Selling or Buying a Condo Unit on Resale

How do I transfer an apartment title on resale?

When a developer registers a condominium plan, the Registrar closes the register for the parcel and opens a separate register for each unit, then issues a certificate of title for each one. KTA Advocates explains that a buyer of a unit therefore receives a certificate of title independent of the other owners, with the same rights as any other holder of a registered title. On resale, it is this unit title that moves from seller to buyer.

In practice the order of steps is:

1. Search the title. Confirm at the land registry that the seller is the registered proprietor of the unit and that there are no caveats, mortgages or other charges.
2. Get the corporation's statement. Ask the owners corporation or its managing agent for a written statement of contributions and any approved levies (see the next sections).
3. Sign a written sale agreement drawn or reviewed by your own advocate, with the price, the deposit, the completion date and who pays any arrears.
4. Value and stamp duty. Stamp duty is paid on transfer, based on the Chief Government Valuer's value, which may differ from your price.
5. Lodge the transfer through your advocate at the land registry, with the title and proof of duty paid, and obtain the new title in the buyer's name.
6. Hand over keys, meters and the by-laws, and tell the corporation that the owner has changed.

Steps 1 to 3 protect you more than any other, so do not skip them to save time. For selling the other side, read How to Sell Your House or Apartment in Uganda.

What changes if the building uses a master title?

The Daily Monitor explains that in a master title building each unit owner is given a title to the purchased unit, while the land is held jointly, and the master (mother) title is a mailo title handed to the head of the condominium association. The same article warns that it does not describe the specific risks of a master title.

That gap is the reason to be careful on resale. Ask these questions:

• Does the unit have its own registered certificate of title, or only a share or allocation letter?
• Who holds the master title, and is that person or body still the registered holder?
• Can the master title holder mortgage or deal with the land without the unit owners' consent?
• Does your lender accept the title structure?

Our guide Condominium Title vs Master Title sets out the differences side by side. If a seller cannot show a unit title, treat the sale as higher risk and get legal advice before any money moves.

Do arrears pass to the buyer?

Possibly, yes. Under the Condominium Property Act, 2001 (section 32), the owners corporation can recover an unpaid contribution by an action for debt from the person who was the owner when the levy was passed and from the person who is the owner when the action is filed, jointly and severally. So a new owner can be pursued for a levy the seller left unpaid. The corporation can also register a charge against the unit for the unpaid amount (section 32(5) and (6)), and the charge stays until the debt is paid. Your advocate must confirm how this applies to your unit and building. What protects you in practice:

• Apply to the corporation, in writing, for its certificate under section 32(3). It must certify the amount payable, how it is payable, a statement of account and any interest. Under section 32(4) that certificate is conclusive proof of those matters unless the contrary is proved. Ask for one dated close to completion.
• Under section 35 the managing agent must, on written request and payment of the prescribed fee, give you the contribution due, the budget, the financial statements and the by-laws within twenty one days.
• Search the title for a registered unit charge before you pay.
• Agree in the sale agreement that the seller clears all arrears by completion, or that the amount is deducted from the price and paid to the corporation.
• Ask whether any special levy has been approved but not yet billed.

KTA Advocates notes that the corporation can sue and be sued in its corporate name and keeps an administrative expenses account. A corporation that is owed money has a reason to ask the new owner for it, so settle it in writing. More in unpaid service charge in a condominium and condo service charge.

What should I ask the owners corporation for before I buy?

The corporation looks after the common property, and your share of its costs follows the unit factor on the condominium plan. Before you commit, ask for:

• the registered by-laws or rules (regulation 26 of the Condominium Property Regulations, as replaced by the 2012 Amendment Regulations, says the rules of a corporation shall be registered with the Registrar),
• the current monthly charge and what it covers,
• the reserve fund balance and the repair plan,
• recent accounts and the minutes of the last owners' meeting,
• the list of the board members and the managing agent,
• confirmation of which areas are common property, such as parking, rooftop and gardens. See Parking, Rooftops and Common Areas in Condos.

Your rights and duties as an owner are explained in condominium ownership rights in Uganda. Our second-hand apartment inspection guide covers the physical checks inside the unit.

What does the transfer cost?

The main government charge is stamp duty. The Uganda Revenue Authority states that it is paid at 1.5% of the total value of the land as determined by the Chief Government Valuer, that it applies to mailo, freehold and leasehold, and that it is paid at the point of transfer. URA also says that a buyer and a seller of land worth UGX 10 million or more must each have a Tax Identification Number. That URA page was published in January 2022, so confirm the current rate and the valuation with URA before you pay, as of November 2026.

As an illustration only, 1.5% of a UGX 400 million value would be UGX 6 million. Add your advocate's fees, any registry fees and the corporation's charges. We do not state registry fees because we have not verified them.

For scale, the median apartment price in our listings on 3 November 2026 was UGX 1.3 billion across 19 listings, though many of those are whole apartment blocks sold to investors and not single units. Knight Frank says the Kampala sales market in the first half of 2026 favoured buyers, so there is usually room to negotiate resale prices.

Should I sell the unit, or let it?

If the market is slow, some owners let the apartment instead. A long let to a tenant follows the Landlord and Tenant Act. A furnished short stay, in the Airbnb style, is another route. Land & Property accepts short-stay listings: guests book through us, and we pay the owner after taking our percentage. See the host page for how to list.

If you do sell, a verified buyer and an escorted viewing save time. Browse the apartment listings, start at houses and apartments for sale in Uganda, or book an escorted site visit. This page is general information and not legal advice.

Listings available now

Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.

• Rentals for sale in Kira at 280m Kira, Wakiso · Apartment UGX 280,000,000
• Apartments making 6m For sale at 680m Kyaliwajjala, Wakiso · Apartment UGX 680,000,000
• 34 units Apartments Block in kyanja at Ugx5.5bn Kampala · Apartment UGX 5,500,000,000
• Apartments in Kyanja at Ugx1.6bn Kyanja, Kampala · Apartment UGX 1,600,000,000
• Rentals for sale at Namugongo Joggo at 180m Namugongo, Wakiso · Apartment UGX 180,000,000
• Condominiums For sale in Masoli, Gayaza road Kasangati, Wakiso · Apartment UGX 132,000,000

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• Homes and Condominiums for Sale in Uganda
• Condominium Title vs Master Title: Which Are You Buying?
• Unpaid Service Charge: What a Condo Can Do
• Owning a Condo Unit: Your Rights and Duties
• How to Sell Your House or Apartment in Uganda
• Parking, Rooftops and Common Areas in Condos