10 Documents to Demand Before Paying for Land in Lagos

TL;DR: Before paying for land in Lagos, demand: the claimed title document, the registered survey plan, the gazette reference (if excision is claimed), the deed or root-of-title history, the seller's ID, proof of the seller's authority to sell, tax/ground rent receipts, the family resolution (for family land), a recent search report, and written payment terms. If a seller can't produce these, you're not ready to pay — regardless of how good the "deal" looks.

Print this list. Take it to every land inspection. The sellers who respect it are the sellers you want to deal with.

The 10 Documents

1. The title document being claimed. C of O, gazette reference, registered deed — whatever basis the seller claims. Get copies of every page.

2. The registered survey plan. With its registered number from the Surveyor General's office. Not a sketch, not a "survey is coming" — the plan.

3. The gazette reference (if excision is claimed). Volume, number, page, date. Your lawyer verifies it independently.

4. Root of title history. How did the seller get this land? Previous deeds, assignments, family allocation papers — the chain that leads to the person taking your money.

5. The seller's valid ID. Government-issued, and the name must match the name on the title documents. Mismatches need clear, documented explanations.

6. Proof of authority to sell. If the seller isn't the original title holder: power of attorney, letters of administration, corporate resolution, or family authorization — properly executed, not improvised.

7. Family resolution (for family land). Written authorization from the family's principal members and head, with signatures. One uncle's enthusiasm is not a resolution.

8. Evidence of no outstanding government charges. Where applicable, receipts for ground rent or related statutory payments. Outstanding charges can complicate your perfection process.

9. A recent independent search report. Not the seller's search from two years ago — a fresh registry search commissioned for your transaction, through your lawyer.

10. Written payment terms. The price, the payment schedule, what's included, and the refund terms if verification fails. Verbal agreements on money are how disputes start.

How to Use This List

Don't email it as a demand letter — walk through it conversationally at inspection. "Can I see the survey plan?" "What's the gazette reference?" Watch the reactions. Genuine sellers produce documents progressively and without offense. Evasive sellers produce stories.

And here's the discipline part: don't pay a "commitment fee" to see documents. The documents come first, the money comes after verification. Anyone reversing that order is running a process designed to separate you from your money before you can think.

What "We'll Provide It Later" Really Means

Sometimes "later" is legitimate — a document genuinely being retrieved. More often it's a stall. My rule: set a specific date, and if the documents aren't produced by then, move on. Lagos has no shortage of land; it has a shortage of patience for incomplete deals. Be the buyer with standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which document is most important when buying land in Lagos? The title document and the registered survey plan, verified independently — the title proves the right, the survey proves the land. Everything else supports these two.

What if the seller has most documents but not all? Proceed only on the missing ones being verifiable and produced before payment — with a firm deadline. "Nine out of ten" is fine if the tenth is en route; it's a red flag if the tenth is the title itself.

Should I pay a deposit before seeing all documents? No. Deposits come after document review and verification, not before. A seller demanding money before showing papers has inverted the entire logic of a safe transaction.

Can photocopies suffice for initial review? For initial review, yes — but every photocopy must be verified against originals and official records before payment. Photocopies start the conversation; they don't conclude it.

What do I do with all these documents? Give copies to your lawyer, who builds your verification file: registry search, charting, gazette confirmation. Keep your own organized set — if anything is ever disputed, your paper trail is your armor.

If I'm buying inside an estate, do I still need all 10 documents? Yes — you verify the estate's title with the same rigor. Get the estate's title documents, confirm they cover your specific phase and plot (not just the estate generally), and run the same registry and charting checks. "Estate" is a marketing word; the documents are what protect you.