Registering Property in Ghana

This topic examines the steps, time, and cost involved in registering property in Ghana.

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Change Selection

Property Value: GHS 37,232
City: Accra

	Procedure	Time to complete:	Cost to complete:
1	The Seller obtains a Title Transfer Form at the Land Title Registry	2-5 days	GHC 100 - 150
2	Assessment of the property value and payment of Stamp duty	3-14 days	GHC 55 (Processing fee) + 0.5% of property value (stamp duty)
3	Submit application for title certificate at Land Title Registry	1 day	GHC 2
4	Publication of transaction in national weekly newspaper	7-21 days	GHC 25
5	Issuance of title certificate	1-14 days	no cost

Procedure 1.: The Seller obtains a Title Transfer Form at the Land Title Registry
Time to complete:: 2-5 days
Cost to complete:: GHC 100 - 150
Name of Agency:
Comment:: A search at the Land Registry is conducted to confirm rightful ownership. An attorney prepares the transfer document (transfer deed) which is signed by both the vendor and the purchaser and their witnesses. The Title Transfer form is duly executed and presented at the Land Registry

Procedure 2.: Assessment of the property value and payment of Stamp duty
Time to complete:: 3-14 days
Cost to complete:: GHC 55 (Processing fee) + 0.5% of property value (stamp duty)
Name of Agency:: Land Valuation Board
Comment:: Stamp Duty is assessed and paid at the Land Valuation Board. The buyer presents the deed of assignment to the Land Valuation Board .
The property is inspected to ascertain its current open market value. The buyer pays Stamp Duty to the Land Valuation Board

The Stamp Duty Act of 2005 (Act 6S9) reduced the stamp duty from 2% to 0.5%. This Act states that for the conveyance or transfer on the sale of a property, the stamp duty is 0.25% where the property value is less than GHC 10000. For properties valued between GHC 10000 and 50000, stamp duty is 0.5%, and for properties valued above GHC 50000, stamp duty is 1%.

Procedure 3.: Submit application for title certificate at Land Title Registry
Time to complete:: 1 day
Cost to complete:: GHC 2
Name of Agency:: Land Title Registry
Comment:: Submission of application form for Title Certificate and payment of processing fee at Land Title Registry.

The documentation shall include:
Application form
Original and one copy of the deed of assignment, duly completed
Land Certificate
Company’s certificate of incorporation.

Procedure 4.: Publication of transaction in national weekly newspaper
Time to complete:: 7-21 days
Cost to complete:: GHC 25
Name of Agency:
Comment:: The transaction must be published in the national weekly newspaper in order to issue Land Title Certificate.
The fee for publication is GHC 25 for land the size of 0.25 acres or less. Where the Land Certificate is urgently required, the applicant has the option to choose what is known as “special publication”. In that case, the amount payable is GHC 95. However, if the size of the land plot is above 1 acre (but less than 4 acres), the amount payable is GHC 125. If the size of the land plot is above 4 acres, the amount payable is 2% of GHC 25 on every 0.25 acre. The current position, however, is that where the size of the land is more than 4 acres, the amount payable is a flat rate of GHC 200.

Procedure 5.: Issuance of title certificate
Time to complete:: 1-14 days
Cost to complete:: no cost
Name of Agency:: Land Title Registry
Comment:: The title Certificate is issued by the Land Title Registry.
The transaction is recorded on the Land Certificate, which is returned to the owner. The original of the deed of assignment, having been stamped to show that it has been registered, is also returned to the applicant. The Registry keeps a duplicate. The folio of the Register is filed and the transaction document is placed in the land parcel file.
The owner will use the property after the title is issued by Land Title (in areas covered by Land Title Registration) or when the Deed has been registered under the Deeds Registration Act and Development Permit granted by the Assembly. Most often property owners do not wait to go through these processes before making use of the land.