12 Questions to Ask a Land Seller Before You Pay
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
Ask a land seller twelve questions before you pay: who owns it, how they got it, whether it is mortgaged, who lives on it, whether a spouse consents, where the boundaries are, and why they are selling. Each answer should be backed by a document. As of November 2026, a seller who cannot or will not prove an answer is a reason to walk away.
- Questions
- 12, each with an expected answer and a proving document
- Registry search
- UGX 10,000 per search (MLHUD poster)
- Police-recorded land fraud cases
- 663 in 2025, 397 in 2024 (Daily Monitor)
- TIN
- Needed by buyer and seller for land worth UGX 10 million and above (URA)
What should I ask the seller of a plot?
Ask questions that can be proved with paper or with a visit. A seller who is the true owner will answer calmly and show documents. Daily Monitor's land buying guidance advises checking the seller's National ID and the original title, finding out about earlier transactions, and visiting the site. The twelve questions below follow that advice and add the family, tax and access questions that buyers often forget.
Write down each answer, with the date, and ask for a copy of each document. Your advocate should check them. This page is general information as of November 2026 and not legal advice.
What are the 12 questions, the answers to expect and the proof?
| No. | Question | Answer you should expect | Document that proves it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Are you the registered owner? | Yes, or "I act for the owner" with written authority | Title and National ID matching a registry search |
| 2 | How and when did you acquire the land? | Purchase, gift, inheritance or allocation, with a date | Earlier sale agreement, gift deed, will or letters of administration |
| 3 | What type of tenure is it? | Mailo, freehold, leasehold or customary | Title or customary certificate |
| 4 | Is it mortgaged, caveated or under any dispute? | No, or a clear explanation | Registry search result and search letter |
| 5 | Who lives on or uses the land? | Nobody, or named occupants with agreed terms | Site visit, neighbours and LC1 chairperson |
| 6 | Is there a kibanja or tenant on it? | No, or yes with the landlord and tenant consents | Written consents and first option evidence |
| 7 | Does your spouse or family have an interest, and will they sign? | Yes, they know and will sign | Signed spousal consent (Land Form 41 for customary land) |
| 8 | Where are the boundaries, and can we open them with a surveyor? | Yes, with the neighbours present | Surveyor's signed boundary report and sketch |
| 9 | Have you sold or promised any part of it to someone else? | No | Earlier agreements, a clean repeat search |
| 10 | What are the access, water and electricity arrangements? | A public road or a registered right of way, with services nearby | Site visit and local utility information |
| 11 | Do you have a TIN, and who pays stamp duty and fees? | Yes (needed for land of UGX 10 million and above), and the split is written into the agreement | TIN number and written agreement |
| 12 | Why are you selling, and why this price? | A plausible reason and a price near similar plots | Comparison with nearby listings or a valuer's opinion |
Question 11 reflects the URA rule that both buyer and seller need a TIN for land worth UGX 10 million and above, effective 6 December 2021. Stamp duty is 1.5% of the value set by the Chief Government Valuer, according to URA.
How do I know the seller is the owner?
Do not rely on what the seller says. Search the title (the Ministry of Lands poster gives UGX 10,000 per search), read the registered proprietor and match it to the seller's ID and face. Police recorded 663 land fraud cases in 2025 against 397 in 2024, according to Daily Monitor, so impostors are a real risk. Read how to verify a land seller for the full set of checks.
What are the walk-away signals?
- The seller refuses a registry search, a boundary opening or a site visit.
- The title is "with a bank", "with a relative" or "being processed" and cannot be shown.
- The name on the ID differs from the name on the title and the explanation keeps changing.
- Pressure to pay a deposit today.
- A request to pay into a personal account that is not the owner's.
- Neighbours or the LC1 chairperson say the land is disputed.
- The seller will not let a spouse or family member sign.
- The price is far below nearby asking prices and the reason is vague.
One red flag deserves a pause. Two or more deserve a walk-away. If you are buying through an installment scheme, add the questions in buying land on installments.
What do I do with the answers?
Check each document with your advocate. Compare against the land due diligence checklist. Visit the plot with the site visit checklist and check utilities if the seller's answer to question 10 is vague. Only then sign and pay, in stages. See how to pay for land safely.
These questions also suit a standing plantation sale. If you are buying trees only, with the land not included, add the questions in buying standing trees: checks. Browse plots for sale, book an escorted site visit, or see the land hub.
Listings available now
Live from Land & Property on 4 November 2026. Prices are the sellers' asking prices.
-
25 Decimals in Bunga at Ugx820m
UGX 820,000,000
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1 acre for sale in Kololo at $2,500,000
UGX 9,250,000,000
-
Plot For sale in Masoli kitetika at 80m
UGX 80,000,000
-
33 Decimals in Bukoto Town at Ugx1.4bn
UGX 1,400,000,000
-
53 decimals commercial Plot in Bukoto
UGX 3,500,000,000
-
71 decimals in Kira Bulindo at Ugx500m
UGX 500,000,000
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask the seller of a plot?
Ask who owns it, how and when they got it, whether it is mortgaged or disputed, who lives on it, whether a spouse consents, where the boundaries are, whether it was promised to anyone else, how you reach it, who pays tax and fees, and why they are selling.
How do I know the seller is the owner?
Search the title at the registry or on the public portal, then match the registered name to the seller's National ID and face. See the original title and ask neighbours. If someone sells for the owner, ask for written authority and check it with your advocate.
Should I ask the seller to prove every answer?
Yes. Ask for a document or a visit for each answer. A true owner can usually produce the title, ID, earlier agreement and consents. Refusal to prove an answer is a signal to stop and check further before paying.
Can I ask these questions through an agent?
You can, but ask for the answers in writing and check the documents yourself or with your advocate. An agent may not know the full history of the land. Where possible, put the questions to the owner directly.
Sources
- How to buy land in Uganda: a step by step guide, Daily Monitor (accessed 2026-11)
- Lack of due diligence in land sales leaves many Ugandans at a loss, Daily Monitor (accessed 2026-11)
- Five necessities before buying land, Daily Monitor (accessed 2026-11)
- Inside Uganda's land fraud crisis, Daily Monitor (accessed 2026-11)
- How to conduct an online search using the Lands Public Portal (UgNLIS poster), MLHUD (accessed 2026-11)
- TIN requirement for land transactions, Uganda Revenue Authority (Tax Education) (accessed 2026-11)
- Land Act, section 39: restrictions on transfer of land by family members, ULII (accessed 2026-11)
- Land Form 41: consent by spouses to a land transaction, Land Portal (MLHUD form) (accessed 2026-11)