By city: buying and moving
Buying a property in Quito
What is specific to buying in the Metropolitan District of Quito: the encumbrance certificate from the DMQ Property Registry, the Informe de Regulación Metropolitana (IRM) and the district's parishes.
Quito is a metropolitan district: the canton of Quito, in Pichincha province, is organised into urban parishes — such as Iñaquito, Rumipamba, Jipijapa, Mariscal Sucre, Centro Histórico, Kennedy or Quitumbe — and rural parishes such as Cumbayá, Tumbaco, Conocoto, Calderón, Nayón or Pomasqui, according to INEC's geographic classification. The legal buying process is the same as anywhere in the country; what changes are the offices and the certificates.
Where the paperwork is done
| Procedure | Issued by | How |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate of encumbrances (certificado de gravamen) | Property Registry of the Metropolitan District of Quito | Online, from the Municipality's procedures portal (pam.quito.gob.ec) or the Property Registry's site. |
| Informe de Regulación Metropolitana (IRM) | Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito | Online, free of charge, with the plot number; the plot must be mapped. |
| Property tax, alcabala and plusvalía | Municipality of the Metropolitan District of Quito | The municipality is the creditor of the predial (COOTAD, art. 501) and assesses the transfer taxes. |
The encumbrance certificate attests the property's legal status: its description, the owners, how it was acquired and the encumbrances, limitations, prohibitions or annotations recorded when it is issued. The IRM sets out the plot's mandatory land-use and building specifications — land classification, uses, heights, setbacks, restrictions from roads, rivers or ravines, and risk zones —; it grants no building rights, but it tells you what may be built.
Step by step in Quito
Property Registry certificate
Request the certificate of encumbrances from the DMQ Property Registry. Confirm the seller is the owner and that there are no unresolved mortgages, prohibitions or attachments.
Municipal certificates
Check the plot's IRM — especially if you plan to build, extend or buy land — and 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
What is the IRM and what is it for?
The Informe de Regulación Metropolitana is the Quito Municipality's document with a plot's land-use and building rules: what may be built, how high, with which setbacks and which restrictions apply. It is issued online, free of charge, with the plot number.
Where do I request the certificate of encumbrances in Quito?
From the Property Registry of the Metropolitan District of Quito, which accepts requests online.
Sources
- Certificado de gravamen del inmueble — Registro de la Propiedad del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito
- Emisión del Informe de Regulación Metropolitana (IRM) — Municipio del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito
- Registro de la Propiedad de Quito — Registro de la Propiedad del Distrito Metropolitano de Quito
- 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)