Business
Don’t engage agents when getting title deeds; real estate warns.
A property expert has warned members of
Picture: Zambian Business Times
A property expert has warned members of the public to refrain from engaging agents in the process of acquiring title deeds.
Formalizing property is a key issue, especially since land has become scarce in the urban areas. Currently, the country has 450,000 properties with title deeds, out of a roughly 1.2 million nationwide. Several members of the community have fallen prey to swindlers, involving either title or land acquisition.
Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times— ZBT, Aaron Zulu observed that the complacency of the ministry in expediting the process of the deeds usually leads to the public seeking quicker and faster alternatives.
“If one is intending to get a title, they should engage the council directly or the Ministry of Lands. We have noticed that there are some agents that make themselves available for facilitating titles, but the challenge is that you will have to go through a third party, and that has caused some agents to be incriminated. The agents should just facilitate finding the buyer and selling the property.”
With the majority of the property owners only sitting on offer letters, which are a prerequisite to title deeds, for many years.
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“Sometimes you find that one council may have 1200 applications, and the council once or quarterly or once per quarter, and so when you submit it, it may take time, and then it goes to the surveyor and the ministry of lands until the title is issued.”
As more and more Zambians engage in the real estate market, increasing efficiency is the way to curb corruption cases. “Because of the tedious process most of these buildings do not have title deeds but just offer letters, which eventually breeds corruption,” he lamented.
Article by Samuel Mutale
Source: Zambian Business Times — Read more
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