour" in property purchases, with real estate fraud rising since 2018 — a state-level figure, useful as an order of magnitude, not a national statistic. The diagnosis is shared even by market competitors: Loft's co-founder, João Vianna, told Record News that "one of the most important problems in the Brazilian real estate market is the lack of transparency."
And the defense everyone points to is the same: an up-to-date certificate and a check of the record at the Property Registry. It's not a technical detail — it's the centerpiece of a safe purchase.
How and when to request the property record
The record is issued by the Property Registry Office for the property's region, in person or online through the electronic registry platform (RI Digital). Two practical rules prevent most scams: request the up-to-date record (issued close to the payment date, not an old copy the seller hands you) and check it before paying any amount, including the deposit. To go further, you can check every property registered under a person's name — the subject of our guide on how to find properties by tax ID. And it's worth remembering why the record rules: it's registration, not the deed, that transfers the property.
Where Conecta comes in
Conecta is the digital concierge and real estate expediter that runs due diligence on the record and the chain of title at the source — checking the entire chain of owners and the property's liens before any payment. It's exactly the verification the scammer bets no one will do. For the developer, it's the sale that closes without fraud risk after handover; for the buyer, it's the certainty of paying the real owner and receiving a clean property. Understanding the difference between deed, registration and record is the first step of that safety.
Want to buy with the record checked end to end? Talk to Conecta.
Frequently asked questions
What is a property record (matrícula)?
It's the up-to-date extract of a property's registration at the Property Registry Office. It shows the legal owner, the chain of owners and all liens (mortgage, fiduciary lien, attachment, unavailability, restrictive clauses). It's the property's "birth certificate."
How does the record prevent a scam when buying property?
Under article 1,245 of the Civil Code, only registration transfers ownership — so whoever is on the record is the real owner, not whoever merely claims to be. Checking the up-to-date certificate before paying exposes the fake owner, the forged power of attorney and cloned paperwork, which is how most scams work.
When should I request the property record?
Before paying any amount, including the deposit — and always up to date, issued close to the deal date. An old copy handed over by the seller won't do: the property's situation (attachments, debts) may have changed.
Where do I get the property record?
At the Property Registry Office for the property's region, in person or through the electronic registry platform (RI Digital), which lets you request the certificate online.