A title tells you what is registered. It does not tell you whether the plot floods, whether you can reach it in April, or whether the road shown on the plan exists. Those are decided on the ground, and they decide whether a plot is worth what it costs.
Access
Can you drive to it, on a road that belongs to the public rather than to a neighbour? A plot reached only by crossing somebody else's land depends on their goodwill — and goodwill is not a legal interest. It does not survive that neighbour selling, dying or falling out with you.
If access is over private land, there must be a registered right of way. Ask to see it. Then drive the route in the rain.
Boundaries
Have a surveyor open the boundaries against the registered plan, and be there while they do it. Two things go wrong: the plot on the ground is smaller than the plot on the paper, or it is in a different place entirely. Both are common enough that the survey fee is the cheapest money you will spend.
Wetland and water
Much of Wakiso sits on or near wetland, and building on wetland is restricted. Visit in the wet season, not the dry one. Look at what is growing: papyrus and reeds tell you what the ground does in April whatever it looks like in January. Ask the neighbours directly — they have watched it for years and no reason to mislead you.
Services
- Water. Is there a mains connection near, or will it be a borehole? What do neighbours actually use?
- Power. How far is the nearest line, and who pays to extend it?
- Drainage. Where does water go when it rains hard? Standing water on a neighbouring plot will become your problem.
The neighbours
Walk the surrounding plots and talk to whoever is there. You are asking three things: who owns this land, has there ever been a dispute over it, and what is being built nearby. A quarry, a factory or a planned road changes what a plot is worth, and none of it is on the title.
What is planned for the area
Ask at the district or municipal offices about the physical development plan. Land in the path of a planned road can be compulsorily acquired; land beside a planned trunk road may be worth considerably more in five years. Either way you would rather know.
A practical order
- See the title and take the plot and block numbers.
- Do your own official search.
- Visit — in the wet season if you can.
- Open the boundaries with a surveyor.
- Talk to the neighbours and the local council.
- Only then, agree a price and instruct a lawyer.
Ruhaama's estates are surveyed and serviced before a plot is sold, and we would rather walk the land with you than sell it to you over the phone. Book a site visit.