Housing transactions: proof of ownership, tax clearance now mandatory – LASG

The Lagos State Ministry of Housing has announced new requirements for processing housing transactions.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Mr Abdulhafis Toriola, made this known in a statement issued by the Chief Public Affairs Officer, Housing, Mr Adesile Rufai, on Monday in Lagos.

Toriola said that the new requirements would prevent fraud in transferring home ownership and protect people who might lose their homeownership documents.

“All applications relating to homeownership transfer must include letter of allocation, payment receipts, valid identification, evidence of a Home Ownership Document Search.

“These documents should be submitted to the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing.

“Also, home owners applying for replacement of lost documents should attach their National ID card (NIN), police report, proof of lost document advertised in a national newspaper, for processing and confirmation of ownership,” the permanent secretary said.

Furthermore, Toriola said that all applications for housing transactions now required a valid Tax Clearance Certificate for the applicant, including government employees.

According to him, this is because housing projects are funded by taxes, and beneficiaries of these projects must have evidence of personal income tax.

The permanent secretary  warned that applications missing any of these documents would not be processed.

He emphasised that the Ministry aimed at making housing transactions more secure and ensuring everyone involved was legitimate.

Toriola also stressed the importance of paying taxes to fund these housing projects.