Land Ownership



Today, being a landowner is no longer just a dream; It is a priority. Nobody likes to have a rent to pay each year or each month, so everybody does its best in order to have THEIR OWN land to build a house or to have a huge source of revenue at any time. That sounds good, but ...

What exactly is land ownership?
First of all, land ownership is a right, precisely a real property right. Real property rights are individualistic in their essence. The Civil Code defines real property rights as the rights to enjoy and dispose of things in the most absolute manner, provided that their use is not forbidden by law or regulation. Clearly, being the owner of a thing means that you can do whatever you want with it as long as you do not violate the law. The thing we are referring to in the case of land ownership is obviously a plot.

I can do what I want, that is to say?
The landowner may use, take advantage of or dispose of his/her land.
Using one’s plot means using it for one’s own purpose, for example, by building a house to live in. To take advantage from it means using it to make profits, for example by renting out the plot, or by building for the purpose of renting. You can also take advantage of your plot by doing a profitable activity like agriculture.
To dispose of one’s plot is to get rid of it or to give it up. This may be done by transferring the right of ownership one has on it, that is, by selling it or giving it to someone, or by mortgaging it, or by burdening it with servitude. However, to sell or mortgage a land, one should actually have to be the owner and have proof of it.

What is the proof that I own the land?

In Cameroon, real property rights are officially certified by a document: the land certificate. The original land certificate is kept in a land registry within a book called land register; the owner receives a copy of it.

 For further infos:
I suggest you read the decree No. 76/165 of 27th April 1976 to establish the conditions for obtaining land certificates amended and supplemented by decree No. 2005/481 of 16 December 2005.

Comments

  1. Unknown13 May 2017 at 05:02

    That is very useful, scarce and accurate information right there. Thanks alot!!! Its good to know one's right as a land owner clearly defined and explained by the law itself. THANKS

    ReplyDelete

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