The process of buying land in Uganda over the years has been tarnished owing to endless land disputes, fake land titles and such. If the right channels are followed, however, and buyers are vigilant, the whole process can be smooth and successful. Here are a few tips to consider when buying land:
Location
It is important to keep location in mind when buying land. The piece of land that you wish to purchase should not be in areas that are prohibited by the law such as road reserves, water bodies (or swamps) and public forests. It is important to be aware of certain aspects such as accessibility of the land you are purchasing as they may impact your finance and restrict the type of activities or projects that you may be able to do with your land.
Use the right channels
It is important that you follow the right channels when purchasing land as these will give you the right kind of protection and make it easy for you to retrace your steps if you encounter problems. You should by all means refrain from using back doors when purchasing land, however tempting it is, because your lack of proper documentation could come back to bite you.
Have a budget and stick to it
The cost of land depends on several factors such as its location, size, accessibility and whether it benefits from any type of planning permission. It is important to budget for these and any unforeseen expenses when buying land in order to avoid unexpected spikes in cost. Land values/prices are also dependent on the state of the property market, so prices are bound to change as the years go by.
Use a lawyer
All your land dealings should always be conducted by a lawyer who has specialised in land transactions. You could lose easily your land if you have not engaged a lawyer to explain to you the implication of say, land acquired on a lease as opposed to title deed. A lawyer will also check the documentation relating to the land and ensure that you are buying what is being sold also that there are no encumbrances on the said land. Your lawyer is your first level of backup in case you run into trouble.
This article was first published on house.jumia.co.ug