WHEN BUYING LAND/HOUSE IN NIGERIA, INSIST ON SEEING THE DOCUMENTS & INVESTIGATING BEFORE PAYING

WHEN BUYING LAND/HOUSE IN NIGERIA, INSIST ON SEEING THE DOCUMENTS & INVESTIGATING BEFORE PAYING

“Barrister, the land seller is refusing to give us any document for search. He insists we must pay first. What should I do?”

Me: “My dear, run oh!”

Any land seller who refuses to give you a photocopy of the land/building documents for you to conduct search is indirectly telling you: “Do not check o, because you will see what you I don’t want you to see.”

A genuine property owner will NEVER stop you from conducting due diligence (investigations). A truthful owner who has nothing to hide will hand you the Deed of Conveyance/Assignment and survey plan.

Due diligence must ALWAYS come before payment. Not after.

If you rush and pay without proper search and the land later turns out to be Government land, subject of court case, in ownership or family dispute, already sold to another buyer or owned by someone else.

My dear, you will cry premium tears and the seller may remind you of some mysterious “terms and conditions.” You don’t want that. Do you?

So do these instead

✔️ Insist on seeing the documents FIRST.
✔️ Tell the seller that your Property Lawyer will first conduct a full search.
✔️ If he still refuses, walk away. Do not negotiate. Do not argue. Just go.

No matter how cheap, sweet, urgent or “promo price” the land is, if the seller hides documents, the land is trouble.

Do not your throw away your peace and money on one suspicious seller who cannot even provide documents.

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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

Phone: +234(0)7030868694 (Calls & Whatsapp)
Email: info@apexchambersglobal.com
Website: www.apexchambersglobal.com