Surface right — in Spanish and Italian.

Definition

The right to build on or use the surface of another's land.

Spanish and Italian equivalents

In Spanish, Surface right is rendered as Derecho de superficie; in Italian, as Diritto di superficie. Spanish equivalents follow Argentine (Rioplatense) usage where it differs from European Spanish. In a certified translation the equivalent is chosen for the target jurisdiction; where the concept has no exact counterpart, the source term is kept alongside a functional explanation.

Translating Property & Real Estate Law terminology

Real-estate vocabulary reflects two different systems of land ownership. The common-law estates — fee simple, leasehold, easement, title insurance — have no direct equivalents in Spain, Latin America or Italy, where ownership is a unitary propiedad/proprietà recorded in a public registry (Registro de la Propiedad, Conservatoria dei Registri Immobiliari) and transfers pass through a notarial deed. Certified translations of deeds, registry extracts and purchase agreements keep the registry terminology intact so that a U.S. reader can trace exactly what was recorded.

Related terms in Property & Real Estate Law

• Property / Ownership — Propiedad / Dominio
• Real property / Real estate — Bien inmueble
• Personal property / Movables — Bien mueble
• Possession — Posesión
• Detention / Holding — Tenencia
• Title / Deed — Título / Escritura
• Co-ownership — Condominio / Copropiedad
• Condominium — Propiedad horizontal
• Usufruct — Usufructo
• Easement / Servitude — Servidumbre
• Right of way — Servidumbre de paso
• Mortgage — Hipoteca
• Encumbrance / Charge — Gravamen
• Boundary — Límite / Linde
• Adverse possession — Usucapión / Prescripción adquisitiva
• Lease (real estate) — Locación / Arrendamiento inmueble
• Tenant / Lessee — Locatario / Inquilino
• Landlord / Lessor — Locador / Propietario
• Rent — Alquiler / Canon
• Eviction — Desalojo / Lanzamiento
• Expropriation — Expropiación
• Eminent domain — Utilidad pública / Dominio eminente
• Registration (land registry) — Inscripción registral
• Land registry — Registro de la propiedad
• Cadastre — Catastro
• Building permit — Permiso de obra / construcción
• Zoning — Zonificación / Ordenamiento territorial
• Pre-emption right — Derecho de preferencia / tanteo
• Bare ownership — Nuda propiedad
• Trust (real estate) — Fideicomiso
• Conveyance / Transfer — Transmisión / Transferencia
• Quiet enjoyment — Goce pacífico
• Fixtures — Accesorios / Inmuebles por accesión
• Squatting — Ocupación ilegal / Usurpación
• Title deed — Título de propiedad / Escritura
• Closing / Completion — Cierre / Escrituración
• Escrow — Depósito en garantía / Fideicomiso de garantía
• Survey — Mensura / Relevamiento
• Joint tenancy — Condominio con derecho de acrecer
• Tenancy in common — Condominio ordinario
• Leasehold — Derecho locativo / arrendaticio
• Freehold — Dominio pleno

Browse the full Property & Real Estate Law area, return to the dictionary index, or search all 712 terms in the interactive dictionary (also available as a PDF).

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This page is for general orientation only. It is not legal advice and does not substitute for advice from licensed counsel in the relevant jurisdiction. Terminology varies between countries and between civil-law and common-law systems; the equivalents shown here are the most common in cross-border practice.