Legal Formalities & Associated Property Conveyancing Costs in Gambia

Legal Formalities & Associated Property Conveyancing Costs in Gambia
Just as in European Law it is always recommended that a purchaser/seller of property/land instruct a reputable solicitor/conveyancer to act for them so it is equally advisable in The Gambia. If necessary we have a firm of highly qualified Gambian Lawyers/Barristers (and part-time Magistrates), fluent in English and other languages, who will be delighted to act for you in any land transactions you wish to undetake.
Land in the Gambia is registered at the Property Registry (an organisation just like the English Land Registry), where you can confirm immediately whether the seller owns the property free of any liens and encumbrances. Just as in Europe, however, there is still plenty of land/property which remains as yet unregistered. To avoid any ensuing confusion it is necessary for European purchasers/sellers to understand the difference between the terms freehold and leasehold used both there and in Gambia. These terms have very different implications in Gambia to those in Europe. In Gambia there is no such thing as absolute ownership of land and property. This is because all the land is ultimately owned by the Government and is leased to any private purchaser for a period of 99 years but this confusingly DOES NOT constitue leasehold land. This land/property can be either leasehold or freehold depending on whether or not it has been registered at the Property Registry. If it is unregistered it has a freehold status, whereas registered land/property is denoted leasehold. It is important to register previously freehold land/property as leasehold at the Property Registry during the purchasing process thus documenting your unequivocal ownership of the sameClick here:- A Paper Delivered by Dr. Henry D.R. Carrol, the Solicitor General and Legal Secretary, at the Gambia Tourism Authority Workshop at the Senegambia Beach Hotel, on Thursday 7th June 2007