6 Questions Every Nigerian Must Ask Before Signing Any Property Agreement

Why This Checklist Exists

Nigeria has an estimated 28 million unit housing deficit, and Lagos alone absorbs roughly 600,000 new residents every year. That pressure means demand for land and property is relentless, and that relentless demand is exactly the environment where corner-cutting thrives.

Sellers know buyers are hungry. Agents know deals close faster when questions are skipped. And lawyers, when engaged late, often find problems that should have been caught before any money moved.

The questions before buying property in Nigeria that matter most are not the ones about price. Price is negotiable. A bad title, an encumbered parcel, or a fraudulent allocation is not. That is what this property checklist for Nigerian buyers is designed to address, before you sign a single document.

Question 1: Who Actually Has the Legal Right to Sell This Property?

This is the first question and the most frequently skipped one. In Nigeria, land ownership is governed by the Land Use Act of 1978, which vests all land in the state governor. What a seller actually owns is a right of occupancy, not land in the absolute sense. You need to confirm that the person selling you that right is legitimately entitled to do so.

Here is how to verify this before signing anything:

• Request the original title document: Certificate of Occupancy (C of O), Deed of Assignment, Governor's Consent, or Gazette, depending on what applies.
• Cross-check the name on the title against the seller's valid ID. Discrepancies are a red flag, not a paperwork delay.
• If the seller is an individual, ask for proof of how they acquired the property. A purchase history or chain of title going back at least 2 transfers should exist.
• If the seller is a company, request the CAC incorporation documents and confirm that the signatories have board authority to sell the asset.
• Never accept a photocopy of a title as the basis for signing. Original documents must be physically presented.

In my experience working across the Mowe-Ibafo corridor and into Ibadan, sellers who resist showing original documents at the verification stage almost never have a clean reason for doing so. Walk away early rather than unwind a messy transaction later.

Question 2: Has This Land Been Acquired by the Government?

Government acquisition is one of the most common title killers in Lagos and Ogun State, and it is one of the least visible to an unsuspecting buyer. The state or federal government can acquire land for public purposes and gazette it, which means no matter who holds a deed, that land cannot be privately developed or resold without a revocation of acquisition.

To verify acquisition status, check these specific sources:

• Visit the Land Bureau or Lands Registry in the relevant state capital. In Lagos, this is the Lagos State Land Bureau in Alausa, Ikeja. In Ogun State, it is the Bureau of Lands and Survey in Abeokuta.
• Request an official search on the property. This costs between ₦20,000 and ₦80,000 depending on the state, and it is the most important ₦80,000 you will spend in any property transaction.
• Ask specifically whether the land falls within any government scheme, highway setback, drainage reserve, or military buffer zone. Each of these carries different implications.
• Engage a licensed surveyor to overlay the property coordinates with state acquisition maps. This is a separate step from the title search and is worth doing on any plot above ₦5,000,000 in value.

The Lekki-Epe corridor, which has seen appreciation of 200 to 400% in select zones over the past decade, also has significant pockets of acquired land that continue to be sold by informal actors. Price growth does not equal title clarity. Do the search.

Question 3: What Exactly Are You Buying, and Can It Be Measured?

Buyers in Nigeria routinely sign agreements for land that is described in plots, acres, or square metres without ever confirming that those measurements match the physical reality on the ground. A plot in Lagos can mean anything from 450 square metres in Badagry to 648 square metres in certain parts of Lekki. The word plot means nothing without a survey plan attached to it.

Before signing any property agreement in Nigeria, do this:

• Demand a copy of the survey plan and confirm it carries the stamp and registration number of a licensed surveyor registered with the Surveyors Registration Council of Nigeria (SURCON).
• Verify the beacon numbers on the survey plan by having your own surveyor locate them on the ground. Physical beacons should match the plan coordinates.
• Confirm the total area in square metres, not just in plots, and ensure the agreement document reflects the same figure as the survey plan.
• For properties within an estate development, request the layout plan showing your specific plot number within the larger scheme, not just a generic estate map.
• If you are buying multiple plots, walk every one of them. Do not approve from a single visit to the estate entrance.

At our Mowe Prime Estates project, for example, a 300 sqm plot starts at ₦8,000,000. Every buyer receives a survey plan tied to exact coordinates before a kobo changes hands. That is the standard you should insist on regardless of who you are buying from.

Question 4: Are There Any Outstanding Charges, Debts, or Family Disputes on This Property?

A property can have a clean government title and still be a trap. Outstanding ground rent owed to the state, unpaid property rates to a local government, an unresolved family inheritance dispute, or a caveat lodged by a creditor can all follow a property from one owner to the next. In Nigeria, these liabilities do not automatically disappear when you buy.

Run these checks before signing:

• Ask the seller for the most recent property tax receipts issued by the local government or state revenue agency. Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Ogun State Revenue Service (OGIRS) both issue these. Confirm there are no arrears.
• Where the land is family land being sold by a family representative, obtain a family resolution letter signed by the recognised family head and principal members. Confirm this with a local inquiry in the community, not just a document review.
• Ask your lawyer to conduct a probate search if the seller inherited the property. This confirms no competing claims exist through a will or intestate succession dispute.
• Check whether a mortgage or charge exists on the property by conducting a search at the Corporate Affairs Commission if the seller is a company, or by asking the Lands Registry specifically about encumbrances during the official search.

Family land disputes are particularly active in corridors like Ibadan's Bodija and Jericho axis, where premium plots range from ₦8,000,000 to ₦25,000,000. The higher the value, the more aggressively competing family members tend to appear once money changes hands.

Question 5: What Does the Agreement Actually Say, and Who Wrote It?

This is where many buyers become overconfident. They assume that because a transaction feels legitimate, the document is fine. Most property agreements in Nigeria are drafted by the seller's lawyer, which means the terms are structured to protect the seller. You need your own legal review, not just a signature.

Specifically, look for and negotiate these clauses before signing any property agreement in Nigeria:

• Completion timeline: The agreement must specify exactly when the seller will perfect title and hand over original documents. Vague language like "within a reasonable time" is not acceptable. Fix a date.
• What happens if the seller defaults: There must be a clause that specifies refund terms with interest or penalty if the seller cannot deliver. Confirm the penalty is meaningful, not symbolic.
• Development restrictions: Some estate agreements contain clauses restricting what you can build, how high you can build, and even what materials you can use. Read these before signing, not after you have started construction and received a query.
• Resale rights: Confirm you have the right to resell the property without requiring permission from the developer or original vendor, or if permission is required, that the terms are clearly stated and reasonable.
• Governor's Consent obligations: Confirm in writing who bears the cost of obtaining Governor's Consent after the transaction closes. In Lagos State, this is a significant cost that has surprised many buyers who assumed it was the seller's responsibility.

A properly reviewed property agreement in Nigeria is not a luxury. It is the difference between owning what you paid for and spending the next 5 years in litigation.

Question 6: What Is the Realistic Exit or Upside on This Asset?

This question is the one most buyers skip because it feels like speculation rather than due diligence. It is not. Understanding where a property sits in a growth corridor, and whether the fundamentals support future value, is part of responsible buying. Not every location appreciates at the same rate, and buying blindly on hype has burned buyers in multiple Nigerian markets.

To assess upside intelligently, check these factors:

• Infrastructure trajectory: Is there an active road project, interchange, or utility expansion within 5 kilometres of the property? The Lagos-Ibadan Expressway rehabilitation directly accelerated appreciation in the Mowe-Ibafo corridor. Plots that sold for ₦500,000 in 2015 command ₦3,000,000 to ₦5,000,000 in 2026.
• Government scheme proximity: Properties near National Housing Fund (NHF) developments, new town schemes, or industrial zones tend to appreciate faster than isolated plots. FMBN NHF loans of up to ₦15,000,000 at 6% are actively driving demand in mid-range corridors.
• Comparable sales data: Ask for at least 3 recent comparable sales in the same estate or corridor within the last 12 months. If the agent cannot produce this, find out why.
• Rental yield potential: For commercial or residential investments, calculate the gross yield at current market rental rates. Shortlet yields in Lekki Phase 1 run at 15 to 25% annually on acquisition cost. Know what the number is for your specific location before you buy.
• Exit liquidity: Ask yourself honestly, if you needed to sell this property in 18 months, who is your buyer and at what price? High-growth corridors with established estate infrastructure have a buyer pool. Isolated parcels with no amenities do not, regardless of the price you paid.

Buying property in Nigeria without asking this question is how buyers end up holding assets that appreciated on paper but cannot find a buyer at exit.

5 Things You Can Do Right Now

This property checklist for Nigerian buyers is only useful if it drives action. Here are 5 immediate steps you can take before signing any property agreement in Nigeria:

1. Identify the exact title document the seller holds and photograph both sides. Do not accept descriptions, only originals.
2. Contact the Lands Registry in the relevant state and book an official search. Do this before you pay any deposit, not after.
3. Engage your own lawyer, not the seller's lawyer, to review the sale agreement and flag any clauses that limit your rights or expose you to undefined obligations.
4. Commission a licensed SURCON-registered surveyor to locate the beacons on the ground and confirm the survey plan matches the physical land.
5. Research at least 3 recent comparable sales in the same corridor to validate that the price you are paying reflects actual market value, not inflated marketing claims.

These steps take time. That is the point. Anyone pressuring you to skip them is protecting their own interest, not yours.

Key takeaways

• Always conduct an official title search at the state Lands Registry before paying any deposit. Budget ₦20,000 to ₦80,000 depending on the state. It is non-negotiable.
• Hire your own lawyer to review the sale agreement independently. The seller's lawyer is not your lawyer, regardless of how friendly the transaction feels.
• Commission a SURCON-registered surveyor to physically locate beacons on the ground and confirm the survey plan coordinates match the land you are actually buying.
• For family land transactions, obtain a signed family resolution letter and verify it with a local community inquiry, not just the document presented to you.
• Before buying in any corridor, research infrastructure projects within 5 kilometres. Road access, interchange proximity, and utility expansion are the clearest predictors of capital appreciation in the Nigerian market.