Chanote verification: the evidence to request

Write the scope before sending documents

Describe the transaction: purchase, lease, refinancing or a proposed building project. Include your deadline and the payment being considered. A review intended only to identify a document should not be confused with a report supporting a binding purchase decision.

Ask the provider to name the checks, records and exclusions in writing. Establish who will obtain official information, whether a site visit or survey is included, and what access or authorization is needed. Confirm the deliverable before comparing prices.

Create a traceable intake record

Collect complete deed pages, the proposed contract, seller identity or authority evidence and the advertised site location. Record who supplied each file and when. Keep ambiguous names, unreadable numbers and missing sheets in a question list rather than silently correcting them.

Use a controlled version of the file when the seller sends updates. If a new reverse page appears, retain the earlier version and ask what changed. This makes later comparisons understandable and prevents an old extract from being presented as a current check.

Specify the official questions

Ask the reviewer to establish the parcel identity and recorded holder, investigate the relevant registered interests, and obtain or inspect the records needed to explain them. A brief should ask what a mortgage, lease, access arrangement or other notation means for the proposed transaction rather than merely counting entries.

Where a record cannot be accessed or an issue cannot be determined, require that limitation in the report. A finding such as 'not confirmed from the material available' is more informative than treating an empty field as proof that no issue exists.

Connect the record to the actual site

Compare the identifiers and location references against the contract and site information. If the advertised villa uses adjoining land for its pool, parking or access, include those parcels in the enquiry. A check limited to one deed number can leave a material part of the property outside the review.

Record boundary uncertainty separately and request the appropriate survey or site assessment. Map alignment, a seller's fence and the legal boundary should not be treated as interchangeable evidence. Explain any mismatch before deciding what can responsibly be concluded.

Require an actionable report

For each issue, ask for the evidence consulted, review date, finding, uncertainty and recommended next step. Keep documentary, official and technical conclusions distinguishable. An overall summary should explain what still needs to happen before the intended payment or signature.

Discuss with counsel how material findings affect conditions, timing or whether to proceed. If completion will occur later, ask whether relevant information should be refreshed near that date. Verification describes evidence at a point in time; it is not a promise that the situation cannot change.

Questions & answers