How to spot a shady land deal: An expert’s view

The idea of owning a piece of land can be very appealing, especially for young people. While I firmly believe that land is one of the best investments you can put your money into, there is another side of the story that needs to be carefully considered.

I would like to highlight a few things that ought to be investigated as part of your due diligence process before acquiring a given piece of land.

Access roads
It may seem odd, but there are thousands of properties all over the country that have no road access. They are surrounded by other plots of land. Legally, nobody can access the given land, which (according to some) deems the land virtually useless.

This issue can, however, be overcome if you can get a legal, recorded road to your land. This can be done if one of the neighbours is willing to allow you access through their land to yours. But don’t expect to get this for free; you’ll have to give them a reason to help you (usually money).

Size and shape
A piece of land can be rendered useless due to its size and shape. Take a plot of land that is 10 feet wide and 900 feet long. I have also seen pieces that were 10 feet by 10 feet. If you see a parcel of land with an odd shape, use common sense. If you can’t think of a legitimate use for a property with its given dimensions, you will probably want to think twice before buying it.

Usage restrictions
Most of the vacant land you will encounter will have some kind of zoning requirements and/or usage restrictions in place. Every municipality or local authority has a plan (even if it is vague) of how they want different sections of their land to be used, regardless of who owns it.

As such, you should always expect your property to come with some reasonable limitations on what it can be used for. Usage restrictions aren’t necessarily a bad thing; they always make sense at some point. They are designed to help maintain order and support the value of each property in the subdivision.

Being unaware of these restrictions before you purchase can create some conflict with the plans you had in mind for the property.
You should always make sure you understand what the rules are before you buy a piece of land. This will help you avoid owning property that requires maintenance you don’t want to do, or that can’t be used for your intended purpose.

Wetlands
Wetlands can present some tricky situations for landowners. The law prohibits landowners from developing or using their land in any way that will adversely affect wetland areas (which renders most wetland areas unusable). This is why it’s important to identify the presence of wetlands before closing the deal.

The only way to be 100 per cent sure about the presence of wetlands is to enlist the help of a land surveyor or have National Environmental Management Authority conduct a wetland identification and delineation on the site.

Neighboring properties
The properties next door can have some major implications for the value and “sale-ability” of a parcel of land (e.g. Think about it, would you rather live next to Kidepo National Park or Kiteezi Dumping Site?)

For understandable reasons, most people care about who and what they live next to; so be sure to get a good idea for what the surrounding properties look like.
Is this a desirable area? Is it the type of place where you (or anyone else) would want to live?
If the surrounding properties have any obvious issues that are beyond your control, you’ll want to think very carefully about what this means for the property’s value and whether or not you want to own it.

Ms Nambooze is the chief surveyor (external business) at Buganda Land Board.