Things you must do before paying for a land – Lawyer makes a list

In recent times, there have been complaints from several Ghanaians over litigation on lands they have bought.

These people have had to struggle with land guards and security personnel just because they did not do their due diligence when they were purchasing the land.

However, in a video shared on YouTube, legal practitioner Ernestina Obboh Botchwey shared some key pointers to note before purchasing a land to avoid any form of litigation.

She said:

You should see the land. She explains that you would have to access the land to know if it exists before any form of commitment is made.

The land should have a site plan. The site plan should tell you the size of the land. This site plan should be sent to the Lands Commission for a search to ascertain who the real owner of the land is.

You should know the real owners of the land. She explained that in Ghana, several people own lands. It can be stool lands, family lands, individual lands, and lands belonging to the government. She explained that to each of these ownership, there is an approved way for the land to be sold which has to be followed.

Demand to see the seller’s ID card, Ghana Card, and all identification cards, and ensure that the name matches the name you got after the search from the Lands Commission.

You should know the kind of authority the person selling the land has over the land. You should know whether it’s a leased land.

After all these are done, she explains that you should get a witness before paying for the land, take a receipt, and ensure that the owner of the land writes his/her name, where the land is located, how much has been paid, and ensure that the receipt is stamped.

Ensure that they provide you with power of Attorney.

After having access to the land and while waiting for documents to be worked on, ensure that you do something on the land.