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Independent property verification

Buying property in Nigeria? Verify it before you pay.

Independent title checks, seller verification and physical inspections for Nigerians living abroad. Know what you're buying, who you're buying from and which risks remain, before your money leaves your account.

Book a verification See a sample report
Independent of sellers and developersFixed fees in GBPWritten evidence for every check

Why us

Everyone in the deal is paid if you buy. Except us.

The agent, the seller and the developer all earn when the sale completes. Our TruthVerify checks are paid for by you, we take nothing from the seller, and our fee is the same whether you buy or walk away.

16-second explainer.

How it works

From first link to keys, without flying out

  1. Send the property

    Share the listing, address or developer brochure, plus the documents the seller has given you.

  2. We open a file

    You get a fixed quote, a file number and one named contact in the UK.

  3. Searches in Nigeria

    Our panel lawyers search the state land registry, chart the survey and check the seller's authority to sell.

  4. Your report

    A plain-English report flags what is clear, what is missing and what to negotiate.

  5. Buy with support

    If you proceed, we coordinate the contract, payment route and Governor's Consent.

TruthVerify checks

Six things we check on every property

No single document proves a property is safe to buy. A Certificate of Occupancy matters, but so does every transfer since it was issued. We check the whole picture and show you the evidence.

  1. Root of title

    Where ownership started, and whether every owner since then is accounted for.

  2. Transfer documents

    Whether each Deed of Assignment or conveyance is valid and registered.

  3. Consent and perfection

    Whether Governor's Consent was obtained for each transfer that needed it.

  4. Acquisition and charting

    Whether the land is free of government acquisition, setbacks and right-of-way, using the survey plan.

  5. Disputes and charges

    Mortgages, caveats, court cases, family claims and competing sales.

  6. Planning and building

    Planning permit, building approval and the physical condition of the property. In Lagos that means LASPPPA and LASBCA.

Documents we review

  • Certificate of Occupancy
  • Governor's Consent
  • Deed of Assignment and registered deeds
  • Survey plan
  • Gazette and excision
  • Allocation letters and receipts
  • Planning and building approvals

Government searches

  • State Lands Bureau, such as Lagos State Lands Bureau
  • State GIS records, such as Lagos eGIS and Abuja AGIS
  • Surveyor-General's Office
  • Planning and building control agencies
  • Corporate Affairs Commission, where the seller or developer is a company

Seller verification

  • Identity checks
  • Company ownership searches
  • Board resolutions
  • Probate and Letters of Administration
  • Powers of Attorney

We confirm the person or company selling has the legal right to sell.

Services and fees

Fixed fees, agreed before we start

You pay us, not the seller. We take no commission from vendors on verification work, so the report has no reason to tell you what you want to hear.

TruthVerify

Title Search

£395 per property

  • State land registry search
  • Title document authenticity
  • Encumbrances and charges
  • Target report time: 10 working days
TruthVerify · Most chosen

Full Verification

£895 per property

  • Everything in Title Search
  • Survey charting and government acquisition check
  • Site visit with dated photos and video
  • Matterport 3D scan you can walk through from abroad
  • Seller identity and authority to sell
  • Developer track record (off-plan)
End to end

TruthVerify Concierge

Fixed fee quoted per purchase

  • Full Verification included
  • Contract review and negotiation
  • Staged payment plan and escrow route
  • Deed of Assignment and Governor's Consent
  • Off-plan construction updates

Draft pricing for review. State government fees, consent charges and stamp duty are passed on at cost. Concierge fees are fixed in advance and never a percentage of the price.

After you buy

Our support continues once the keys are yours. Add any of these to your file.

Road access checkHandover inspectionSnagging reportInterior setupUtility connectionsProperty managementTenant search and onboardingOngoing support

Verified Developments

Browse new homes that passed our checks

Projects that pass all six checks are listed with a 3D tour and re-checked every quarter. Sales of listed projects are handled by a connected agency, and every fee is disclosed.

See developments

Sample TruthVerify report

What you receive

Each check gets a clear status, the evidence behind it and what to do next. Where something is missing, we tell you whether it is fixable and who should pay to fix it.

The full report also includes registry search extracts, survey overlay, site photos, a Matterport 3D scan and the lawyer's signed opinion. Example shown with invented details.

CheckStatusFinding
Certificate of OccupancyConfirmedConfirmed at Lagos State Lands Bureau; details match the seller's copy.
Registry searchClearNo mortgage, caveat or court order recorded.
Survey chartingClearCharted by the Surveyor-General and checked on eGIS. Plot is not on government acquisition or road setback.
Seller authorityMatchedSeller's ID matches the registered owner.
Governor's ConsentAction neededConsent on the 2019 sale was not obtained. Make it a condition of payment.
Planning and buildingConfirmedLASPPPA planning permit and LASBCA building approval in place for the existing structure.

Who is behind it

Our team in the UK and Nigeria

TruthVerify was set up after seeing too many friends and family lose money on Nigerian property they never saw. We run the process from the UK and use independent Nigerian property lawyers for every legal search.

Olabisi Opanuga

Olabisi Opanuga, Founder

Trained in architecture before building a career as a senior finance leader in multinational groups, including company director and company secretary roles. Olabisi is also an active UK property investor, sourcing and analysing auction deals and building a portfolio through his own property company, and has a lifelong love of construction and how good buildings come together.

Master's in Architecture, FUT MinnaFCCAMBA, Warwick Business SchoolUK and Nigeria
Bukola Lukan

Bukola Lukan, Operations Director, Nigeria

Former Group Chief Operating Officer and Head of Finance at a leading Nigerian real estate group. Bukola leads our team on the ground, from site inspections and registry searches to handovers, and knows how Nigerian developments are financed, approved and delivered.

Group COOHead of FinanceNigeria

Nigerian legal panel

Independent property and conveyancing lawyers, appointed per file. Panel firm details to be added.

Where we are going

Nigeria first, then the rest of Africa

Now

Nigeria

Independent verification, starting with Lagos, then Abuja.

Next

More African countries

Ghana and Kenya next, serving the diaspora wherever home is.

Later

More ways to help

New services for our clients as the business grows.

Questions

Before you book

Do I need to travel to Nigeria?

No. Searches, site visits and document collection are handled by our team in Nigeria. You receive everything digitally and can join video calls at each stage.

Do you hold my purchase money?

No. We never hold client funds. Where a staged or escrow payment is needed, we arrange it through a regulated bank or the lawyer's client account.

Can you verify a property I have already paid a deposit on?

Yes. Many clients come to us after paying. We can tell you where you stand and what to do next.

Do you earn commission?

Not on verification. Your TruthVerify check is paid by you, and the fee is the same whether you buy or walk away. Separately, sales of projects on our Verified Developments page are handled by a connected agency that earns commission from developers. That is disclosed on every listing, and it never affects whether a project passes our checks.

What is not included?

Our reports do not include a valuation, a structural survey unless booked separately, or investment advice. We do not hold purchase money. Verification reduces risk based on the records and evidence available at the time; it cannot rule out every future claim.

Is a verified listing a recommendation to invest?

No. Verification confirms title and approvals. It does not predict prices, rents or returns. Take independent financial advice before investing.

Get started

Book a verification

Tell us about the property. We aim to reply within one working day with a fixed quote.