When I became a property owner after my grandmother died, a pro forma registration of title was the last thing on my mind. I heard about it, but because I didn’t really understand what it meant, I didn’t give it much thought. 

I went to the website of the National Land Survey of Finland, which said that a pro forma registration of title isn’t necessary. It’s difficult to find motivation when something isn’t absolutely necessary at the time. So, I didn’t do anything.

What comes around, goes around

Then came the moment when we had to focus on our inheritance, and my relatives and I sold my grandparents’ house, which we owned together. The transaction went well, but applying for a title registration wasn’t that simple when the property was sold by four undistributed death estates.

A pro forma registration of title also ensures that mail is delivered to the correct address. Keeping ownership information up to date is a significant benefit for the new owners of a property when information about land surveying, among other things, is easily available. If mail is delivered in a death estate’s name, it may not necessarily reach the correct recipient.

It also took us time and effort before the new owner was able to register their ownership. When I later talked about this to a more enlightened colleague during a coffee break, I was kindly told again that I should’ve applied for a pro forma registration of title. That’s so true!

Life gets easier when documents are spot on

One of the problems with the current system is that there’s no information about the possibility of a pro forma registration of title when it’s needed. Based on my experience, people should be given more encouragement to apply for it – or even make it mandatory.

It would be much clearer if information about parties to death estates was available in a reliable public register. Currently, the same set of documents has to be delivered to various parties many times over, which helps no-one.

My title registrations are now spot on – including the death estate to which I still belong.

Kirsi Mäkinen