Certidão do registo predial

The land registry certificate — it shows ownership history, mortgages, charges and liens on a property.

Where people slip: the caderneta and the certidão are two different documents from two different bodies. The caderneta is the tax view; the registry is the ownership view — and charges live here, not there. Checking one and assuming you are covered is one of the most common expensive mistakes, because an old mortgage or a court charge only shows up in this certificate.

Do this: get a recent certificate and read the section on ónus e encargos. It must be clean, or the charges must be cleared at the deed with the money from your own payment — write that into the CPCV rather than trusting a promise.