Short answer. The certificate must particularly describe the property, state the price paid for each lot and the total price, and state that the right of redemption expires one year from the date the certificate is registered. It must be registered with the registry of deeds where the property sits.

What the law says

Upon a sale of real property, the officer must give to the purchaser a certificate of sale containing: (a) A particular description of the real property sold; (b) The price paid for each distinct lot or parcel; (c) The whole price paid by him; (d) A statement that the right of redemption expires one year from the date of the registration of the certificate of sale. Such certificate must be registered in the registry of deeds of the place where the property is situated.

Rule 39, Section 25 — Conveyance of real property; certificate thereof given to purchaser and filed with registry of deeds. Read the full provision →

Required contents of the certificate

Upon a sale of real property, the officer must give the purchaser a certificate of sale that contains a particular description of the property sold, the price paid for each distinct lot or parcel where there is more than one, and the whole price paid overall, so the certificate fully documents exactly what was sold and for how much. Spelling out each lot's price separately matters when several parcels are sold together, since it lets a redemptioner later redeem just one parcel without having to pay for all of them.

The redemption statement and when the clock starts

The certificate must also state that the right of redemption expires one year from the date the certificate of sale is registered, not from the date of the auction itself. This means the redemption period does not begin running the moment the property is knocked down to the highest bidder, but only once the certificate documenting that sale is actually registered. A redemptioner should therefore check the registration date on file with the registry of deeds, not simply count a year from the auction date, to know exactly when the redemption period will lapse.

Registration requirement

For that clock to start at all, the certificate must be registered in the registry of deeds of the place where the property is situated. Registration is therefore not a mere formality here; it is the specific event that fixes when the one-year redemption period begins and, eventually, ends. Without registration, there is no clear, publicly verifiable starting point for either the obligor or any prospective redemptioner to measure the one-year period against. This is also why the certificate must be registered specifically in the registry of deeds for the place where the property sits, rather than any other registry, since that location is where anyone checking the status of title would look.

Related provisions

Note. Statute text quoted on this page is reproduced from the official enactment and is linked to the full provision. The explanation around it is general legal information from Vivas & Nobles Law Office, not legal advice. Whether it applies to your situation depends on facts only a lawyer reviewing them can assess.