The developer in Peru will not give you your documents: what can you do?

First: what they owe you

This page does not repeat the list of documents. What the developer must give you before signing, at signing and after handover is on what documents a developer must give you when you buy off-plan. Here we cover what to do when they do not.

You have two legal bases. The first applies to any sale, in the Civil Code:

“El vendedor debe entregar los documentos y títulos relativos a la propiedad o al uso del bien vendido, salvo pacto distinto.” (art. 1551)

(The seller must hand over the documents and titles relating to ownership or use of the property sold, unless agreed otherwise.)

Note the last words, salvo pacto distinto. If your contract says when each document is due, start there.

The second is consumer law. If you buy from a developer or builder, article 76.2 of Ley 29571 requires it to provide the information proving, among other things, municipal permits, the land’s registry entries, the declaratoria de fábrica, the reglamento interno, the independización “y toda aquella documentación relevante” (and all other relevant documentation).

The Civil Code adds a general rule: the creditor may “emplear las medidas legales a fin de que el deudor le procure aquello a que está obligado” (use legal means so the debtor delivers what it owes; art. 1219(1)). The steps below are those means.

Ask in writing, then by notarial letter

Start with an email: which document you want, since when you have been waiting for it and what you rely on. Keep the reply, or the lack of one.

If they do not answer, send a carta notarial. The Notaries Law says:

“El notario certificará la entrega de cartas e instrumentos que los interesados le soliciten, a la dirección del destinatario, dentro de los límites de su jurisdicción, dejando constancia de su entrega o de las circunstancias de su diligenciamiento en el duplicado que devolverá a los interesados.” (D.L. 1049, art. 100)

(The notary certifies delivery of letters to the addressee within its area, recording the delivery, or what happened when attempting it, on the copy returned to the sender.)

The value is proof: you get a copy showing the letter arrived and when. The Civil Code says the obligor “incurre en mora” (is in default) once the creditor demands performance “judicial o extrajudicialmente” (in or out of court; art. 1333). The law does not require that demand to be notarial, but a notarial letter proves it.

Complain as a consumer

If the developer is a supplier, you have the consumer routes: the company’s Libro de Reclamaciones, Indecopi’s Reclama Virtual, an administrative complaint and others. They are explained in the “Where to complain if something doesn’t match” section of buying a home in Peru. For the practical steps, see the complaints book and how to file a complaint with Indecopi.

In the complaint, name the missing document and cite article 76.2 of Ley 29571. Attach your email and the notarial letter.

What you can do at Sunarp without the developer

Get the registry information

You do not need the company’s permission to see the record. Sunarp’s regulation says:

“Toda persona tiene derecho a solicitar sin expresión de causa y obtener del Registro, previo pago de las tasas registrales correspondientes: a) La manifestación de las partidas registrales o exhibición de los títulos que conforman el archivo registral o que se encuentran en trámite de inscripción; b) La expedición de los certificados literales de las inscripciones, anotaciones, cancelaciones y copias literales de los documentos que hayan servido para extender los mismos y que obran en el archivo registral;” (General Regulation of Public Registries, art. 127)

(Anyone may, without giving a reason and after paying the fee, see the records and archived titles, and get literal certificates and literal copies of the documents behind each entry.)

That lets you see who owns the land, whether there is a pre-building declaration, pre-subdivisions, mortgages or attachments, and ask for copies of the archived documents. How to request it is on Sunarp copia literal and registry certificates. It does not replace the documents the developer owes you, but it tells you where the project stands.

Recording your purchase: only as the regulation allows

The property regulation provides that, in a building under development, the sale of your future unit is recorded provisionally:

“La compraventa u otros actos análogos por los cuales el propietario se obligue a transferir la propiedad de las futuras secciones de propiedad exclusiva, se anotarán preventivamente en las partidas preindependizadas. La inscripción definitiva de dichos actos se efectuará simultáneamente con la inscripción de la declaratoria de fábrica y reglamento interno.” (Property Registry Regulation, art. 76)

(A sale by which the owner undertakes to transfer future units is provisionally recorded on the pre-subdivided records; the final entry is made together with the building declaration and internal regulations.)

If you buy a plot under a guaranteed sale, the rule is similar: the guaranteed sale and any assignment of the contract “se anotarán preventivamente en la partida individual del respectivo predio” (are provisionally recorded on that plot’s own record) and become final with the acceptance of the works (art. 39).

Three limits:

• Pre-subdivided records must exist. If the developer never recorded them, article 76 has nothing to attach to.
• They expire. The entry for your purchase lapses automatically if the pre-subdivision lapses (art. 76, last paragraph).
• You need a public instrument. You can file the title yourself: the regulation presumes the filer acts for the buyer. But entries are made “en virtud de título que conste en instrumento público, salvo disposición en contrario” (on a title in a public instrument, unless a rule says otherwise; General Regulation, Preliminary Title III). A private contract on its own is not a public instrument. This is our reading; we did not check whether Sunarp accepts another format for this entry.

If they will not sign the public deed: a claim to force it

If the problem is that the developer will not sign the escritura pública, the Civil Code gives you a specific claim:

“Si por mandato de la ley o por convenio debe otorgarse escritura pública o cumplirse otro requisito que no revista la forma solemne prescrita legalmente o la convenida por las partes por escrito bajo sanción de nulidad, éstas pueden compelerse recíprocamente a llenar la formalidad requerida. La pretensión se tramita como proceso sumarísimo […].” (art. 1412)

(Where the law or the contract requires a public deed, and it is not a formality required on pain of nullity, the parties can force each other to complete it. The claim runs as a fast-track case.)

This fits another rule: “Es obligación esencial del vendedor perfeccionar la transferencia de la propiedad del bien” (the seller’s essential duty is to complete the transfer of ownership; art. 1549).

What article 1412 does, and what it does not:

• It is for the formality: getting the deed signed. If registration is blocked for another reason (works without a completion certificate or building declaration), the deed alone does not fix that.
• It runs as a fast-track (sumarísimo) case, unless the title is enforceable as such.
• It is a lawsuit: you need a lawyer. We did not check whether out-of-court conciliation is required first.

What a deed is compared with a minuta, and why Sunarp wants the deed, is on minuta vs. escritura pública. If you sue and want the claim noted on the record, see the pending-lawsuit notice. If handover is also late, see what happens if a developer is late delivering your home.

What this page does not cover

It does not repeat the list of documents the law requires. It does not cover Indecopi fines, limitation periods, court costs or registry fees. It does not explain criminal complaints or what to do if the company has vanished or gone bankrupt. We did not check whether out-of-court conciliation is needed before suing. We did not review court rulings, Indecopi decisions or Registry Tribunal criteria.