By city: buying and moving
Buying a property in Guayaquil
What is specific to buying in Guayaquil: the Municipality's Certificado de Avalúos y Registro de Predio Urbano, the Guayaquil Property Registry's certificates and the canton's parishes.
Guayaquil is the capital of Guayas province. According to INEC's geographic classification, the canton has urban parishes such as Tarqui, Ximena, Febres Cordero, Letamendi, García Moreno or Pascuales, and rural parishes such as Chongón, Posorja, Puná, Tenguel and Juan Gómez Rendón (Progreso). The vía a Samborondón, on the other hand, belongs to another canton — Samborondón — with its own municipality and procedures.
Where the paperwork is done
| Procedure | Issued by | How |
|---|---|---|
| Certificado de Avalúos y Registro de Predio Urbano (appraisal certificate) | Municipality of Guayaquil | Online, through the Municipality's online services, with a user account (ID, RUC or passport) and the property code (código predial). |
| Property certificates (legal history, encumbrances) | Guayaquil Property Registry | Issues certificates combining the municipal cadastre's physical data with the property's legal information and history. |
| Property tax, alcabala and plusvalía | Municipality of Guayaquil | The Municipality collects the predial and assesses the transfer taxes. |
The código predial identifies the property in the municipal cadastre: ask the seller for it with the latest predial receipt, because you will need it for the appraisal certificate and for the alcabala assessment, whose minimum base is precisely the cadastral appraisal (COOTAD, art. 532).
Step by step in Guayaquil
Property Registry certificate
Ask the Guayaquil Property Registry for the certificate with the property's legal history and encumbrances. Confirm the seller is the owner and that there are no unresolved mortgages, prohibitions or attachments.
Municipal certificates
Get the Certificado de Avalúos y Registro de Predio Urbano online with the código predial and check that the predial is paid.
Promise, minuta and taxes
If needed, sign a promise of sale by public deed (Civil Code, art. 1570); the lawyer drafts the minuta and the municipality assesses the alcabala and the plusvalía, without payment of which the deed is not granted (COOTAD, arts. 537 and 560).
Deed and recording
The deed is signed before a notary and recorded in the Property Registry of the canton where the property lies (Civil Code, arts. 702 and 703).
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a property's appraisal certificate in Guayaquil?
Through the Guayaquil Municipality's online services: sign in with your ID, RUC or passport, choose "Certificado de Avalúos y Registro de Predio Urbano" and enter the property code.
Is Samborondón part of Guayaquil?
No. Samborondón is a separate canton of Guayas province, with its own municipality and its own certificates.
Sources
- Tutorial para obtener el Certificado de Avalúos y Registro de Predio Urbano — Alcaldía de Guayaquil
- Certificados — Registro de la Propiedad de Guayaquil
- Código Orgánico de Organización Territorial, Autonomía y Descentralización (COOTAD) — Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social (copia publicada)
- Código Civil (Codificación 2005-010) — FAOLEX, FAO (copia del texto oficial)
- Clasificador Geográfico Estadístico (División Político Administrativa) — Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (INEC)