Title Verification & Perfection

Most property disputes in Nigeria start at the point of sale, not after it

REN Attorneys advises individuals, institutions, investors and developers on the investigation of title and the legal processes required to properly document, perfect and register interests in land.

Title

.We undertake the legal investigation of title to land and real property, examining the root of title, ownership, documentation and any interests or encumbrances affecting the property. Our approach is directed at establishing the legal basis upon which an interest in property is held and transferred.

Tenure

We advise on the nature and extent of interests in land, including statutory and customary rights of occupancy, leases, assignments and other interests recognised under applicable Nigerian law. Our advice considers the legal status of the interest, its transferability and the requirements.

Perfection

We advise and act on the processes required to perfect interests in real property, including obtaining requisite consents, stamping and registration of registrable instruments. We manage the legal and procedural requirements necessary to give proper effect and evidential standing to the transaction.

What "perfection" actually means

Under the Land Use Act, all land in a Nigerian state is held in trust by the Governor. A Certificate of Occupancy does not transfer automatically when land changes hands — the buyer's interest has to be recognised through a defined legal process before it is fully protected.

Perfection is that process carried through to completion: a valid Deed of Assignment, Governor's Consent under the Act, payment of the correct stamp duty and capital gains tax, and registration at the Land Registry or AGIS. Skip any one of these and the buyer's title remains incomplete, however genuine the underlying sale.

We take a transaction from wherever it currently stands — a fresh purchase, a title inherited without documents, or a sale completed years ago and never registered — through to a position where it holds up in court, at a bank, or on resale.

Common questions

 

  • A Certificate of Occupancy is the document issued under the Land Use Act by a state Governor, or the FCT Minister in Abuja, confirming that a named holder has the right to occupy and use a specific piece of land for a stated term, usually 99 years. It is evidence of title, not the transaction document itself — a Deed of Assignment or Deed of Sublease still records the actual transfer between buyer and seller.

  • Because the Land Use Act vests all land in the state Governor, any assignment, mortgage or sublease of land already held under a Certificate of Occupancy requires the Governor's written consent to be valid. A sale completed without it can be declared void, which is why consent processing is a core part of perfecting title rather than an optional extra.

  • It depends on the state of the existing documents and the registry's workload. A straightforward consent and registration on a property with clean documents can move in a few months; land that needs regularisation, excision, or a fresh survey can take considerably longer. We give a realistic estimate once we've reviewed your specific file.

  • Yes, and much land in Nigeria changes hands this way — but it carries more risk. Land without a C of O may still be under customary tenure, unregularised, or subject to a government layout that hasn't been surveyed. It can still be a sound purchase; it simply means more due diligence up front and, often, a regularisation step afterward.

  • Yes. We regularly act for clients in the diaspora under a registered Power of Attorney, handling searches, consent applications and registration while keeping you updated remotely, so a purchase can be completed correctly without you needing to be physically present.

 

Don't sign until you know what you're signing for

 

Send us the documents you have, even if the file is incomplete. We'll tell you where the title actually stands and what it will take to perfect it.