Property

Property is a cornerstone of the Norwegian economy: a defined area of land with the buildings and rights attached to it, which can be owned, sold, let, mortgaged and inherited. In legal terms, property covers the surface of the land itself, everything permanently attached to the ground (buildings, installations, planting), and a range of defined rights to use land or to prevent others from using it. The distinction between fast eiendom (real property) and løsøre (movable goods) is central, and it governs how things are registered and mortgaged, among other matters.

Each unit of real property is registered as a matrikkelenhet (cadastral unit) in the matrikkel, Norway's official property register managed by Kartverket. The register is based on matrikkellova from 2005, which replaced the 1978 subdivision act. The identifier is a matrikkelnummer made up of the municipality number, gårdsnummer (gnr), bruksnummer (bnr), and where relevant festenummer (fnr) and seksjonsnummer (snr). Matrikkellova § 5 divides cadastral units into five types: grunneiendom, anleggseiendom, eierseksjon, festegrunn and jordsameie. Jordsameie corresponds to what is otherwise called realsameie: land held in sameie (co-ownership) between several grunneiendommer.

Hjemmel (formal legal title) and heftelser (encumbrances) are registered in Grunnboken, which is the register that establishes legal rights under the tinglysingsloven from 1935. Transfers must be registered on a skjøte (deed) to gain rettsvern (legal protection) against a third party acting in good faith, and when hjemmel is registered, dokumentavgift (document duty) of 2.5% of the sale price is paid to Skatteetaten. Property on a festet tomt (leasehold plot) separates hjemmel to the land itself (festeren) from title to the bruksrett (right of use) held by the leaseholder, and it is governed by tomtefesteloven.

Property rights also cover limited rights known as servitutter (easements): rights of way, grazing rights, fishing rights, common rights and similar. The rights can be positive (a right to use) or negative (a right to prevent use), they can be registered or acquired through hevd (adverse possession) over 20 years under the hevd act, and they can arise through jordskifte (land consolidation) or ekspropriasjon (expropriation). Land that is not defined under private law usually lies in state or municipal common land.

Sameie (co-ownership) and seksjonering (sectioning) are two different ways of dividing ownership between several parties, governed by sameieloven and eierseksjonsloven. A third variant is borettslag (housing co-operative), where ownership is a share certificate with a bruksrett under borettslagsloven; the shares are registered in Borettsregisteret under Kartverket.

The markedsverdi (market value) of a property is set by voluntary agreements in the market, while Skatteetaten uses a lower taxable formuesverdi (assessed value) as the basis for wealth tax and for eiendomsskatt (property tax) where it is calculated using the formuesverdi model. Both values build on matrikkel data, but they are calculated using different models.

In Placepoint you can click a property on the map and open the property panel, which pulls in information about the matrikkel, hjemmel, heftelser, buildings and tenants in the same place, and you can see property boundaries as a map layer over a background map of your choice.

How the dataset appears on the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Property as Number of transactions (property):

From Placepoint's dictionary: Property

More information: Lovdata: Matrikkellova, Kartverket: Matrikkelen, seeiendom.kartverket.no, Store norske leksikon: fast eiendom

English: Real property.

Frequently asked questions

What is property?

Property is an area of land or a building that can be owned, sold and used as loan security. It includes grunneiendom, buildings and partial rights, such as the right to carry out work on a property you do not own outright.

What is the difference between fast eiendom and løsøre?

Fast eiendom (real property) is land, buildings and installations permanently attached to the ground. Løsøre (movable goods) covers items that can be moved. The distinction matters legally, among other things for registration and mortgaging.

What decides the boundaries of a property?

The legal boundaries of a property are set out in the matrikkel and in Grunnboken. The boundary lines are mapped by the municipality or Kartverket and can be seen in the property map in Placepoint.

How is a property transferred?

Property is traded through a purchase agreement (skjøte) and registration. The process includes the bidding round, acceptance, contract signing, settlement through the agent and finally registration of hjemmel to the new owner.

What is the difference between markedsverdi and formuesverdi?

Markedsverdi (market value) is what a property would normally sell for between independent parties. Formuesverdi (assessed value) is a lower taxable value set by Skatteetaten and used when calculating wealth tax.