How to spot a fake Governor’s consent

You come across an advertisement for a house on the internet. The features are exactly what you’re looking for. It also has a Governor’s consent title, which adds to the attraction. A few months later, you’re enjoying a pleasant evening with your family when you hear a loud bang on the gate. You rush to find some very angry people who call you a thief and other derogatory terms.

You’re taken aback, and when you ask them calmly what they want, they tell you an unbelievable story about how you stole their land coordinates to process documents..

Is it possible? VERY!!!

This is a typical practice among unscrupulous sellers in the areas of Lekki, Elegushi, Agungi, Ajah, and Eti-Osa Communities, and sections of Ibeju Lekki, where few sellers produce questionable Governor’s Consents obtained at the property registration.

Dubious owners have perfected the art of presenting forged survey plans that are outside the original location of the land or outside the excision for confirmation due to the lax and porous process of obtaining a Governor’s consent at the land registry. 

These unscrupulous Owners employ very Deceitful surveyors that are fully aware the land has issues.

The original land could either be committed, outside the excision, outside the original location of the land by a wide margin, inside a very dangerous location or a location that would never be approved by the government.

The normal process of acquiring a Governor’s consent is not complete until staff at the surveyor general’s office visit the exact land to confirm whether the coordinates on the survey plan matches the coordinates picked on the land. However, most of these staffs at the Surveyor General’s office sit down in their office to chart the survey using the dubious coordinates on the fraudulent survey to give it a clean bill of health.

When the Governors Consent is finally out, the Owner immediately puts the property up for sale at a huge price and markets it as a fantastic property with an additional advantage that the land has a Governor’s Consent.

So, how do you spot a fake Governor’s consent?

Even for professionals, spotting a forged Governor’s consent is tough. Employing the services of a surveyor is the only method to spot one. While a lawyer will primarily do a land title search, a surveyor will take the coordinates, chart the land, and establish whether the land has the acclaimed title.

Most of the time, the sellers will do everything to discourage the buyer from using a surveyor as they know that their scam will be discovered.

Before purchasing any property, Danbel goes to the trouble of checking the title with a lawyer and a surveyor. To begin the process of purchasing your first property, contact us today.