Start with the paper the seller holds
Ask the seller for every document they have: the offer letter or allocation paper, the survey plan, the certificate of occupancy if there is one, receipts for ground rent and any development levy. A genuine seller is rarely offended by the request. A seller who cannot produce papers, or produces only photocopies, has told you something important.
Make copies and keep the originals out of the transaction until you are ready to complete. Our team logs each document and notes what is missing, which becomes the first page of your title report.
Search the land registry
A search confirms who the registry has recorded as the holder of the plot, whether a mortgage or caveat has been registered and whether the plot has been revoked. In the FCT a search usually takes a few working days. We visit in person and photograph the record where the rules permit.
If the registry record and the seller’s papers disagree, stop. Most frauds we see begin with a document that looks right but does not match the record.
Checklist: offer letter, survey plan, certificate of occupancy, ground rent receipts, seller ID, court search, escrow agreement, consent application.
Check the survey plan on the ground
Your surveyor should confirm that the coordinates on the survey plan match the plot you were shown, and that the plot does not fall on a road, drainage channel or green area in the master plan. We have seen buyers shown the right plot on paper and the wrong plot on the ground.
Look for court cases
We search the cause lists and registries of the courts that sit in the FCT for suits over the plot or against the seller. A pending case does not always mean you should walk away, but it changes the price and the timing.
Agree how the money moves
Pay through escrow, not cash, and not into an account that is not in the seller’s own name. We set up escrow with a bank so that the seller is paid only when the deed is signed and the documents are handed over.
Finally, apply for consent to the transfer promptly. Until consent is granted, your interest is exposed. We diarise the follow-up and report every month until the consent is in your hands.
