Claiming abandoned land

If it's not some complicated historical anomaly (other anomalies are available) then make a sketch map of area with land outlined, go to local council and from them/their maps get the article number for the land. It will be either a part of a larger single plot or plot in it's own right. It'll probably be classed "Rustic" but may not be. Get a copy of article details from "land registry", you can do this yourself or get an estateagent/lawyer who has an account with "land registry" to do it for you. This should have the details of the official owner and plot size etc. You can take it from there to contact the owner and talk about it.

Strontium..
Many thanks for your informative reply.
No there are no complicated historical problems
It's been abandoned and intended  since we moved to our house some 7 years ago. Yes I do believe it is classified as rustic

I don't really want or need the land but it is a concern in summer for obvious reasons.
Might it be worthwhile to first contact the GNR and report it as an intended fire hazard?? Then the GNR can attempt to trace the owner?
I have spoken with my few Portuguese neighbours and they too have no idea of it's ownership.
Thanks again for your input.

Hi,
If you do report it to GNR with fire concerns I'd still try and get a copy of the article listing, there can be a slowness in some Portuguese admin  -  previously there was an irregular plot between us and next door which turned out to be "ours" as in part of the previous owner's garden,  the local goat man got his organic land clearance team to clear the undergrowth and it now has a few fruit trees and a picturesque tumbledown wall.   Ours was due to the inheritance rule where Rustic land was subdivided amongst the offspring makes up for a lot of random bits of land with absentee owners.  Also there is an historical under-declaring of Rustic land in Portugal as the tax is/was related to land area, there was a quote that Portugal from landregistry articles is 10% smaller than Portugal.

@Strontium Hello once more..... after endless hours in Finances and Registo ( Faro) this piece of land does NOT appear to have a numbre de artigo ---land registartion number.

I have been advised by locals that there is something called  "uso abandonado campione "......  (Champion of abandoned land ?).... whereby we just clear the land and use it as our own.

Have you heard of this, know how it's done, know anyone that has done it, ...... IS there such a thing???

Any help you can offer much appreciated.

regards

w d roberts

@Roberts,

That concept "usucapião" exists, but it obeys to a set of rules:

https://www.idealista.pt/news/imobiliar … ropriedade