Documents Required When Building a House in Kenya

Documents Required When Building a House in Kenya

Once you decide to buy a plot, make sure you have all the documents in place.

They are usually divided into two categories: legal and personal. Legal documents are basically essential, and missing even one of them can result in a delay in purchase.

Below are the documents you need to have in order to buy land:

• Title Deed

It is one of the most pertinent things to check for. As we all know, nobody can transfer a better title than he himself has.

A seller cannot transfer his property to a prospective buyer if the title isn’t perfect and free from any encumbrances or defects.

The title search of a property can take place at a sub-registrar’s office.

The buyer is entitled to receive all title documents for the property, and for properties that are extremely old, title documents that were prepared thirty years prior to the date of the title search need to be traced.

The title should be free of any disputes over the ownership of the property.

• Encumbrance Certificate

This is a legal document that certifies that the land is free from any legal or financial liability.

An encumbrance certificate, or EC, would have a record of all the transactions done during a stipulated period of time over the property concerned, for which the EC is sought.

• House Plan Approval

It is essential that you ensure that the place where your property is located has been approved and also verify whether the building plan has been approved or not.

You should also check to see whether any building bye-laws have been violated.

• Land Use Certificate

You need to apply to the development authorities of your respective city to verify if the residential property that you are planning to buy is in the residential zone and not in the commercial, agricultural, or industrial zones.

Residential properties shouldn’t be bought for commercial purposes without the approval of the urban development authorities.

• No Objection Certificate

No-objection certificates should be obtained wherever necessary.

The seller should provide you with a copy of the urban non-ceiling no-objection certificate and NOCs for water and electricity.

• Commencement Certificate

This certificate is essential for the construction of a property to commence.

This is issued by the town planning department after scrutinizing the building layout, plan, and superstructure.

• Sale Deed

The buyer should confirm that the property has a clear title before signing a sale deed.

One of the most significant legal documents is a sale deed.

It is a document that attests to the sale of the property and the transfer of ownership from the seller to the buyer.

• Khata Certificate

Khata, when translated to English, means “account”, It is essentially the account of a seller or the owner of the property.

Khata extract is essential for buying property.

This is of prime importance for not only transferring a property but also for the registration of the new property.