Lusaka Plots For Sale: 4 Mistakes To Avoid When Buying.

Did you know that each year in Lusaka, at least 100 cases of plots fraud are reported? Take your time to prevent losing your money; don't suddenly wake up and give it to any plot seller who has made a claim. It is somewhat disheartening when a same plot of property is sold to multiple buyers. I conducted in-depth interviews with over twenty individuals who were let down by their plots purchase in Lusaka, and I pinpointed five errors that they made. One of the most crucial initial items you should comprehend is the type of land you are going to purchase and having documentation of ownership. In this post I will explain in detail the mistakes you should avoid when buying plots, the types of lands in Zambia and legal process.

Types of land in Zambia

What type of land are you about to buy? To understand what steps to take when buying land in Zambia, you should know the type of land you are buying. In Zambia there are two types of land depending on whether it is a state or traditional owned land.

State owned land is also called leasehold in which a person is given land with a tenure period of 99 years and it can be renewed for another 99 years. This is land that the ministry of land needs to give out a title and other necessary documents.

Traditional land also called customary land in which the land is under a certain chiefdom and is controlled by the various leaders in the respective chiefdoms. Headmen/women have the authority to offer or allocate people who wish to join the area. In some cases, customary lands are not sold instead they are given for free and maybe you are required to pay a certain amount for membership registration. Just like state land, be cautious when buying land from any Jim and Jack who claims to be the grandson or a close relative to the chief.

4 mistakes to avoid when buying plots in Lusaka?

1. 1. Cashing in for plot deal that is too good to be true.

We have so many crooks around land selling business. Some of them are relatives of the land owners especially if the owners are elderly. There has been a trend in Lusaka peri-urban areas where the grand children of a certain family sell land secretly at a very cheap price. Example in Kafue a grandson to certain grandparents sold 10 hectares at ZMW5000, unfearfully the buyer lost land and money because the deal was aborted after the case was reported to police. From the look of things, you can tell the deal wasn’t genuine.

2. 2. No evidence of ownership.

Land needs to have clear evidence of ownership. Such evidence may include title deed, letter of sell from the previous owners approved by the necessary authority or the head of the area such as the councilor or headman has given sound information about that land.

Again, in other cases a random scammer with a good history of certain land may pose as a legal owner. This could be a man or woman who knows better the information about that piece of land but they are actually not the owners. They have no papers or they may provide fake documentation just to make you pay. Buying such land means you have been scammed.

3. 3. Ignoring red flags.

Some lands are owned by family and not one of the family members. If you observe that there is disagreement about selling land among the family members you better leave it. Red flags are a good sign that in the near future you may lose your land together with the money you paid or be injured by other family members that are against the idea.

4. 4. Buying plots under legal proceedings.

Due to some reasons, there are lands in Lusaka whose cases are in court and no final judgement has been passed yet. Such lands can be under sell by political cadres or individuals within the area and buying such lands is a risk. What if the person who sold it lose the court case? They may not eve refund your money and you end up losing it like that. Or worse if you built structures on it you may end up getting them demolished like we have seen in Palabana Chongwe and other areas in Zambia.

Questions to ask when you see "plots for sale " in lusaka

Are necessary papers available?
What kind of land am I buying
Is this the actual owner of the plot

Legal processes after buying a plot

Make sure to follow the right channel of putting things in order for your land. You need the right papers and see the right people after buying plot in Lusaka. Here are few documentations and things you need to do after buying.

Letter of sale

To have a proof of plot acquisition you need to obtain a letter that shows you have bought land. However, for customary it could be a different document depending on how they hand such situations. Make sure you have correct details like NRC number of the seller full names and details of the land purchased with clear amount and measurements. You need also the include the signatures of your witnesses in addition to your s and the seller.

Title deed

For a leasehold land the document you need is the title deed issued by the necessary government authority which should be handed over to you by the land seller after sealing the land deal. In this case be careful you may be given a fake document just to make you pay for the land.

Install beacons

after buying land make sure to invite the land surveyor to mark your land and install beacons to prevent invasion by other neighboring plots. Lands that stay without beacons for a long period of time tend to reduce in actual size due to encroachment by others

Who sells plots in Lusaka?

Plot sellers may not be the owners but any other middleman who earns a percentage after the deal is done. There are companies( real estates) and individuals who sell plots on behalf of owners. In some cases, selling plots is handled by the owner themselves but not always. Understand clearly the relationship between the plot and the person you are dealing with. People pay higher prices when buying land from the third parties than direct sell from the owner.

Summary.

You must first comprehend the sort of land you are buying, make sure you are purchasing from the right owner, and refrain from paying money every time you suspect something is off in order to prevent losing money and suffering the consequences that come with land fraud. Given how inventive land fraudsters can be, there isn't a specific handbook that addresses every issue related to purchasing land at the moment in Zambia.