CadGIS offers two background maps: Cartoweb and Orthophoto.

Both background maps are the property of the NGI and are intended only as a tool allowing faster orientation for the user.

For any background map errors, you can contact the NGI.

Note: the background maps are not visible on all scales.

The cadastral parcel plan is the graphical representation and collection on a map of all cadastral map parcels of the Belgian territory.

The cadastral parcel plan does not record the horizontal scope of land ownership. Article 3.61, §2 Belgian Civil Code states that ‘The boundaries of land ownership are initially determined by acquisitive prescription. In the absence of this, the authentic deed of demarcation determines the parcel boundary, subject to later contracts modifying it. In the absence of demarcation, parcel boundaries are determined by titles of ownership. If these too are inconclusive, then the parcel boundaries will be determined according to the property status and other factual indicia, including actual barriers and cadastral documents.’

We continuously update the cadastral parcel plan based on the information collected on the legal and physical modifications to properties (such as surveyor maps). Since 2018, the General Administration of Patrimonial Documentation (GAPD) has been working with the various regions to improve the quality of the cadastral parcel plan one municipality at a time (by means of photogrammetry, among other things). At the same time, the graphical representation of buildings is also being replaced by the graphical representation managed by the regions. As a result, the regions are becoming the authentic source (or manager) for the graphical representation of the buildings, while the GAPD continues to be the authentic source for the graphical representation of the cadastral map parcels. Several times a year, updated data on parcels and buildings are exchanged between the GAPD and the regions.

The cadastral parcel plan is only a graphical representation of the cadastral map parcels and is not legally binding. As such, it is possible that there is a difference between the information recorded on the cadastral parcel plan (representation of the parcel on the cadastral parcel plan, surface) and the legal situation. Therefore, a modification of the graphical representation of a parcel or building within the framework of the cooperation agreements does not affect the legal character or the cadastral income in any way.

Major errors in the representation of the parcel (for example, the deviation is very large or the shape of the parcel on the cadastral parcel plan is very different from reality) can be notified through the contact form. Do you have any maps or documents to corroborate your notification? If so, be sure to include them.

Note: more details on quality improvement processes can be found here.

You can notify it via the contact form. You should clearly specify what parcel is involved and what the correct house number is.

The application uses the addresses that are provided by the different regions.

At present, each municipality still has its own method of recording street names. This sometimes causes problems for street names with certain words or prefixes such as Saint and Mayor. Some municipalities use an abbreviation, others do not. If the spelling of the address you enter does not match the spelling known in the databases, the address may not be found.

In many cases, you can get around this by entering only the ‘most important’ part of the street name, without prefixes such as ‘Saint’ and without suffixes such as ‘street’ (e.g. ‘Jacobs Ghent’).

The FPS Finance is currently working with the various regions and the FPS Policy and Support on a unified address register for Belgium. As soon as the unified address register is finalised, the search engine will be adapted.

When looking up an address, the application uses the location of the addresses provided by the various regions. That location is sometimes slightly different, so the blue dot may not fall in the correct parcel (but still in the immediate vicinity).

Under the cooperation agreements between the GAPD and the various regions, the cadastral buildings (i.e. the graphical representation of the buildings by the GAPD) on the cadastral parcel plan are gradually being replaced by the buildings of the regions (i.e. the graphical representation of the buildings managed by the regions). The transfer is made one municipality at a time.

The schedule for the various municipalities can be found at:

• Cadastral map - Quality improvement - Wallonia
• Cadastral map - Quality improvement - Flanders

As long as the transfer has not yet taken place in a municipality, the cadastral buildings are depicted on the cadastral parcel plan. The cadastral buildings have a pink/red colour and are managed by the GAPD. Upon transfer, the cadastral buildings are replaced by the buildings of the regions. These have a beige colour and are managed by the respective regions.

Note: as the definition of ‘a building’ and how buildings are graphically represented at the GAPD is not necessarily the same as at the different regions, the graphical representation of a building on the cadastral parcel plan may change upon transfer.

Is your building depicted much larger or smaller than the actual size? Is your property not depicted at all? Has the depicted property been demolished? In that case, under certain conditions, you can notify the problem in MyMinfin.

Which three conditions must be met?

1. There is no inconsistency at your building or the area your building should be located. Inconsistencies are depicted on the map with a green house containing a symbol: a plus sign for new construction, a minus sign for demolition and a cross for renovation. We add such inconsistencies when we receive information about the modification of a building. When the building is updated, the inconsistency disappears.
2. The last modification to your building was made more than two years ago (if it is located in Flanders or Brussels) or more than five years ago (if it is located in Wallonia).
3. The difference is significant. The method used to graphically represent buildings on the cadastral parcel plan results in small differences between the graphical representation and reality. As such, minor differences should not be notified.

 

How can you notify the problem?

You can notify the problem in MyMinfin under the category ‘Consult my immovable property data’ (‘My property’ tab):

1. Click the ‘Ask a question’ button.
2. Under the subject, select ‘Representation building with location in Flanders or Brussels’ or ‘Representation building with location in Wallonia’ depending on the location of the property.
3. In the second drop-down menu, select ‘Geometry (e.g. building shape deviates considerably, building missing ...)’ and enter the necessary data.
4. Do you have any maps or documents to corroborate your notification? If so, be sure to include them.

Is your building depicted on the parcel boundary when that is not the case? Is your building located on the wrong parcel? In that case, under certain conditions, you can notify the issue in MyMinfin.

Which three conditions must be met?

1. There is no inconsistency at your building or the area your building should be located. Inconsistencies are depicted on the map with a green house containing a symbol: a plus sign for new construction, a minus sign for demolition and a cross for renovation. We add such an inconsistencies when we receive information about the modification of a building. When the building is updated, the inconsistency disappears.
2. The last modification to your building was made more than two years ago (if it is located in Flanders or Brussels) or more than five years ago (if it is located in Wallonia).
3. The difference is significant. The method used to graphically represent buildings on the cadastral parcel plan results in small differences between the graphical representation and reality. As such, minor differences should not be notified.

 

How can you notify the issue?

You can notify the issue in MyMinfin under the category ‘Consult my immovable property data’ (‘My property’ tab):

1. Click the ‘Ask a question’ button.
2. Under the subject, select ‘Representation building with location in Flanders or Brussels’ or ‘Representation building with location in Wallonia’ depending on the location of the property.
3. In the second drop-down menu, select ‘Position (e.g. building is not in correct location ...)’ and enter the necessary data.
4. Do you have any maps or documents to corroborate your notification? If so, be sure to include them.

In case of significant topological errors or if you detect multiple topological errors over a large area (e.g. old plan sheet boundaries), please contact support.meow@minfin.fed.be.

Enter ‘Errors in the topology of parcels’ in the subject field and include the following information: the parcels concerned, the nature of the error and any other useful information.

What is a topological error?

A topological error is an error in the spatial representation of vector data. The most common errors are:

• overlaps: polygons overlap where they should not;
• self-intersects: a polygon crosses itself, creating internal intersections;
• gaps: unintended gaps between adjacent polygons, where they should touch each other.
   

Note on the parcels displayed as ‘inverted area shapes’

Inverted area shapes, also sometimes called ‘banana polygons’ or ‘inverted shells’, are special geometric figures that appear on the cadastral parcel map in the form of nested parcels that touch at one point (see example below). These geometric figures, which occur regularly in practice and are therefore also present on the cadastral parcel map, are not topological errors. Hence, they are not updated in our database.

Example of ‘Inverted area shapes’

Some GIS applications detect topological errors in these polygons. This is because not every GIS application uses the same geometry model to determine whether a geometric figure is valid or not.

In this case, the model of Esri, the GIS application used by the General Administration of Patrimonial Documentation (GAPD) to manage parcels, differs from the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) model. This can lead to ‘self-intersect’ errors when importing or processing cadastral parcels in other GIS software such as PostGIS.

More information (and the solution for PostGIS users) can be found on pages 14 and 15 of the data specifications of the cadastral parcel map (Dutch | French).

For your information, parcels with real self-intersects are detected and corrected during our quality controls.