WHERE TO CONDUCT SEARCH ON A PROPERTY PRIOR TO FINAL PURCHASE OF SAME.

Before making payment for any property that one intend to purchase, it is essential for the buyer to conduct due diligence by way of title search. There are government offices where one can conduct a search on a property before purchase depending on the title the property has and facts surrounding the sale.

1. LAND REGISTRY:

If the property has a registered title like a Crown Grant, Land Certificate, Registered Conveyance, Registered Court Judgement, Certificate of Occupancy, or a Registered Deed of Assignment. The right place to conduct search on such titles is the State Land Registry. There you can apply to obtain the Certified True Copy of the registered title or search through the records to know it's present status (free from any known encumbrance or not). This is because the Lands Registry keeps record of transactions to land/property which have been brought to the knowledge of the state through the process of registration.

2. SURVEYOR GENERAL’S OFFICE:

If the property does not have a registered title and one desire to know the status of the land as well as the zoning. The Surveyor General’s Office is the appropriate place to go especially in Lagos State. Here, you are to apply to obtain a Land Information Certificate (LIC) by submitting one original copy of the land survey plan and effect payments of the applicable fees.

The Land Information Certificate will inform you about the status of the land – free, excised, acquired or committed as well as the zoning of the land – Residential, commercial, industrial or agricultural. This will also assist the buyer to know what title can be processed on the property – E.g Certificate of Occupancy, Ratification or if no title can be gotten on the property.

3. PROBATE REGISTRY:

The Probate Section of the Court is the segment saddled with the responsibility of dealing with matters relating to the estate of a deceased person. If the holder of the registered title is deceased, there will be the need for a Probate search to determine the authenticity of the Probate Grant or Letters of Administration.

If the title holder makes a Will before his death, the Will will be entered into Probate and a Probate Grant will be obtained before an Assent will be made by the Executors of the Will to the named beneficiaries. If the property holder dies without a Will, the survivors will apply for a Letter of Administration to administer the Estate of the deceased. The Administrators of the Estate shall be legally entitled to transfer the property to the would-be buyer.

4. COURT REGISTRY:

If there is a suspicion of a legal dispute relating to the property, a search in the Court Registry should be conducted. When there is a legal dispute in relation to a property, such property is said to be Lis Pendens. Lagos State has the Lagos State Lis Pendens Electronic Information System accessible online at http://lagoslispendens.com.ng/ which shows properties that have pending litigation at any of the divisions of the Lagos State High Court. A search on the platform can give preliminary information regarding the existence of a legal dispute in relation to the property.

5. SOCIAL SEARCH:

If after you have done the other searches above and feel not too satisfied with hunger to probe further. A social search is advised, it's one of the most revealing searches to conduct. This involves visiting the property in question and make enquiries about it from neighbors, shop/kiosk owners and commercial bike riders in the area about the property in question. Facts about the property not revealed in documents are often revealed via Social Search.

For enquiries and more information or wish to engage our service for title search, please contact: +2348032296562, +2349049045703 or send an email to a2realmartoptions@gmail.com