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It’s done! You have legally purchased your plot of land, you have marked the boundaries, you are in possession of your technical file, your procedure for obtaining the land title is underway and you wish to launch your construction project. You will need a building permit.

What is a building permit?

The building permit is an administrative document issued by the mayor of the commune concerned or the government delegate for urban communities. It is an authorization that is granted to you after verification of the planned construction.

Is the building permit compulsory?

Insofar as, before its attribution, it is verified that your future construction respects the urbanism and architectural rules, it is obligatory by law. It is a condition for any work envisaged on a new or old building.

What are the administrative steps?

Composition of the file (which must be provided in 04 copies)

Ground and site plan
Property certificate
Certificate of urbanism
Submission of the file and payment of the building permit fees

NB: The building permit is only issued if the parcel of land to be used for construction has a land title.

However, in the event of mutation or fragmentation in progress, the following documents may be integrated into the file:

Seller’s certificate of ownership
The deed of sale of the parcel in question

There are constructions for which a building permit is not required:

Generally, the constructions whose floor area is less than 2.00 m2 and height less than 1.50 m2.

To begin with, what is a land title?

Land title is the official certification of real property ownership.

Applications to obtain a land title in Cameroon are therefore made either from the transformation of deeds or from the occupied or exploited national domain.

I- how to apply for the transformation of different deeds into land titles ?

It must be stamped and contain the following information

– name and surname, date and place of birth, filiation, profession, domicile, family status.

– all information allowing the identification of the property.

– transfers, transactions, leases, mortgages, and other charges on the property.

In support of the application, all contracts and public or private deeds constituting the real rights for which registration is required must be attached, in addition to the plan and the boundary report of the property.

In case of non-boring of the building what to do?

If the building is not bounded, the Land Registrar of the domains requires its demarcation at the owner’s expense. The demarcation is carried out in the presence of the neighbors, by a sworn surveyor of the land registry.

NB: Any dispute concerning the ownership of the land is inadmissible.

II- how to obtain a land title from the occupied or exploited national domain ?

The persons entitled to apply for a land title on the national domain are:

customary communities, their members, or any other person of Cameroonian nationality, provided that the occupation or exploitation is prior to August 5, 1974, the date of publication of Ordinance No. 74-1 of July 6, 1974, establishing the land tenure system.

Persons deprived of their rights by application of articles 4, 5, and 6 of Ordinance No. 74-1 of July 6, 1974, establishing the land tenure system.

NB: Administrators of estate property cannot obtain title to that property on their behalf.

How to constitute a file of request for a land title on a dependence of the national domain?

Any person entitled to apply for a land title on a dependence of the national domain must constitute a file including:

– an application in four (4) copies, the original of which is stamped, indicating the applicant’s full name, parentage, domicile, profession, marital status, nationality, the name under which the property is to be registered.

– the description of the property (location, surface area, nature of occupation or operation, estimate of its value, indication of the charges on it).

NB: Applications for land that is not occupied or farmed in any way are inadmissible. They are processed according to the concession procedure.

Applications for development after August 5, 1974 also follow the concession procedure, unless it is established by the Advisory Commission that such development was preceded by unproven occupation or exploitation before August 5, 1974.

Where to deposit the file?

The file is filed with the district chief or the sub-prefect of the place where the building is located.

What to do in case of dispute on the limits of the building?

In the event of a dispute over the boundaries of the property, the sworn surveyor draws up a plan of the disputed area. The dispute is brought, depending on the case, either before the Minister in charge of the domains, who gives the final decision, if it concerns state-owned land, or before the competent jurisdiction, if it concerns private land (land owned by individuals or companies).

Sources: Decree No. 76-165 of 27 April 1976 establishing the conditions for obtaining a land title, amended, and completed by Decree No. 2005/481 of 16 December 2005.

In this second part we will present you the procedure of direct registration of a land in Cameroon.

It is carried out when it is a national domain of the first category which is constituted of all the lands occupied or exploited before August 5, 1974, date of the entry into force of the land reform.

So, what are the steps to follow?

It all starts with the filing of the registration application with the sub-prefect who will forward it to the head of the departmental land affairs service for publication.

Then, the consultative commission visit, composed of two administrative authorities will be done for the report of the development of the ground to proceed to the demarcation of the parcel.

The complete file will be transmitted to the Regional Delegate for registration in the regional register who will establish a notice of demarcation which will be published in the regional bulletin.

Finally, the whole file will be transmitted to the land registrar of the place where the land is located and, in the absence of any opposition, the latter will proceed with the registration in the land register and will issue a copy of the title after payment of the land fee to the land registrar.

To become a landowner in Cameroon, it is necessary to obtain a land title, an official certification of real estate ownership.

The procedure differs depending on whether it is a split or a direct registration.

In this first part, we will give you the procedure of registration after splitting.

Before proceeding with the purchase of a piece of land, any buyer must be able to verify the ownership certificate attesting to the legitimacy of the seller.

After all the operations that surround the process of buying the parcel, (visit, payment…) the signing of the deed of sale by a notary is the second step.

The demarcation for the effective delimitation of the parcel concerned, is the third step that will validate the obtaining of the technical file, a document established by the land registry service, which allows to know that the parcel is in the process of changing its owner.

The urbanism certificate establishment, an information document on the town planning rules and administrative easements to which the land is subject, is the final step before the filing of the entire file with the notary who will make the necessary changes before filing with the land registry which is the key institution in the land management system in Cameroon.

When you initiate a procedure of land purchase in Cameroon, obtaining its certificate of urbanism will be positioned as an imperative step that you cannot do without.

What is a town-planning certificate?

Let us read together Law N° 2004-003 of April 21. 2004 governing town planning in Cameroon in its CHAPTER II OF THE URBANISM CERTIFICATE

Article 101: (1) The Urbanism Certificate is an information document on the urbanism rules and administrative easements to which a land is subject. It indicates whether, considering the town planning provisions and the administrative limitations on the right of use applicable to a plot of land, as well as the state of the existing or planned public facilities, the said plot of land: – can be used for construction or can be used for the realization of a specific operation.

The role of the town-planning certificate

It indicates whether your project is feasible, and it informs you about the state of the existing or planned public facilities (roads and networks) serving the land.

In Cameroon, it is mandatory for any real estate transaction and must be attached to any request for land use (building permit, planning permission, etc.)

How to obtain a town-planning certificate?

Article 102: The Urbanism Certificate is issued by the mayor of the concerned commune if it is endowed with a planning document, after technical advice from the local Urbanism services or those in charge of urban issues, under the conditions fixed by decree.

The application for a planning certificate must specify the identity of the applicant, the owner if other than the applicant, the address, the surface area, and the land title reference if any, as well as the nature of the project.

Established on an administrative form stamped at the current rate, it must be accompanied by a site plan of the land.
It is addressed to the mayor of the commune concerned and deposited against a receipt.

The town-planning certificate must indicate:

Urban planning provisions applicable to the land.
Administrative limitations to the right of ownership affecting the land.
The servicing of the land by existing or planned public facilities.

When you buy your land with SAI LA TOILE, we support you in the complete procedure of obtaining your urbanism certificate.

When you initiate a procedure of land purchase in Cameroon, obtaining its certificate of urbanism will be positioned as an imperative step that you cannot do without.

What is a town-planning certificate?

Let us read together Law N° 2004-003 of April 21. 2004 governing town planning in Cameroon in its CHAPTER II OF THE URBANISM CERTIFICATE

The role of the town-planning certificate

It indicates whether your project is feasible, and it informs you about the state of the existing or planned public facilities (roads and networks) serving the land.

In Cameroon, it is mandatory for any real estate transaction and must be attached to any request for land use (building permit, planning permission, etc.)

How to obtain a town-planning certificate?

Established on an administrative form stamped at the current rate, it must be accompanied by a site plan of the land.
It is addressed to the mayor of the commune concerned and deposited against a receipt.

The town-planning certificate must indicate:

Urban planning provisions applicable to the land.
Administrative limitations to the right of ownership affecting the land.
The servicing of the land by existing or planned public facilities.

When you buy your land with SAI LA TOILE, we support you in the complete procedure of obtaining your urbanism certificate.

Cameroon is a country that is experiencing strong economic, social and demographic growth. In 2020 according to the site DATA COMMONS , its population was estimated at 26.55 million. For the past 20 years, the government has been proposing social housing plans to meet the high and growing demand for housing.

Some interesting factors:

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVANTAGES

Ease of doing business with simplified procedur es
Land availability: the new legal frameworks governing social housing aim to accelerate the production of affordable housing, reduce production costs, regulate access to land, etc

REAL ESTATE STATISTICS IN CAMEROON

53% of people are owners, while 30% are renters. There is thus a significant demand for both home ownership and rental housing.
On average, it takes up to one month to find quality accommodation in Douala, Yaoundé and other major cities.
A study reveals that in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon with an area of 410 km², office rents offer a rate of return of 10%, compared to 8.75 and 7.5% respectively for commercial and residential rents.
An economic operator who invests in real estate in Douala should expect this investment to provide an average rate of return of nearly 9%, regardless of the type of rent.

Sources : CAHF, COMPRENDRE LE MARCHÉ DU FINANCEMENT DU LOGEMENT_AU_CAMEROUN_Mai2019

FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (FDI)

In 2020, according to l’agence ecofin ,

FDI is estimated at 527 billion FCFA. This shows that the business environment in Cameroon is favorable and offers facilities for your investments.

Read more: THE POSSIBILITIES OF THE DIASPORA …

You want to make a real estate investment in Cameroon and you do not know who to contact, SAI LA TOILE, proposes to accompany you.

After much thought, you have decided to invest in real estate. The question is: What are you going to do? Are you just going to gather your savings and close on the first real estate offer that comes along? Certainly not! A real estate project has to be prepared and planned carefully in order not to lose your savings. To do this, here is how you should proceed

Define your Goals:

Ask yourself the right questions: What are your reasons for wanting to invest in real estate? Is it to create a profitable legacy for you, your family and future generations? Or to provide a stable and comfortable home for your family? To expand your finances or grow your business?

Whatever your reasons, you must clearly specify your objectives. Because this will allow you to define the criteria of the property you are looking for.

Define the criteria for the style of investment you want to make

Once you have set your objectives, you must define the criteria for the type of property you are looking for. For example, if you want to buy a piece of land, you must be sure of its size, the city, the area, the characteristics of the soil, the orientation of the land, etc…

Because if you are wrong about the criteria of the property, you will encounter many difficulties in the realization of your project.

Set your Budget

Once you have defined your objectives and criteria, you must set your budget. This is very important to avoid projects that generate losses or that are stopped for many years due to lack of financing.

You must also decide on the sources of financing for your project (own financing, real estate loan, financing from relatives…)

Define a timeline

You will have to define the period in which you will launch the procedure of your project (in one month, one year, 3 years). What is to be done? And when is it to be done? This will also allow you to be objective in the search for your property, to take intentional and precise actions.

Be accompanied by a professional

To avoid any inconvenience (scams, fraud, double sales…), you must imperatively be accompanied by a legal, serious and experienced actor who masters all the wheels of the sector. With SAI La Toile for example, you can engage on one of our projects (Douala Logbessou, Kribi Grand Batanga).

We have written an article on this subject: Why be accompanied by a real estate professional?

Finally, what you need to understand is that, like any project, a real estate project, large or small, needs to be planned, organized and specified. For, it requires management of time, resources, stakeholders.

Making the decision to acquire land is the best choice that can be made. The realization of this project requires the search for a site adapted to the predefined needs. In this phase, very often, people are deceived and undergo the stress of administrative procedures because they do not control the operations of the real estate sector. To be safe from these risks and difficulties, you must have a real estate professional by your side who will decide for you. These provisions are grouped into four stages:

1. A visit to the plot
You must go down to the site to appreciate the intrigue (place, shape, surface etc.).

2. Identification of information concerning the plot of land
If the parcel of land is in a subdivision, obtain the land title number from the seller or the owner, block number, lot number, area, and owner’s name. If it is the subject of a total transfer, the land title number is enough. Check the existence of this information at the local cadaster service

3. Meeting a professional
To ensure that the plot of land corresponds to the land title (document guaranteeing the right of the owner), the professional checks that there is an agreement between the geographic coordinates present on the papers and those on the plot; also ensure that the fragmented parcel has an approved plan of subdivision.

4. Legal verification of the property
Obtaining a certificate of ownership (an official document demonstrating ownership of a property, whether it has been bought, given, inherited, etc.) from the real estate service. It must be duly signed by the local land registrar and has a validity of 3 months from the date of issue.

In addition to the identity of the owner (s) on the certificate, check that it is not encumbered with real rights or charges. (Partial or total), mortgage (financial or legal) or declaration of public utility and so on.

Thanks to these arrangements, you may be happy to have found the land that meets your expectations.

Surely, you have already asked yourself of what a real estate developer really is. So, we propose to give you some important details about this impressive activity. A property developer is one who accompanies the various municipalities in the development of the city in a sustainable manner by building quality housing that meets the expectations of users. In a practical way, he acquires, determines, and manages the budget; His mission is to find the land, then to file the building permit; He is in contact with the architects to draw up the project plans. He also promotes, rents, and sells the land.

Concerning this job, the most important thing is to know how to surround yourself with the right people, with technical knowledge. Above all, a good promoter must be a good manager. Secondly, he must be very rigorous, he must be able to ensure that delivery deadlines are met. Moreover, in addition to being creative and passionate, he must also know how to remain patient, as he deals with operations that take time and are part of a long process.

It must not lose sight of a fundamental goal, which is to build the city to give to many people as possible the opportunity to become homeowners.

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