Land regularization: what is REURB, and how do you legalize your property step by step?
Land regularization: understand Reurb-S and Reurb-E under Law 13.465/2017 and the step-by-step path to legalize your property up to the property record. Guide with checklist.
Land regularization — REURB (Brazil's urban land regularization program) — is the set of measures under Law 13.465/2017 for turning informal occupations into registered ownership, in two forms: Reurb-S (social interest, free for low-income families) and Reurb-E (specific interest, paid for by the parties involved). The end result is an individual property record (matrícula) at the Real Estate Registry — which restores the property's value, access to credit and a safe inheritance.
Brazil has a real estate paradox: millions of families "own" homes that officially do not exist. Industry estimates and the Ministry of Cities itself indicate that around half of Brazil's urban properties have some irregularity — no property record, no occupancy permit, or a subdivision that was never registered. In practice: you live there and pay property tax, but you cannot sell at a fair price, get financing or leave an orderly inheritance.
Land regularization is the legal, urban-planning and registration process that converts that informal possession into full ownership, registered in its own property record (matrícula). In this article, we cover what Law 13.465/2017 says, the differences between Reurb-S and Reurb-E, the step-by-step path to registration and the instruments available when REURB does not apply.
What does the law say when the property "does not exist" at the registry?
As long as there is no registration, the rule of art. 1.245 of the Brazilian Civil Code applies: real estate ownership is only acquired by registering the title. Long-standing possession, receipts and property tax payments create possessory rights, but they make no one an owner. Law 13.465/2017 built the bridge between those two worlds: REURB, with instruments such as land legitimation and possession legitimation, which allow occupants of established informal urban settlements to receive title — including the issuance of the CRF (Land Regularization Certificate), which gives rise to the individual property records.
Reurb-S or Reurb-E: which applies to your case?
The law splits regularization into two tracks:
| Track | For whom | Costs |
|---|---|---|
| Reurb-S (social interest) | Settlements occupied predominantly by low-income families, under the municipality's criteria | Free for the beneficiaries — including the first registration (the law waives the registry fees) |
| Reurb-E (specific interest) | All other occupations (irregular middle-class subdivisions, informal condominiums, leisure communities) | Paid for by the parties themselves (project, infrastructure, registry fees) |
In plain terms for the client: Reurb-S is a public program run with the municipality; Reurb-E is a collective private project — and in both cases the final destination is the same: a property record in your name.
What is the step-by-step path to regularization?
- Legal and registration assessment — tracing the origin of the area, the parent property record and the occupants' situation;
- Application to open the REURB procedure with the municipality (the beneficiaries themselves, residents' associations, the government and other authorized parties may apply — art. 14 of Law 13.465/2017);
- Regularization project — topographic survey, a register of the families and, where required, urban-planning and environmental studies;
- Municipal approval and issuance of the CRF;
- Registration of the CRF at the Real Estate Registry, opening the individual property records.
When REURB does not fit — a standalone property, rural land, a dispute over title — the classic instruments come in: adverse possession (usucapião), in court or out of court (art. 216-A of Law 6.015/1973), compulsory adjudication and boundary rectification. The right path depends on the assessment, not on guesswork.
A concrete example: the Jardim das Acácias subdivision
A 1980s subdivision in Greater São Paulo, home to 120 families, was never registered: the developer died and each house had only an informal private contract. Through Reurb-E, the residents' association applied to open the procedure, commissioned the topographic survey and got the project approved by the municipality; the CRF was registered and each family received its own property record. Houses that had been trading at discounts of up to 30% for lack of registration began to fetch full price — and to qualify for bank financing. The regularization, split among the residents, cost a fraction of the value it unlocked.
The most common (and costly) mistakes
- Treating receipts and property tax as a "deed". Risk: discovering at the sale, the inheritance division or the financing stage that the property is worth less — or cannot be sold at all.
- Waiting for the government to fix it on its own. Under Reurb-E, the initiative belongs to the interested parties. Risk: decades of waiting.
- Regularizing "just my house" in an informal settlement. Without addressing the source (the subdivision's parent property record), individual registration is usually not viable. Risk: spending on filings the registry sends back.
- Ignoring environmental and urban-planning issues. Permanent preservation areas (APPs) and risk areas require specific treatment in the project. Risk: a rejection after years of proceedings.
An actionable checklist to start regularizing
- Gather the property's history: how it was acquired, contracts, receipts, old property tax bills;
- Request a certificate of the area's parent property record from the Real Estate Registry;
- Check with the municipality whether a REURB procedure has already been opened for the settlement;
- Identify neighbors in the same situation — collective regularization spreads the costs;
- Take the assessment to a lawyer to choose the instrument: REURB, adverse possession or rectification.
Frequently asked questions
What is urban land regularization (REURB)?
It is the set of legal, urban-planning, environmental and social measures under Law 13.465/2017 designed to bring informal urban settlements into the official land system and give their occupants title, registered in a property record of their own. It comes in two forms: Reurb-S (social interest, for low-income families, free of charge) and Reurb-E (specific interest, paid for by the parties involved).
I have a receipt and have paid property tax for years: do I already own the property?
No. In Brazil, real estate ownership is only acquired when the title is registered in the property record (art. 1.245 of the Brazilian Civil Code). Receipts and property tax payments prove possession and help greatly in regularization — through REURB or adverse possession (usucapião) — but, on their own, they do not transfer ownership, support a financed sale or allow a safe division among heirs.
How much does it cost to regularize a property?
Under Reurb-S, the procedure and the first registration are free for low-income beneficiaries, by force of Law 13.465/2017. Under Reurb-E and in adverse possession cases, costs include a topographic survey, the project, registry fees and legal fees — often split among the residents of the settlement. As a rule, the outlay is far below the value the registration restores to the property.
Can a property in an irregular subdivision be regularized in São Paulo?
Yes, in most cases. Established informal subdivisions are the typical target of REURB, processed through the municipality and registered at the São Paulo Real Estate Registries. When the settlement does not qualify, individual instruments remain — such as out-of-court adverse possession at the Real Estate Registry and compulsory adjudication. A legal assessment determines the path.
When should I see a lawyer about land regularization?
At the assessment stage — before spending on surveys or fees. The lawyer identifies the registration history of the area, chooses between REURB, adverse possession or boundary rectification, coordinates the residents and handles the procedure before the municipality and the registry. Starting with the wrong instrument is the most expensive way to discover the right one.
Regularizing means unlocking value that is already yours
An irregular property is worth less, cannot be financed and complicates inheritance — an asset with the handbrake on. Law 13.465/2017 created the fastest route in recent history for converting established possession into a registered property record. The cost of inaction is paying a discount every day; the cost of action is a project with a beginning, a middle and a registration.
At Falchet e Marques Sociedade de Advogados, a law firm in São Paulo (Av. Paulista), we handle land regularization (Reurb-S and Reurb-E), adverse possession and rectifications before municipalities and Real Estate Registries — from the assessment to the property record in your name.
Talk to our team on WhatsApp: +55 11 95901-1854 — tell us your property's situation (how you acquired it and what documents you have) and we will point you to the right regularization instrument.