A Certificate of Occupancy(C of O) is a legal document that shows ownership and purpose of land. It is a very important document. By law, the government owns all land. It will issue a C of O when an applicant has met all the necessary requirements. The C of O is a solid root of title and gives the owner sole right to the land thereby eliminating multiple ownership, which is a common land fraud in Lagos.
Requirements for C of O:
1. Application form
2. 4 copies of survey plan (2 clothes and 2 papers)
3. Land information certificate
4. Purchase receipt
5. 4 copies of deed of assignment
6. Picture of the site showing time, date, and street name where the property is located
7. Site location sketch
8. Tax Clarence certificate
9. Current development levy
10. Four passport photographs (5 by 5 on white background)
11. Application letter
12. ID card
13. Publication/Inspection fees
Benefits of having a C of O
-It shows ownership of land and will serve as a strong defense in case of a land dispute.
-Higher property value.
-It eliminates the problem of multiple ownership. This happens a lot because sometimes unscrupulous land owners sell the same land to different people.
-If the government needs to acquire your land for public purposes, you will be compensated because of your C of O.
-It can be used for obtaining loans.
-It can be used when securing mortgage.
-It a solid root of title and it makes it easy for you to sell your property.