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)
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Certificate of Occupancy (C of O)
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Governor’s Consent to a prior deed (if derivative title)
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State/Federal Allocation (with letter, payment receipts)
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Court-vested Title (judgment/vested orders)
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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)
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Deeds of Assignment/Conveyance/Vesting from the root down to the current vendor
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Evidence that each derivative transfer obtained Governor’s Consent where required
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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
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Registered Survey Plan with beacon numbers and coordinates
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Soft copy (CAD) where available for official charting
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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
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Lagos State Land Registry Search: proprietor, mortgages/charges, cautions, pending consents
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Court Registry Search: any lis pendens or orders affecting the land/vendor
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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)
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Evidence of prior Governor’s Consent granted (or a agreed path to cure before completion)
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Stamp Duty receipts for prior instruments
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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)
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Planning/Development Permit (LASPPPA)
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Building Control stage certificates and Certificate of Fitness for Habitation/Completion (LASBCA), where applicable
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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)
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Approved Layout Plan (showing your plot/unit)
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Estate Bye-Laws/Constitution
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Service-Charge Budget (current year), basis of calculation, and audited accounts (at least last cycle)
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No-arrears / Clearance Letter from the estate/facility manager
Opaque service-charge regimes erode yield and resale value.
8) Fiscal & Municipal Receipts
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Land Use Charge (LUC) demand/receipt (current year)
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Ground Rent / Land Charges receipts (where applicable)
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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
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Individual: government ID, passport photos, spousal consent where advisable (to avoid later matrimonial claims)
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Corporate: CAC Status Report, Board Resolution authorising sale, IDs of signatories, specimen signatures/seal use
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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
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Introductory letter from vendor to estate/facility manager (where applicable)
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Handover inventory: keys/access cards, gate remotes, parking allocations, store/boy’s quarters references
11) Utility & Meter Documentation
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Prepaid meter numbers (power/water), last bills/receipts
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Generator/solar warranties and O&M manuals (if part of sale)
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Borehole/water treatment system documentation where applicable
12) Tenancy/Occupancy (if buying with tenant)
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Executed Tenancy/Lease Agreement (term, rent, deposits, service charge, renewals)
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Rent schedule & receipts; Surrender/Attornment documentation for smooth transition
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Inventory and condition report at last handover
Part D — Contracting & Closing Documents
13) Buyer-Protective Contract of Sale
Must contain:
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Precise description of property (annex survey)
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Warranties & Representations: good title, authority, no undisclosed encumbrances, planning compliance
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Conditions Precedent (CPs): delivery of originals, cure of defects, discharge of charges, issuance of any pending consent
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Indemnities: title/encumbrance/litigation claims
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Escrow mechanics and long-stop date
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Retention/Holdback for snagging or documentary cures
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Completion deliverables schedule
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Dispute-resolution tier: mediation → arbitration; Nigerian governing law
14) Deed of Assignment (Perfection-Ready)
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Recital of root & chain; accurate operative words; covenants for title
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Proper execution (company seal/signatories/attestation)
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Annexures: survey plan, layout extract if relevant
15) Escrow Agreement
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Deposit/balance held by law-firm/bank escrow
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Release triggers tied to verified deliverables (originals seen, CPs satisfied)
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Refund path if CPs fail by long-stop
16) Completion Pack
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Originals of root and chain; consent/registration/stamping proofs
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No-arrears letters (LUC, estate, ground rent)
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Keys/cards, meter numbers, warranties, manuals
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Completion statement (price, taxes/fees, pro-rations)
Red Flags — Walk Away or Cure Before Exchange
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Seller resists Land Registry/OSG searches or insists on “pay first, papers later.”
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Mother title is waved around but no valid derivative title to your plot/unit.
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Uncharted survey or coordinates that “changed” after questions.
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Missing Governor’s Consent in a historical transfer, with no credible cure plan.
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Estate has a glossy brochure but no layout approval, no drainage design, or unaudited service-charge accounts.
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Multiple “family attorneys” issuing conflicting receipts on customary roots.
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Off-plan sales without escrow or milestone logic.
What a Bank Will Lend On (Your Gold Standard)
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Clean root of title + full chain with necessary consents
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Land Registry encumbrance search: clean, or proper releases filed
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OSG charting: no acquisition/overlap/ROW/pipeline/setback conflict
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Planning/Building approvals (for developed assets)
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Court/CAC searches clear; corporate authority intact
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Buyer-protective Contract of Sale (warranties/CPs/escrow/retention)
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Perfection-ready Deed of Assignment (survey annexed)
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Stamp–Register–Consent diarised with budgeted fees
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Tax/LUC and estate dues current; no-arrears letters in hand
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Insurance in force (named insured correct); facility manuals/warranties collated
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Digital vault of notarised scans; originals in fire-safe custody
Practical Buyer’s Checklist (Print & Carry)
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Root & chain of title (copies first; originals at completion)
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Prior Governor’s Consents, stamping, registration proofs
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Survey plan (hard + soft); OSG charting outcome
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Planning/building permits; completion/fitness certificates
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Land Registry & court searches; CAC (if corporate vendor)
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LUC, ground rent, estate dues receipts; no-arrears letters
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Estate bye-laws; service-charge budget; last audit
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Tenancy pack (if tenanted): lease, rent schedule, attornment
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Contract of Sale with CPs, indemnities, escrow, long-stop
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Deed of Assignment (perfection-ready; survey annexed)
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Escrow agreement; completion deliverables schedule
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Insurance schedule; keys/cards; meter numbers; OM manuals
Sample Protective Clauses (Illustrative)
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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.
