Data Protection Impact Assessment — Cadastre Verification
Last updated: 22 May 2026
Process assessed: Cadastre verification of property listings via Montenegro state Geoportal and eKatastar services.
1. Why this DPIA exists
Under GDPR Article 35 and Montenegro's Personal Data Protection Act (PDPL) Article 30, a Data Protection Impact Assessment is required when processing involves systematic monitoring, large-scale handling of identifiable data, or integration with public registers. Our cadastre verification feature touches all three categories, so we publish this DPIA proactively.
2. Description of the processing
When an agent submits a property listing, we query two Montenegro state services:
- Geoportal (geoportal.co.me) — public WMS layer returning parcel boundaries by parcel ID. No personal data is sent or received.
- eKatastar (katastar.uprava.gov.me) — authenticated lookup of parcel details. The response may include owner information from the public cadastre register.
Only parcel IDs are transmitted. We do not send agent or buyer personal data to either service.
3. Necessity and proportionality
Purpose: Detect fraudulent or misrepresented listings before they reach buyers. Without verification, foreign buyers face documented risks from unverified intermediaries.
Legal basis (GDPR Article 6(1)(f) + PDPL Article 10): Legitimate interest in platform trust and consumer protection, balanced against the limited intrusion (parcel IDs only).
Proportionality controls:
- Owner names retrieved from eKatastar are never displayed in public-facing UI.
- Owner data is used only for an internal mismatch flag ("listed by" agent vs. cadastre owner). The flag is binary; the underlying name is not shown.
- Cadastre cache is purged after 180 days (see /legal/privacy).
- Agent access to cadastre details is logged.
4. Risks identified and mitigations
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner name leakage in public listing | Low | High | Hard-coded UI filter; owner names never rendered client-side |
| Excessive cadastre queries enabling owner enumeration | Medium | Medium | Per-agent rate limit; daily quota; admin review of bulk patterns |
| Cadastre data used outside platform | Low | Medium | Agent Terms of Service Article 1 (purpose limitation); access logged |
| Stale cadastre cache misrepresents current ownership | Medium | Low | 180-day cache TTL; verification timestamp shown to users |
| Geoportal/eKatastar service outage | High | Low | Graceful fallback to "verification pending"; no fabricated results |
5. Data subject rights
Individuals named in the public cadastre register (parcel owners) retain the following rights regarding our use of their data:
- Right to know what cadastre data we have cached about a parcel they own — request via contact@montenegrohousing.com
- Right to object (GDPR Art. 21 / PDPL Art. 21) to internal mismatch flagging
- Right to erasure of cadastre cache records (the source register data remains with the Montenegro state, outside our control)
We do not contact cadastre owners directly. The cadastre register itself is a public state record under Montenegrin law.
6. Consultation
This DPIA was prepared internally based on Montenegro's Personal Data Protection Act, GDPR Articles 35-36 guidance, and EDPB Working Party 29 Guidelines on DPIA (wp248rev.01). External legal review is planned within 90 days of platform launch.
If you believe our cadastre verification creates a risk we have not addressed, contact contact@montenegrohousing.com.
7. Review schedule
This DPIA is reviewed:
- Annually, on the anniversary of last update
- Whenever the cadastre verification flow materially changes
- When new data sources or sub-processors are added (see /legal/sub-processors)
8. Related documents
- Privacy Policy — full data processing notice
- Sub-Processors — third-party services involved
- Cookie Policy — analytics and consent
For data protection inquiries: contact@montenegrohousing.com
Disclaimer: This document is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. MN Housing is not a law firm. For legal advice, please consult a qualified attorney.