Due diligence when buying an apartment in Accra starts with documents. Ask for these before you pay anything beyond a reservation fee. This checklist lists twelve items, shows who checks each one and names the warning signs which mean walk away.
Due Diligence When Buying an Apartment in Accra: Twelve Documents to Request
- Company registration documents for the developer
- The land title, lease or indenture for the plot
- Results of searches at the Lands Commission, run by your lawyer
- The site plan and survey
- The building permit from the local assembly
- Approved architectural drawings and floor plans
- The draft sales and purchase agreement
- The payment plan and the account details, held in a law firm or escrow name
- A list of delivered projects with owner contacts
- The service charge schedule and the building management arrangement
- The handover date, delay terms and defects period
- VAT treatment and the invoice and receipt format
Who Checks What
Your lawyer runs the title and company searches and reads the agreement. Your accountant reviews the tax treatment. You visit the site and at least one delivered project, or you send someone you trust. Do not rely on the seller to certify the seller documents.
Warning Signs
- Pressure to pay today
- A request to pay into a personal account
- Refusal to share the title or permit
- A title held in another name
- A price far below nearby projects
- No delivered project to visit
- Verbal promises missing from the agreement
If a Document Is Missing
Ask in writing for the missing item and set a date. Pause payments until the item arrives. If the developer refuses or delays without reason, step back. Another unit costs less than a lost deposit.
Where to Go Deeper
Our guide shows how to verify a land title at the Lands Commission. Read the guide to the sales and purchase agreement before you sign. Our piece on completion risk explains how to vet a developer.
How to Read a Sales and Purchase Agreement
Check the party names match the title, the permit and the company records. Check the unit number, the floor area, the price and the currency. Check payments tie to construction stages. Read the delay penalty, the defects period and the refund terms. Note which law governs the contract and how disputes get settled. Your lawyer should explain each clause in writing.
Verify the Developer Company
Search the company at the Registrar General Department. Check the directors, the registered address and the company status. Your lawyer then searches the title at the Lands Commission. Names which do not match across documents are a red flag.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who verifies the title?
Your lawyer runs searches at the Lands Commission and reports in writing.
Is a reservation fee refundable?
This depends on the reservation agreement. Ask which events refund the fee and read the terms before you pay.
How long does due diligence take?
Allow time. Registry responses and document requests set the pace, so do not let a deadline from the seller rush you.
Talk to Our Team
Regalia by Imaani Homes offers studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom residences and penthouses in Airport Residential, Accra. Studios start from USD 107,000, VAT included. Visit the Regalia page or WhatsApp +233 595 959595.