How to Verify Land Ownership with the Lagos State Land Registry
Executive Introduction
In Lagos, the Land Registry is not a formality—it is the arbiter of truth. If the Registry will not confirm the seller’s title, you are negotiating with paper, not property. This brief provides a counsel-grade, step-by-step method to verify ownership and encumbrances at the Lagos State Land Registry, integrate results with Surveyor-General charting, and write the right protections into your contracts. Follow it and you will buy once, buy right—and sleep.
Rule: Never pay for “assurances.” Pay only for a file the Registry can defend.
1) What the Lagos State Land Registry Actually Confirms
Registered Proprietor: Who the Registry recognises as owner/holder of the registrable interest.
Instrument Particulars: C of O details, Governor’s Consent endorsements, Deeds of Assignment/Conveyance/Vesting, Registration folio/volume references.
Encumbrances: Mortgages/charges, debentures, cautions/caveats, pending court orders and notations.
Pending Actions: Applications for consent or registration in progress (where recorded).
Search History/Certified True Copies (CTCs): Official extracts of registered instruments.
Note: The Registry does not confirm planning approvals or boundary freedom from rights-of-way—those are separate verifications. Use both Registry and OSG charting.
2) Documents You Should Have Before You Approach the Registry
Root of Title (e.g., C of O; Federal/State allocation; court-vested order).
Chain of Title (all Deeds of Assignment/Vesting from root to seller).
Survey Plan (hard copy; soft copy for charting kept separately).
Vendor KYC (IDs; if corporate, CAC status report + board resolution).
Any existing encumbrance instruments (mortgage/charge, if disclosed).
Gatekeeping: If the seller cannot supply these copies at the outset, pause; proceed only under exclusivity + escrow with conditions precedent.
3) How to Conduct a Proper Land Registry Search (Counsel’s Workflow)
Step 1 — Prepare the Search Application
Complete the official search request form (physical or e-portal, as applicable).
Provide: applicant details (your counsel), property description, file number/folio if known, owner’s name, instrument date/type.
Attach copies of the deed or C of O you are searching against.
Pay the prescribed search fee and keep the official receipt.
Step 2 — Lodge and Track
Submit the request at the Search Unit/Records Section or via the online portal (where available).
Obtain an acknowledgement/reference. Diary follow-ups. Do not rely on verbal timelines; maintain a paper/email trail.
Step 3 — Access & Inspect (Where Physical Files Apply)
Your counsel (or accredited agent) inspects the jacket/file for:
Registered instruments (stamped and referenced).
Endorsements of Governor’s Consent on deeds (inked or stickered where used).
Mortgages/charges, cautions, court orders, notations.
Where digitised, request official search print-out showing current status and entries.
Step 4 — Request Certified True Copies (CTCs)
Apply for CTCs of all key instruments: root title, every link in chain, any mortgage/charge, consents, releases/discharges.
Pay CTC fees and obtain receipts. CTCs are your evidence pack in banking and court contexts.
Step 5 — Interpret the Findings
Names & Descriptions: Must align across instruments (owner, plot description, LGA, survey number).
Continuity: Every derivative transfer should have Governor’s Consent (or a credible, deliverable path to obtain it before completion).
Encumbrances: Any subsisting charge/mortgage must be discharged or novated at completion with filings to reflect the release.
Cautions/Notices: Investigate the cautioner’s claim; do not proceed without resolving the underlying dispute.
Step 6 — Corroborate Externally
If the seller is a company, run a CAC search for charges over land assets and confirm board authority to sell.
Cross-check court registries for lis pendens on the property/vendor.
Pair the Registry results with OSG charting to eliminate acquisition/ROW/overlap risks.
4) Common Registry Findings—and What They Mean for You
| Finding | Consequence | Counsel’s Action |
|---|---|---|
| Title registered in seller’s name, no encumbrance | Good sign | Proceed to contract with standard protections |
| Registered mortgage/charge | Bank’s interest ranks ahead | Obtain executed Deed of Release/Discharge; file and reflect before or at completion; escrow until filing evidence |
| Caution/caveat lodged | Dispute risk | Engage cautioner; require withdrawal documented and filed before completion |
| Consent missing in chain | Defective derivation | Make consent issuance a Condition Precedent; price risk or walk |
| Different names/descriptions across deeds | Chain inconsistency | Rectification deed(s) + new consent filings before completion |
| Pending consent/registration | Not bankable yet | Escrow + long-stop; no release of funds until perfected |
5) Red Flags That End Deals—or Trigger Heavy Restructuring
Seller resists a formal Registry search (“use our photocopies”).
Mother title brandished but no plot-level derivative for your parcel.
Consent missing on a historic assignment with no credible cure plan.
Multiple mortgages/charges with unclear discharge paths.
Cautions lodged by family/community factions in customary-root areas.
File shows conflicting surveys or descriptions that do not match the site.
Walk—or proceed only with escrow, conditions precedent, long-stop dates, retention, and indemnities.
6) Contract Architecture: Write the Registry Into Your Protections
Condition Precedent (Title & Perfection)
“Completion is conditional upon Buyer’s Counsel receiving: (i) an official Land Registry search confirming the Vendor as registered proprietor and disclosing no undisclosed encumbrance or caution; (ii) CTCs of all material instruments including Governor’s Consents; and (iii) documented discharge/release of any mortgage/charge with evidence of filing.”
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 refund within five (5) business days.”
Indemnity (Title & Encumbrances)
“Vendor shall indemnify Buyer against all losses arising from any defect in title or undisclosed encumbrance, including third-party claims and costs of discharge.”
Retention/Holdback
“₦… (or …%) shall be retained in escrow until filing evidence shows the discharge of charge and update of the register.”
(Tailor to your facts; these formulations are signposts, not substitutes for bespoke drafting.)
7) Practical Tips Only a Practitioner Will Tell You
Ask for the last perfected instrument in the chain first; work backward. It quickly reveals missing links.
Insist on CTCs, not glossy scans. Banks and courts care about CTCs.
Names matter: Even minor name discrepancies (middle names, initials) can delay consent; cure with statutory declarations/affidavits and rectification deeds.
Discharges lag: Budget time for banks to issue Deed of Release and for filings to reflect on the register. Structure escrow holdbacks accordingly.
Keep a timeline diary of every filing, receipt, and acknowledgement. Your completion pack should read like a finance-grade data room.
8) Buyer’s Completion Pack (What “Bankable” Looks Like)
Official search print-out/report + receipts
CTCs of root title, all assignments/conveyances, Governor’s Consents
CTCs of any mortgage/charge + Deed(s) of Release/Discharge and filing acknowledgements
If corporate seller: CAC search and board resolution to sell
Court registry search (no lis pendens)
OSG charting report (no acquisition/ROW/overlap/setback conflict)
Contract of Sale with warranties, CPs, indemnities, escrow, long-stop, retention
Deed of Assignment (perfection-ready; survey annexed)
Stamp → Register → Consent diary and budget
No-arrears letters (LUC, ground rent, estate/service charge)
Insurance schedule (post-completion naming the correct owner/SPV)
Digitised, notarised scans; originals in fire-safe custody
9) Case Snapshot (Composite: Mainland Freehold to Statutory Chain)
Facts: Vendor offered a Deed of Assignment with claimed consent; buyer wanted leverage financing.
Registry Search: Revealed an undischarged mortgage and no consent on a mid-chain transfer.
Action: Heads of Terms with escrow, CPs for (i) discharge + filing, (ii) consent issuance on historic link, (iii) CTC bundle. Retention pending filing evidence.
Outcome: Vendor cured within the long-stop; bank accepted file; perfection concluded without drama.
10) FAQs (Concise Counsel)
Q: If the Registry shows “pending consent,” can I pay now?
A: Not without escrow, CPs, long-stop, and retention. Pending ≠ perfected.
Q: The seller says the file is “missing” at the Registry.
A: Treat as risk. Require CTCs from originating instruments, indemnities, and a reconstruction path—priced accordingly—or walk.
Q: Do I still need OSG charting if the Registry is clean?
A: Yes. Registry confirms ownership/encumbrances; OSG confirms where the land sits relative to acquisition/ROW/overlaps.
Conclusion
Verification at the Lagos State Land Registry is the backbone of safe acquisition. If the register cannot defend your seller, your money is unprotected. Combine official searches + CTCs with OSG charting, contract in escrowed, condition-precedent protections, and perfect promptly. That is how serious buyers—and lenders—operate in Lagos.
Call to Action
If you need a zero-stress, end-to-end title verification—Land Registry searches, CTC procurement, OSG charting, negotiation, escrow, drafting, completion, and perfection (Stamp–Register–Consent).
