INVESTIGATE FLOOD-PRONE OR WATER-FRONT LAND/HOUSE BEFORE BUYING IT
Imagine saving for years to finally buy land, only to watch the river or flood creep in each rainy season until your land disappears.
This is a painful reality for those who buy flood-prone or waterfront land without proper legal and environmental checks.
In Nigeria, such lands are usually cheap and tempting, but what looks like a bargain today could turn out to be a financial mistake tomorrow.
Once Government labels an area as a flood zone or earmarks it for dredging, drainage expansion or shoreline protection, your ownership rights can be challenged or outrightly revoked, leaving you stranded without compensation.
One big danger is that with each rainy season, floods gradually weaken the soil, washing away boundaries, destroying fences, collapsing buildings and making your land practically worthless.
Some land buyers only realize their error when nature reclaims the land. Others face plenty issues with neighbours after floodwaters shift beacons/pillers and alter boundaries.
Before you buy land/building commit, consult a Property Lawyer to investigate zoning laws, environmental approvals, master plans and historic flood records.
Due diligence investigation will save you from sinking millions of naira into a property that nature will swallow.
Cheap flood-prone or water front land is never truly cheap; it only hides a debt that nature may one day collect.
__________________
APEX CHAMBERS, Law Firm of Property/Real Estate and Business/Corporate/Commercial Lawyers, Attorneys, Barristers, Solicitors Advocates, Legal Practitioners rendering legal services, Legal Consultants and Notary Public with Law Office in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria