In recent days, there has been an increased interest in owning land and property in Kenya.
This has partly been facilitated by the increased number of real estate firms in Kenya that are targeting the middle-class Mwananchi.
However, with the increase in demand for land, there have also been many investors crying foul of being conned.
It is therefore paramount to understand the New property registration process as outlined above.
In this article, we are going to go through the new property registration process in Kenya in details.
The new property registration process in Kenya
The ministry of Lands and Physical Planning on May 20 announced the new guidelines governing the property registration process in Kenya.
It is worth noting that the new process is meant to simplify the process of registering land and reduce the number of days taken to do so.
Initially, the registration process used to take approximately 90 days. However, this new system reduces the number of days taken in this process to only 12 days.
The new method is meant to ease the overall process of acquiring and transferring land and property in Kenya.
In overall, the registration process has been made to be only three simple steps.
Let’s now discuss the steps in details.
Step 1
The first step is to apply for a land rent clearance certificate. It’s worth to note that this application is only made through the eCitizen platform.
Then make an application for consent to lease, transfer or charge the piece of land.
In addition to the first two applications, make sure you make an application for valuation for stamp duty assessment.
Step 2
The second step involves visitation of the site to write a report for valuation purposes.
Step 3
Lastly, its the registration of title to land and any other instruments that one may have.
Note: To facilitate efficient processing of the property registration; it is paramount to fill a unified online application form.
What do I need to register a property in Kenya
Here we will look at the various requirements that one should meet to go through the registration process smoothly.
To make an application for land clearance:
One should have a filled online application form
A copy of the title deed of the land
Also the land rent payment receipts for the current year. All the payments are made through RTGS transfer and iTax.
Moreover, to make a consent to transfer land, One requires to:
Have an application letter from registered authorised agent, advocate or owner.
A copy of the title/search document
The minimal requirements to make valuation requisition are:
A fully executed original transfer document.
Copy of the title
A survey plan/sketch/Map of the location/RIM
Title Registration
The last step requires the following:
Original stamp duty payment receipt
A duly executed transfer/charge instrument/inhibition/caveat/lease all in triplicates.
Certified copies of ID card/KRA pin certificate and CR12 for companies
An original title document
Why do I need a title deed?
A title deed shows the legal owner of a piece of land or property.
However, despite this being the central importance of an owner to acquire a piece of land, there are other reasons.
Here are some of the other reasons why one should go through the new registration process.
1. A title deed makes a piece of land accessible because dealing with it is more secure.
2. Apart from this, there are far few land disputes when people possess title deeds for the land they own.
3. Most of the times, a title deed provides perceived security to a piece of land and therefore acting as an incentive to invest in a piece of property.
