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Buying Land in Gambia |
Process of Purchasing a plot:
When
looking to buy land
in Gambia the first thing you should make sure of is
that it does not fall within the Tourist Development
Area (TDA).
Establish Title Deeds:
Once you have decided on a piece of land that you are
interested in buying you should try and first first
get written verification of ownership of the plot from
the Alkalo and get a
Gambian lawyer to examine the ownership documents in
detail.
You
must remember that the procedure for purchasing from
customary owners is somewhat different to that of leased
land (preferable & more straight forward.)
Customary Tenure:
Preparatory Work
1.
Check with neighbours next to and near the land you
want to check if they know who owns the property.
2. Go to the Alkalo of the village to determine from
him or her who currently owns the land.
3. Ask the owner for photocopies of the papers for the
plot, especially the receipts relating to "rates
payment" for the previous and current year.
4. Check with the relevant area council who owns the
property, and also show them the copies of "receipts
for payments of the rates" (this should show who
is the current owner of the land in a direct way since
the name of the rate payer should be the name of the
person who is stated to be the owner of the property.)
5. After determining who the owner is check their "original
ID card" or passport against the name of the "Transfer
of Ownership Form". • Process of Paperwork:
The document that initiates the land buying activity
in Gambia is the 'Transfer of Ownership' form.
There are 6 copies and these should be signed by all
parties and witnessed. Before you sign this form it
must be accompanied 6 plot sketch plans showing the
area you wish to purchase.
The documents should then be signed by the Alkalo (local
chief), Seyfo (district chief) and the relevant local
government body.
Please note that a plot could be owned by a number of
people from the same family called a Kabilo,
so their consent to sell their jointly owned property
must be given to you in writing, witnessed and signed
accordingly.
The land buyer is expected to pay a fee of around £125
which should accompany the Transfer of Ownership Form
and is payable at the local
government level.
After this stage there are other documents involved
in the buying process along with other fees.
Other Documents:
Certificate of Occupancy
Land Use Clearance and Transfer
Income Tax Clearance from the sellers
Fencing Permit
Leasing (optional)
Once you have purchased your plot you must try and get
the property fenced as soon as possible and if possible
paint NOT FOR SALE on all four sides. This is to discourage
anyone trying to 're-sell' your what you already own.
It might be an idea also to put your mobile telephone
number on the wall and build a small single room on
the landed property with no frills at all. |
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Properties
Guide |
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• Note: Please
read the disclaimer.
The above process of purchasing land in Gambia is subject
to periodic changes. Always check with the appropriate
authorities before proceeding with any transaction process.
Always engage the services of a lawyer based in the
Gambia before entering into any property purchase, paying
of advances and signing any documents with anyone. Potential
buyers have been known to have been tricked into 'buying'
land that does not belong to the person 'selling'! Furthermore
the same area could have been 'sold' to 2 or more people!
The owner of accessgambia.com does not accept any responsibility
for any damage, misunderstandings or losses of any kind
arising out of anyone following or not following any
of the information above. Get legal advice first before
inspecting any property or making any real estate decisions.
The above process of purchasing land in Gambia is subject
to periodic changes without notice. |
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