It is everyone’s wish and desire to own a house or a stand. Many people have fallen prey into prey of stand developers, real estate agents or housing co-operatives who sell non-existing stands or houses. They take advantage of one’s need and desire to purchase a stand or a house such that they end up robbing people their hard earned money through fraud, double sales or double allocations. At the end of the sale, the buyers will not get the property or the title deeds to the property because they do not exist or the property is not registered in the name of the seller as presented.
Therefore, when one intends to purchase an immovable property (stand or house) the first and most important stage is due diligence through deed search. Deed search is done at the Deeds Registry in Harare or Bulawayo depending with the location of the property. One must not enter into an agreement of sale of an immovable property without first doing a due diligence search. This process is important because it protects prospective buyers form fraudsters and double sales.
A deeds search will show the following information
- The deed number and the date of registration
- Details of the registered owner
- Full property description and extent(area)
- Any outstanding mortgage bonds
- Any caveats, servitudes (conditions restring transfer)
This article contains information for general information use it is advisable to seek legal advice in any aspect of the law.
