Real Estate Tips

(Continued from last week)

Having paid your government fee, site inspection can now be carried out. It is after site inspection, all documents such as tax clearance certificate, title document, receipt of tenement rate paid to the government in respect of rate-able properties owned by the applicant in Lagos State or sworn affidavit in lieu of that, or better still Land Use Charge rate. This ensures that you pay a development levy of N100.

Furthermore, a team is sent to the site yet again to ensure that the land is still vacant, after which the Site Inspector writes a report. The Charting officer charts while the Site Engineer also performs his duties.

In the case of 1-2 storey buildings, the design is sent to the architect after charting, for clearance.

Architectural design is submitted for inspection to confirm if design is in conformity with the approval standards and order for the area in which the land is located.

But if it the structure is more than a 2-storey building in the design, then a Mechanical and Electrical drawing will be required.
Invariably, the site will also be checked with the immediate environment to see if proposal is in conformity with the existing land use, and if the size of the plot is as presented in the survey plan and design proposal. If the inspection report is satisfactory, the application will then be registered, provided all documents have been submitted.

The processes your building approval application undergoes:

The file is sent to the district officer who transfers it to the vetting officer. The application can then be recommended as long as there are no outstanding.

The District Officer later sends it for concurrent approval.

The file is authorized for registration by the District Officer (DO) and registered by the clerical officer who assigns the file number and receives all sheets of the drawing submitted.

Provided all relevant documents are submitted, the file is sent to the table of the DO, who sends it to the field officer to include his site sketch and report while another file is opened with all relevant payment receipts and sent to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service for payment of tax confirmation. If all is well and good, you then declare your tax.

Your file is sent back to the District Officer from the General Manager’s desk for final approval.

A stamp and a seal are put on it.

However in the case of commercial buildings, Institutional applications and some other uses prepared by an Urban and Regional Planner registered by NITP/TOPREC, an Environmental Impact Assessment is required.