Buying a House in The Gambia?

Buying a house in The Gambia is a very exciting time and one that buyers should prepare for. Making a mistake when buying a house can lead to many future headaches. Local laws, restrictions, acquiring legal documentation, the approach of agents and middlemen or roaming agents can make the buying experience ‘stressful’ to say the least.

GamRealty offers future property buyers an exclusive service with a total focus on the buyer.

As a Real Estate Agent (or Sellers Agent) often wears two hats and juggles between seller and buyer, GamRealty is fully independent, objective and transparent and will guide you through the buying process saving you time, money and stress.

Peter and Alice enjoyed a smooth buying process thanks to GamRealty

Pay attention! Some useful points to keep in mind

Is the seller agent the original agent appointed by the property owner?
In some cases, listed properties are ‘hijacked’ and being offered as if it is they are representing the seller. This could give problems with the original listing agent.

Check land ownership.
Who ‘owns’ the land a house is built on? Issues with land ownership can cause huge problems and it is not uncommon that land is sold several times to different buyers.

What type of land are you buying?
In the Gambia, there are three types of land ownership. (Note: All land belongs to the Government with the exception of Freehold)

Freehold
– Owner has full ownership and jurisdiction

Leasehold (99 yrs)
– Owner leases the land for a period of 99 years. (Gambians only) This lease is automatically renewed.

Leasehold (50 yrs)
– Owner leases the land for a period of 50 years. (Non-Gambians) This lease is automatically renewed.

Customary
– Is considered as a lease but ownership from month to month Are there restrictions to the use of the land? In the Gambia, there is a TDA (Tourist Destination Area) restriction which means there can be no residential property be build or used within this area.

Are all related taxes and duties paid?
It is important to check and verify if all taxes and or duties are paid by the current owner. If not you will be the one that has to pay these AFTER you bought the property.

Do I have to make down payments?
Normally you only make a downpayment to the property owner once a sales agreement is signed and the term and conditions are agreed on. Never make a downpayment to an agent.

Should I have a ‘technical’ inspection of the property?
Checking the overall state of a house is important as you don’t want to end up with unexpected costs once you moved in. Most important is checking of – leaks – woodworks regarding termites (ceilings, supporting structures) – electric wiring and water supply.