How high are realtors´ and lawyers´ fees in the Uganda? What about other property purchase costs?

Transaction Costs
		Who Pays?
Legal Fee	1% - 2%	buyer
Stamp Duty	1% - 2%	buyer
Registration Fee	0.05%	buyer
Real Estate Agent´s Fee	5% - 10%	seller
Costs paid by buyer	3.05% - 4.05%
Costs paid by seller	5% - 10%
ROUNDTRIP TRANSACTION COSTS	8.05% - 14.05%
See Footnotes Source: Global Property Guide

How difficult is the property purchase process in Uganda?

The 1995 Constitution grants land ownership rights solely to citizens of Uganda. Foreigners cannot own land freehold. They may, however, obtain leases for 49 or 99 years. Foreign investors, individual or corporate, cannot acquire land for the purpose of crop or animal production. Foreigners can either rent/lease from citizens or from the Government.

A real estate lawyer is needed in real estate transactions in Uganda. When offer on the property is accepted by the seller, due diligence follows. The lawyer conducts a title search and obtains the transfer forms from the Land Office.

A licensed surveyor then visits the property to establish the boundaries. Depending on size and location, this can take up to three days. When this has been done, the transfer forms is submitted to the Land Office to receive consent to transfer. The property is inspected by a government valuer to ascertain proper taxation. An assessment form is given to the buyer, which is then presented to a commercial bank for payment of stamp duty.

When all has been cleared, the lawyer draws up the sale agreement. A deposit of 20% is paid upon signing, with the remaining balance to be settled within 30 to 60 days.

The transfer forms are then submitted, together with the signed sale agreement and stamp duty receipt, to the Registrar´s Department of the Land Office, and registration fee is paid. This process, dealing with the Registrar´s Department, takes about three weeks to accomplish.

---

Footnotes to Transaction Costs Table

The round trip transaction costs include all costs of buying and then re-selling a property ´ lawyers´ fees, notaries´ fees, registration fees, taxes, agents´ fees, etc.

Legal Fee
Legal fees are around 1% to 2% of the property value.

Stamp Duty
Stamp duty is around 1% tp 2% of the property value.

Registration Fee
Registration fees are around 0.05% of the property value. Registration fees include registration fees , bank fees, search fees, consent fees, and other related costs.

Real Estate Agent´s Fee
Real estate agent´s fees are around 5% to 10% of the property value.