Essential Documents to Check Before Buying Property in Lagos
Executive Introduction
In Lagos, value collapses the moment your paperwork falters. A glossy gatehouse or ocean view cannot cure a defective title chain, a missing Governor’s Consent, or an uncharted survey. The only antidote is documentation discipline—collect, verify, and perfect. This is the counsel-grade checklist I insist on before any client parts with a naira in Ikoyi, Lekki, Ibeju-Lekki, Yaba, Ikeja GRA, or the suburban corridors.
Rule of lawyering: Never pay for title—pay for verified title.
Part A — The Title & Ownership Dossier (Non-Negotiable)
1) Root of Title (choose what applies)
Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)
Governor’s Consent to a prior deed (if derivative title)
State/Federal Allocation (with letter, payment receipts)
Court-vested Title (judgment/vested orders)
Gazetted Excision (with schedule showing your plot within the released area)
Counsel’s test: Is the root legitimate, registrable, and consistent with the property being sold?
2) Chain of Title (every link)
Deeds of Assignment/Conveyance/Vesting from the root down to the current vendor
Evidence that each derivative transfer obtained Governor’s Consent where required
Any rectification deeds or supplemental instruments closing gaps or errors
Mismatch in names, dates, or descriptions is a red flag. Cure before exchange.
3) Survey Package
Registered Survey Plan with beacon numbers and coordinates
Soft copy (CAD) where available for official charting
Beacon re-validation report from your independent surveyor after site visit
Objective: Prove the land on paper is the land on ground.
4) Encumbrance & Registry Extracts
Lagos State Land Registry Search: proprietor, mortgages/charges, cautions, pending consents
Court Registry Search: any lis pendens or orders affecting the land/vendor
CAC Search (if vendor is a company): charges, directors, signatory authority
If there is a charge/mortgage, insist on a Deed of Release/Discharge and filing evidence.
5) Consent, Stamping & Registration Proofs (where applicable)
Evidence of prior Governor’s Consent granted (or a agreed path to cure before completion)
Stamp Duty receipts for prior instruments
Registration particulars (volume/page or e-folio references)
A chain with “in process” paperwork is risk, not value.
Part B — Planning, Compliance & Physical Status
6) Planning & Building Approvals (developed property)
Planning/Development Permit (LASPPPA)
Building Control stage certificates and Certificate of Fitness for Habitation/Completion (LASBCA), where applicable
As-built drawings or evidence of conformity if construction deviated from original plans
Use-class must match the product marketed (residential/industrial/mixed-use). Coastal/wetland plots require extra caution on setbacks and flood lines.
7) Layout & Estate Governance (for properties in estates)
Approved Layout Plan (showing your plot/unit)
Estate Bye-Laws/Constitution
Service-Charge Budget (current year), basis of calculation, and audited accounts (at least last cycle)
No-arrears / Clearance Letter from the estate/facility manager
Opaque service-charge regimes erode yield and resale value.
8) Fiscal & Municipal Receipts
Land Use Charge (LUC) demand/receipt (current year)
Ground Rent / Land Charges receipts (where applicable)
Evidence of development levies/infrastructure charges already settled
Arrears are a silent lien on peace of mind. Make them visible.
9) Identity & Authority of the Vendor
Individual: government ID, passport photos, spousal consent where advisable (to avoid later matrimonial claims)
Corporate: CAC Status Report, Board Resolution authorising sale, IDs of signatories, specimen signatures/seal use
Attorneys-in-fact: Power of Attorney (registrable if it conveys proprietary interests), confirm it is valid and unrevoked
Part C — Possession, Income & Utilities
10) Possession & Boundary Evidence
Introductory letter from vendor to estate/facility manager (where applicable)
Handover inventory: keys/access cards, gate remotes, parking allocations, store/boy’s quarters references
11) Utility & Meter Documentation
Prepaid meter numbers (power/water), last bills/receipts
Generator/solar warranties and O&M manuals (if part of sale)
Borehole/water treatment system documentation where applicable
12) Tenancy/Occupancy (if buying with tenant)
Executed Tenancy/Lease Agreement (term, rent, deposits, service charge, renewals)
Rent schedule & receipts; Surrender/Attornment documentation for smooth transition
Inventory and condition report at last handover
Part D — Contracting & Closing Documents
13) Buyer-Protective Contract of Sale
Must contain:
Precise description of property (annex survey)
Warranties & Representations: good title, authority, no undisclosed encumbrances, planning compliance
Conditions Precedent (CPs): delivery of originals, cure of defects, discharge of charges, issuance of any pending consent
Indemnities: title/encumbrance/litigation claims
Escrow mechanics and long-stop date
Retention/Holdback for snagging or documentary cures
Completion deliverables schedule
Dispute-resolution tier: mediation → arbitration; Nigerian governing law
14) Deed of Assignment (Perfection-Ready)
Recital of root & chain; accurate operative words; covenants for title
Proper execution (company seal/signatories/attestation)
Annexures: survey plan, layout extract if relevant
15) Escrow Agreement
Deposit/balance held by law-firm/bank escrow
Release triggers tied to verified deliverables (originals seen, CPs satisfied)
Refund path if CPs fail by long-stop
16) Completion Pack
Originals of root and chain; consent/registration/stamping proofs
No-arrears letters (LUC, estate, ground rent)
Keys/cards, meter numbers, warranties, manuals
Completion statement (price, taxes/fees, pro-rations)
Red Flags — Walk Away or Cure Before Exchange
Seller resists Land Registry/OSG searches or insists on “pay first, papers later.”
Mother title is waved around but no valid derivative title to your plot/unit.
Uncharted survey or coordinates that “changed” after questions.
Missing Governor’s Consent in a historical transfer, with no credible cure plan.
Estate has a glossy brochure but no layout approval, no drainage design, or unaudited service-charge accounts.
Multiple “family attorneys” issuing conflicting receipts on customary roots.
Off-plan sales without escrow or milestone logic.
What a Bank Will Lend On (Your Gold Standard)
Clean root of title + full chain with necessary consents
Land Registry encumbrance search: clean, or proper releases filed
OSG charting: no acquisition/overlap/ROW/pipeline/setback conflict
Planning/Building approvals (for developed assets)
Court/CAC searches clear; corporate authority intact
Buyer-protective Contract of Sale (warranties/CPs/escrow/retention)
Perfection-ready Deed of Assignment (survey annexed)
Stamp–Register–Consent diarised with budgeted fees
Tax/LUC and estate dues current; no-arrears letters in hand
Insurance in force (named insured correct); facility manuals/warranties collated
Digital vault of notarised scans; originals in fire-safe custody
Practical Buyer’s Checklist (Print & Carry)
Root & chain of title (copies first; originals at completion)
Prior Governor’s Consents, stamping, registration proofs
Survey plan (hard + soft); OSG charting outcome
Planning/building permits; completion/fitness certificates
Land Registry & court searches; CAC (if corporate vendor)
LUC, ground rent, estate dues receipts; no-arrears letters
Estate bye-laws; service-charge budget; last audit
Tenancy pack (if tenanted): lease, rent schedule, attornment
Contract of Sale with CPs, indemnities, escrow, long-stop
Deed of Assignment (perfection-ready; survey annexed)
Escrow agreement; completion deliverables schedule
Insurance schedule; keys/cards; meter numbers; OM manuals
Sample Protective Clauses (Illustrative)
Condition Precedent:
“Completion is conditional upon delivery of the original C of O (or antecedent title) and a duly executed Deed of Assignment eligible for Governor’s Consent, together with written evidence of discharge of all encumbrances and a clean Land Registry search.”Escrow Release:
“All monies shall be held in escrow and released only upon Buyer’s Counsel’s written confirmation that all completion deliverables have been received and verified.”Long-Stop/Rescission:
“If any Condition Precedent remains unsatisfied by the Long-Stop Date, Buyer may rescind and receive a full refund from escrow within five (5) business days.”
(Tailor these to your facts.)
Conclusion
Lagos rewards documentation discipline. If your file would make a prudent lender comfortable, it will make your future buyer—and a court—comfortable. Anything less is charity to litigants. Build a bankable file, or don’t buy.
Call to Action
For a zero-stress, end-to-end purchase—document review, searches, charting, negotiation, drafting, escrow, completion, and perfection (Stamp–Register–Consent)—retain us. We execute with the precision of counsel.
