- Real Estate
Real estate refers to land and anything permanently attached to it, including houses, apartments, office buildings, warehouses, and other structures.
- Land Title
A land title is a legal document or collection of documents that establishes ownership or legal rights over a property.
Examples include:
- Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)
- Deed of Assignment
- Governor’s Consent
- Gazette
- Registered Survey
- Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)
A Certificate of Occupancy is an official document issued by a state government that grants a recognised right of occupancy over land, subject to the Land Use Act and applicable laws.
It is one of the most recognised title documents in Nigeria.
- Deed of Assignment
A Deed of Assignment is a legal document used to transfer the seller’s ownership interest in a property to the buyer.
It serves as evidence that ownership rights have been assigned from one party to another.
- Survey Plan
A Survey Plan is a technical document prepared by a licensed surveyor that shows the exact location, size, boundaries, and coordinates of a piece of land.
It helps identify the property and reduce boundary disputes.
- Registered Survey
A Registered Survey is a survey plan that has been properly recorded with the relevant government authority in accordance with applicable procedures.
- Governor’s Consent
Governor’s Consent is the approval required in certain property transactions involving the transfer of an existing interest in land, as provided for under the Land Use Act of 1978.
It helps regularise property transfers and strengthen legal documentation.
- Gazette
A Gazette is an official government publication that may record land excised from government acquisition and recognised for particular communities or purposes.
It is an important title document in many land transactions.
- Excision
Excision is the process by which the government releases a portion of land from a larger area under acquisition, allowing eligible occupants or communities to pursue formal title documentation.
- Allocation Letter
An Allocation Letter is a document issued by a government agency, housing authority, or estate developer confirming that a specific plot has been allocated to a buyer.
- Land Search
A land search is the process of verifying a property’s legal status through the appropriate government authority.
It helps determine:
- Ownership
- Title status
- Government acquisition
- Court cases
- Encumbrances
- Due Diligence
Due diligence refers to all the investigations carried out before buying a property.
This includes:
- Document verification
- Property inspection
- Land search
- Ownership verification
- Legal review
Due diligence is essential for reducing the risk of fraud.
- Property Inspection
A property inspection involves physically visiting the land or building to assess its condition, boundaries, accessibility, and surrounding environment before purchase.
- Encumbrance
An encumbrance is any legal claim, restriction, mortgage, court order, or other issue that may affect a property’s ownership or use.
Properties with encumbrances should be investigated carefully before purchase.
- Right of Occupancy
A Right of Occupancy is the legal right to occupy and use land under the provisions of the Land Use Act.
It may be statuto