The development of Law 13/2015: a decade after its enactment

Abstract

The enactment of Law 13/2015, of June 24, marked a turning point in the Spanish real estate legal framework by reforming both the Mortgage Law and the revised text of the Real Estate Cadastre Law. This reform introduced a model of graphical coordination between the Land Registry and the Directorate General for Cadastre, incor­porating cadastral cartography as an essential component of the land registry folio. Over the past decade, the protocols for information exchange between both institutions have been consolidated through joint resolutions that define concepts, procedures, formats, content, and validation mechanisms. Among the most significant advances are the alternative graphical validation reports and the concept of graphical tolerance margin, which have become key tools to ensure accuracy and consistency in property boundary delimitation. As a result of this reform, legal certainty has been strengthened, ad­ministrative efficiency increased, and transparency in the real estate market improved, while enhancing communication flows between the two institutions. The active involvement of surveyors, notaries, and registrars has been decisive in consolidating the new system. Nevertheless, the consolidation of the system still faces significant challenges. It is essential to improve the quality of cadastral graphi­cal information and ensure its consistency with the registry. This requires the active engagement of all registries, the harmonization of technical criteria between institutions, and integration with other geospatial sources. Furthermore, it is necessary to optimize registry tools to facilitate information exchange, minimize communication errors, and, crucially, increase the number of coordinated parcels registered. Overall, Law 13/2015 represents a legislative milestone that has transformed territorial management in Spain, establishing a unique, reliable graphical framework oriented towards serving citizens.