If you own real estate in Colombia, it’s important to understand the changes to the property tax assessment in Colombia (avalúo catastral) for 2026. Each year, the national government establishes a percentage increase for these values, which can directly affect the amount of property tax you’re required to pay.
What Is the Property Tax Assessment and Why Is It Important?
The avalúo catastral is the official value assigned to a property for tax and administrative purposes. It serves as the basis for calculating the property tax (impuesto predial), so any changes directly impact what you pay each year.
A 3% increase in the avalúo catastral raises the base for your impuesto predial.
Property Tax Assessment in Colombia: How Much Will It Increase in 2026?
According to Decree 1480 of December 30, 2025, the property tax assessment will increase by 3% for most properties in Colombia, effective January 1, 2026. As in previous years, this adjustment is capped by the inflation target projected by the Bank of the Republic for 2026, in line with Law 44 of 1990 and Law 242 of 1995.
Updated values by property type:
– Urban properties not formed or updated in 2025: 3% increase
– Rural properties not formed or updated in 2025: 3% increase
– Rural properties used for agricultural activities: 3% increase
Exception: Properties automatically updated in 2025 using IGAC’s mass update methodology will not receive this additional increase.
How Does This Affect Property Owners?
The adjustment in the avalúo catastral directly impacts the property tax amount.
Example: If your property was assessed at COP $200 million in 2025, it would be assessed at COP $206 million in 2026. This could lead to a proportional increase in your property tax depending on the rate applied in your municipality.
A property assessed at COP 200 million in 2025 moves to COP 206 million in 2026.
Important: The “Up to 5,000%” Increase You May Have Heard About Does Not Apply to Most Buyers
Separately from the general 3% adjustment, IGAC has been carrying out an exceptional, one-time correction under Article 49 of Law 2294 of 2023 and IGAC Resolution 384 of 2026. This program updates roughly 1.9 million rural properties in 520 municipalities that had gone 15 to 30 years without a cadastral update — in some of these specific rural properties, the correction has meant increases of several thousand percent compared to their previous, badly outdated value.
This is a narrow, targeted fix for a specific backlog problem, not a general 2026 rule. Two things to keep in mind if you’re buying or already own real estate:
- It applies only to rural properties directly managed by IGAC in the 520 affected municipalities — not to urban residential or commercial properties in general.
- Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla have their own decentralized cadastral authorities and are not part of this IGAC-run correction. If you’re buying property in one of these cities, this extraordinary adjustment does not apply to you; the ordinary 3% increase described above is what’s relevant.
If your property (or the one you’re considering buying) is rural and located outside these three cities, it’s worth confirming directly with the local cadastral authority whether it falls under this exceptional update before you rely on last year’s assessed value.
The extraordinary IGAC correction targets rural properties, not city apartments.
Special Cases and Exceptions
- Bogotá and decentralized cadastral systems: Properties in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and Barranquilla — all of which manage their own cadastre independently of IGAC — may follow different valuation indices and are not automatically subject to IGAC’s national adjustments.
- Recently updated properties: If your property was reassessed in 2025 through a detailed technical update, it won’t be subject to the 3% increase.
What If You Disagree With the New Assessment?
If you believe your property was overvalued, you can request a reassessment from the Agustín Codazzi Geographic Institute (IGAC) or your local cadastral authority.
- Deadline: There’s typically a specific window after the new assessment is published for submitting a request.
- Requirements: Present supporting documents such as recent commercial appraisals or evidence that the assessed value doesn’t reflect market reality.
Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla manage their own cadastre.
How to Prepare for the 2026 Property Assessment Increase
If you have concerns about your property’s assessed value — or you’re evaluating a property purchase and want to understand exactly how these changes affect it — our real estate team at Nexo Legal can walk you through the numbers before you commit. For the full picture of what you’ll owe once you own property here, see our guide to property ownership taxes in Colombia and our guide to buying property in Colombia in 2026. We’re available to provide personalized advice on how these changes affect your specific situation.