Property Tax in Colombia: How Much You Pay by City and When

The first property tax bill I received after buying an apartment in Medellín almost slipped past me. It arrived bundled in the EPM receipt, between the water and gas charges, with no special notice. If I hadn't reviewed it line by line, I would have stopped paying without even knowing it.

Property tax is the most important recurring tax obligation for any property owner in Colombia. Each city sets its own rates, payment dates, and discounts — and if you don't know how it works in your municipality, it's easy to miss the early payment discount, accumulate late fees, or reach a sale and discover you don't have your clearance certificate in order. If you want to see real options right now, you can view apartments and houses on Colombia Move — posting is completely free.

This guide covers the essentials: what it is, how it's calculated, when to pay in each major city, and what consequences come with not paying it. Exact rates vary each year by municipal resolution, so always verify the final amount on your city's portal before paying.

What is property tax and who is required to pay it?

The Unified Property Tax is a municipal tax that falls on real estate — apartments, houses, commercial spaces, lots, farms. Each municipality collects it directly, and the money goes to the local budget for infrastructure, public services, and social spending.

The person responsible for paying is the owner or possessor of the property as of January 1 of the fiscal year. This has an important implication in transactions: if you sold an apartment in October, technically you owe the full year's property tax because you were the owner on January 1. In practice, most purchase agreements include a proration clause — the seller pays until the deed date and the buyer covers the rest. If the contract doesn't clarify this, the issue becomes confusing.

The tenant does NOT pay property tax. The obligation belongs to the owner to the municipality. Some landlords include property tax in the calculation of the monthly rent, but if there is outstanding debt to the city, that debt is the owner's responsibility.

Important distinction: property tax is different from transfer tax and deed recording fees (notary, registry). Those are one-time costs when you buy or sell. Property tax is annual and recurring as long as you own the property.

How is property tax calculated?

Taxable base: the cadastral appraisal

Property tax is calculated on the cadastral appraisal of your property, not on its market price. The cadastral appraisal is the value that the Colombian cadastral system (IGAC or the delegated municipal entity) assigns to the property. In many cities, this value has historically been below market value — although that is changing rapidly with cadastral modernization (more on that below).

The basic formula is: Property Tax = Cadastral Appraisal × Rate. The rate depends on the socioeconomic stratum and the use of the property.

Rates by stratum and use

Each municipality sets its rates by annual decree, but as a general reference: strata 1 and 2 pay between 0.3% and 0.5% of the cadastral appraisal per year; strata 3 and 4, between 0.5% and 1.0%; and strata 5 and 6, between 1.0% and 1.6%. Commercial and industrial properties have higher rates, which in some cities reach up to 3.3%.

To give you a concrete idea: an apartment with a cadastral appraisal of 250 million pesos in stratum 4 in Bogotá could pay between 1.5 and 2.5 million pesos annually in property tax. In Medellín, with similar rates, the amount would be in similar ranges. The percentage seems low, but on high-value properties the accumulated amount matters.

Environmental surcharge

In addition to the base property tax, practically all municipalities include an environmental surcharge (or fire surcharge) that goes to the regional environmental corporation — Cornare, Corantioquia, CAR, CVC, depending on the area. It is between 1% and 3% of the base property tax and appears automatically on your bill. There is no way to avoid it; it is part of the total to pay.

Property tax by city: calendars, discounts, and payment portals

Here is the practical difference. Each city has its own platform, its own dates, and its own discount conditions.

Bogotá (District Finance Secretary): The district sends bills in January. You can pay in a single installment with a 10% discount if you do so before the end of February, or in up to four installments during the year without discount. The platform is bogota.gov.co/hacienda. You need the cadastral ID number of your property to check your account status.

Medellín (integrated into EPM): The city of Medellín charges property tax within the unified EPM bill — the same receipt where water, gas, and electricity arrive. Many owners overlook it because they don't expect it there. Early payment discounts are usually available until April. You can also check and pay directly at medellin.gov.co or in the EPM app.

Cali (Municipal Finance): Bills arrive starting in February. There is a discount of between 10% and 15% for payments made in the first quarter of the year. The portal is hacienda.cali.gov.co and you need the real estate registration number of your property. If you live outside Cali and own property there, set a reminder — it's easy to forget.

Cartagena: The Cartagena Finance Secretary also opens the bill starting in February. There is an early payment discount, usually until March. Portal: hacienda.cartagena.gov.co.

Barranquilla and Bucaramanga: Both cities follow a similar structure — discount in the first half of the year and payment in installments possible during the year. The portals are haciendabarranquilla.gov.co and the Bucaramanga Finance platform respectively. Bucaramanga in particular usually publishes its property tax decree with a specific calendar in January of each year.

General rule for all cities: the early payment discount ranges between 10% and 15% and is available in the first 2-3 months of the year. It's real money. If your annual property tax is 2 million pesos, paying in February saves you up to 300,000 pesos.

Cadastral modernization 2024–2026: why your appraisal may have gone up

The Colombian government has been updating cadastral appraisals for several years under the Multipurpose Cadastral Update program. Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, and dozens of intermediate cities have already completed or are in the process of completing this update — which means thousands of property owners are seeing their cadastral appraisal rise significantly, and with it, their property tax bill.

If your property appraisal increased more than 25-30% in one year, you have the right to file a reposition appeal with your municipality's cadastral office. The process involves presenting comparable sales in your area to support that the new value doesn't reflect market reality. It's not always worth it for small differences, but for commercial or rural properties with disproportionate appraisals, the annual savings can be considerable.

If you recently bought and don't know your current cadastral appraisal, you can check it on the IGAC portal (igac.gov.co) or your municipality's cadastral system. It's public information.

How to pay property tax

The options are the same in most cities. By PSE on the official Treasury portal — the fastest way without traveling. At authorized banks (Bancolombia, Davivienda, Banco de Bogotá, Banco Popular, among others) with your payment reference number. In person at Treasury offices or municipal service points, although lines in February and March can be long. And in Medellín, directly from the EPM app along with other services.

Always keep your payment receipt. When you go to sell the property, the notary requires a property tax clearance certificate — and sometimes they ask for receipts from several years. Having those receipts organized avoids delays at closing.

What happens if you don't pay property tax

The consequences escalate over time. In the short term, you accumulate late payment interest — the rate is set in the Tax Statute and historically has been around DTF plus 27 percentage points annually. This compounds month to month. A debt of 2 million pesos can become 4 or 5 million in two or three years without you noticing.

If the debt persists, the municipality can initiate coercive collection — a legal process that can end in a lien on the property. It's not immediate, but it's real. I've seen cases of owners who found out about coercive collection when they tried to sell and the notary detected the lien in the property certificate.

The most common and practical block: you can't execute a sale or refinancing without a current property tax clearance certificate. It's a notary requirement. If you owe property tax from previous years, that process stops until you pay the full debt with interest.

Property tax when buying or selling

Buying: always request the property tax clearance certificate before signing the purchase agreement. Not at the time of execution — before. If the seller has property tax debt, that debt can become your problem if you don't negotiate well who assumes it. Also verify the current cadastral appraisal: it gives you an idea of how much you'll pay annually once you're the owner.

Selling: process the clearance certificate in advance. In some municipalities it takes 2-3 business days to generate. Also check if an active property remained in your name after the sale. For complete guidance, this guide on how to sell an apartment without a real estate agent in Colombia explains the documentation process step by step.

Farms and rural properties: the special case

Rural farms typically have historically very low cadastral appraisals — the cadastral system has undervalued rural land in Colombia for decades. It's not uncommon to pay 200,000 or 300,000 pesos in annual property tax for a farm worth 500 million on the market.

What can surprise you: municipal valuation charges. Many municipalities impose valuation charges (road improvements, aqueducts, infrastructure) on rural properties that aren't property tax but arrive similarly. They're one-time or multi-year charges, and can be several million pesos. Don't ignore them if they arrive.

If you have a productive farm, verify if you qualify as active agricultural land — some municipalities have reduced property tax rates for properties in production. More details on buying a farm in Colombia, including property tax and documentation.

Frequently asked questions about property tax

❓ Does the tenant have to pay property tax?

No. By law, property tax is the obligation of the property owner, not the tenant. Some rental contracts include property tax within the monthly amount the tenant pays — but that's an agreement between the parties, not a legal obligation of the tenant to the municipality. If the owner doesn't pay, the debt is theirs, not the tenant's.

❓ Is there a property tax discount for being a senior citizen or having a disability?

Yes, in several cities. Bogotá has a 100% exemption for seniors with a single property and income below a certain monthly threshold. Medellín has similar benefits. The process is done at the municipal Treasury Department by presenting documentation of age, income, and property ownership. It's worth asking in your municipality — many qualifying owners don't know about it.

❓ Are there property tax exemptions for strata 1 and 2?

Yes. The rates for strata 1 and 2 are significantly lower than for higher strata, and in many municipalities there are partial or total exemptions when the cadastral appraisal of the property is below a certain amount. Check your municipality's annual property tax decree to see if your property qualifies.

❓ Can property tax be paid in installments?

Yes. Most cities allow payment in two or more installments during the year. Bogotá accepts up to four. The disadvantage is that you lose the early payment discount. If you can pay in January or February, the 10-15% savings accumulates year after year and is real money, especially on properties with high appraisals.

❓ I bought an apartment and never received the property tax bill. Do I still have to pay?

Yes. The obligation exists even if you haven't received a bill. The municipality may have sent the bill to the old address or to the owner registered in the cadastre before the change. The solution: go to your city's Treasury portal, search by property registration number or ID, and check if there's a pending balance. Interest runs from the due date, not from when you received the notification.

If you have questions about property tax, title execution procedures, or any aspect of buying or selling property in Colombia, the Colombia Move community is available at colombiamove.com/comunidad — you can ask directly or read questions from other owners who've been through the same thing.

Looking to compare rental prices by neighborhood before buying or investing? See average rental prices in Medellín can give you a real market reference point.