Protect Your Right to Your Land with a Deed
As a landowner, you should have a deed to your
property. A deed is a piece of paper which shows that
you own your land.1 The deed gives you title to your
property and title governs your legal right to your land.
Every time property is sold, willed, or given to
another person, a new deed must be written and
registered. This should be done by a lawyer. In the
deed, the person buying or inheriting the land is called
the grantee and the person selling, willing, or giving the
land is called the grantor. If you own land, make sure
you have a deed for it.
A. FEATURES OF A DEED
Every valid, legal deed must include the name of
the grantor, the name of the grantee, and a description of the land and its boundaries. The deed must also state
that the property is being passed to a new owner. For
example, "I hereby convey my land to Mr. X to have and
to hold...."
In Nigeria a conveyance of land is legal when:
(1) it is in writing (like a deed);
(2) the grantor
signed the deed and fully understands what he/she is
doing with the property;
(3) the deed is accepted by the
grantee or his/her agent;
(4) the description of the property in the deed is specific enough that the property can be identified.
(5) If you are buying a piece of property and you sign
a contract for sale before you sign a deed, the seller might make several promises in the contract. For instance, the seller might say in the contract that he or she guarantees you will not have any boundary problems. You must make sure that these promises also appear in the deed. If they do not, then those promises will be lost.
(6) In other words, the deed, not the contract, defines which legal rights you have. You should also make sure that the description of the land you are buying is the same in the contract as it is in the deed. A lawyer can help you with these matters.
As a landowner, you should have a deed to your
property. A deed is a piece of paper which shows that
you own your land.1 The deed gives you title to your
property and title governs your legal right to your land.
Every time property is sold, willed, or given to
another person, a new deed must be written and
registered. This should be done by a lawyer. In the
deed, the person buying or inheriting the land is called
the grantee and the person selling, willing, or giving the
land is called the grantor. If you own land, make sure
you have a deed for it.
A. FEATURES OF A DEED
Every valid, legal deed must include the name of
the grantor, the name of the grantee, and a description of the land and its boundaries. The deed must also state
that the property is being passed to a new owner. For
example, "I hereby convey my land to Mr. X to have and
to hold...."
In Nigeria a conveyance of land is legal when:
(1) it is in writing (like a deed);
(2) the grantor
signed the deed and fully understands what he/she is
doing with the property;
(3) the deed is accepted by the
grantee or his/her agent;
(4) the description of the property in the deed is specific enough that the property can be identified.
(5) If you are buying a piece of property and you sign
a contract for sale before you sign a deed, the seller might make several promises in the contract. For instance, the seller might say in the contract that he or she guarantees you will not have any boundary problems. You must make sure that these promises also appear in the deed. If they do not, then those promises will be lost.
(6) In other words, the deed, not the contract, defines which legal rights you have. You should also make sure that the description of the land you are buying is the same in the contract as it is in the deed. A lawyer can help you with these matters.
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