Real Estate Cadastre (Kaster)

The real estate cadastre in Germany is the official register of all parcels and buildings in a state. Every piece of land is divided up into at least one cadastral plot. However, a piece of land may also consist of more than one plot. Each cadastral plot has a specific plot number. All plots/parcels are described with graphical and textual data. 

The real estate cadastre also contains information on the exact boundaries, the cut and the location of the cadastral plot. 

Even though the real estate cadastre is a "public register", an individual must prove a "legitimate interest" (e.g. because he is the owner of the property) in order to get information.

The online access to the real estate cadastre is restricted to authorised persons or institutions (e.g. licensed surveyors, notaries, local authorities). Local authorities and licensed surveyors are in some states also entitled to offer the data under the same conditions to citizens.

When buying property in Germany is important to check the real estate cadastre.