How to Verify a Property’s Survey Plan in Lagos
Executive Introduction
In Lagos, a survey plan is not décor; it is the coordinates of your money. If the plan is fake, unregistered, or wrongly plotted, every other document becomes theatre. Verifying the survey plan before you pay a kobo is therefore non-negotiable. This counsel-grade guide gives you a clean, repeatable process to authenticate a survey plan—with the Office of the Surveyor-General (OSG) at the center—so a bank, a court, and a future buyer will recognize your boundaries without argument.
Rule: If the OSG will not chart it, you should not buy it.
1) What a Lagos Survey Plan Must Contain (Quick Anatomy)
A properly prepared Lagos survey plan typically bears:
Title Block: Name of landowner/party surveyed, location (district/LGA), description (plot/parcel/estate name).
Coordinates & Bearings: Each beacon number (e.g., PB 1234) with bearings/distances or coordinate table (Northings/Eastings).
Parcel Sketch: Polygon showing boundaries, adjoining plots/landmarks, access roads, waterlines.
Area/Size: Expressed in square metres/hectares.
Surveyor’s Details: Name, NIS registration number, contact, signature and seal.
Date of Survey & Job Number.
Plan Number/Registration Reference (if already submitted/registered).
Endorsements/Authentication (where applicable).
Absence of beacon numbers or professional seal is a bright-red flag.
2) Counsel’s Two-Track Verification Method
Perform both tracks; never rely on only one.
Track A — Desk Authentication
Match Names & Property Description
Owner’s name on the survey should align with the seller’s chain of title (or be explainable, e.g., developer’s global survey for a registered layout).
Verify the Surveyor
Check the surveyor’s NIS/OSG registration (via public registers/association lists or by contacting the firm).
Look for a wet signature and embossed seal (or secure digital equivalents in newer issuances).
Check Consistency with Other Documents
Coordinates/plot size should tally with the Deed of Assignment, layout extract, marketing plan, and valuation report (if any).
Scan for Alterations
Smudges, mismatched fonts, or re-typed coordinates suggest tampering.
Track B — Official Charting with the OSG (Non-Negotiable)
Obtain Soft Copy (CAD/DXF) + Hard Copy
Insist the vendor provides a soft copy of the coordinates (or request it from the surveyor directly).
Submit for OSG Charting
Your licensed surveyor files the coordinates at the Office of the Surveyor-General of Lagos State to check:
Government acquisition/committed areas
Excision/gazette polygons (if applicable)
Rights-of-Way: highways, canals/drainage, power lines, pipelines
Coastal/wetland setbacks, flood plains
Overlaps with prior surveys/plots
Obtain a Written Charting Result
Keep the OSG report as evidence. If it flags conflicts, you either price the cure (with strict conditions precedent) or walk.
No charting, no deal. This is the single biggest fraud-killer in Lagos land transactions.
3) Fieldwork: Put Your Boots on the Ground
Even with a clean OSG report, confirm the land on paper is the land on ground.
Beacon Reconnaissance: Your surveyor should locate or re-peg beacons. Missing/moved beacons = delay the deal.
Physical Features: Check access roads, drains, waterways, overhead cables, encroachments, and neighbouring fences relative to the polygon.
Estate Context: If inside a private estate, request the approved layout and ensure your plot sits exactly where the plan says.
4) Special Cases & How to Handle Them Lawfully
A) Estate/Mother Surveys
Developers often hold a global/mother survey. Ensure your plot extraction (deed sketch) is properly tied to the mother coordinates and charted as an individual polygon.
B) Excision/Gazette Environments
The plan must plot inside the gazetted/excised polygon. Keep certified gazette pages and the OSG charting confirming inclusion.
C) Waterfront/Setback Corridors
Intensified scrutiny for coastal setbacks, wetlands, and drainage channels. If any side of your polygon kisses a setback line, redesign or walk.
D) Rectification/Overlap
If charting shows overlap with an earlier plan, require a Rectification Survey and documentary cure before exchange—not after payment.
5) Contract Architecture: Write Your Protections Into the Deal
Insert buyer-protective clauses in your Heads of Terms and Contract of Sale:
Condition Precedent (Survey & Charting)
“Completion is conditional upon Buyer’s Counsel receiving: (i) OSG charting confirmation that the Property’s coordinates lie outside any acquisition, committed area, ROW/pipeline/coastal setback, and do not overlap prior surveys; (ii) evidence that the survey was produced by a licensed surveyor; and (iii) where applicable, confirmation that the polygon lies within the relevant excision/gazette area.”
Escrow & Long-Stop
“All monies shall be held in escrow and released only upon written confirmation that all Conditions Precedent and Completion Deliverables are satisfied. If any CP remains unsatisfied by the Long-Stop Date, Buyer may rescind and receive a full refund within five (5) business days.”
Rectification/Rescission
“If OSG charting reveals overlap or encroachment, Vendor shall procure at its cost a rectification survey and the requisite governmental clearances within X days; failing which Buyer may rescind with refund.”
(Tailor these to your facts; this is not a substitute for bespoke drafting.)
6) Red Flags That End Deals Immediately
Survey has no beacon numbers, no coordinate table, or lacks a licensed surveyor’s seal/signature.
Vendor refuses to provide soft copy coordinates or blocks OSG charting.
Uncharted result; “we already charted it” without a verifiable file/ref number.
Coordinates place the plot in acquisition/committed areas, ROW/pipeline, or coastal setbacks.
Overlaps with an older registered plan with better priority; vendor offers “indemnity” instead of cure.
Estate shows no approved layout or engineered drainage.
7) Practical Buyer’s Checklist (Print & Use)
Survey plan (hard copy) with beacons, area, bearings/coordinates, surveyor’s seal/signature, date & job number
Soft copy (CAD/DXF) of coordinates from surveyor/vendor
OSG charting report: clean of acquisition/commitment/ROW/pipeline/setback/overlap
If estate: approved layout extract showing your plot; estate coordinates tally with plan
If excised: gazette/excision pages and OSG confirmation inside polygon
Field verification: beacons located/re-pegged; access/drainage/encroachments checked
Contract: CPs for charting & surveyor authenticity; escrow; long-stop; rectification path
Completion: originals sighted; deliverables signed; escrow release only after verification
Post-completion: keep plan + OSG report in digital vault (notarised scans) and fire-safe originals
8) Case Snapshot (Composite: Lekki–Ibeju Corridor)
Pitch: “Registered survey, instant allocation, near express.”
Action: We demanded soft copy; OSG charting showed the polygon touched a drainage corridor (committed). Beacons on ground were off by ~2m.
Outcome: Conditional HoT with rectification CPs + escrow. Vendor failed to cure by long-stop; funds refunded. Client later acquired a clean, re-charted plot; perfection concluded without drama.
Conclusion
A Lagos survey plan is the mathematics of your title. Authenticate the professional, verify the coordinates, chart at the OSG, and confirm the land on paper equals the land on ground. Write these demands into your contract, hold funds in escrow, and keep an OSG-clean report in your file. If a bank would not lend on your survey today, you should not buy on it either.
Call to Action
For end-to-end verification—OSG charting, surveyor authentication, overlap/ROW checks, negotiation, escrow, drafting, and perfection (Stamp–Register–Consent)—retain us. We execute with the precision of counsel.