LEGAL GUIDANCE
Checking Gambian property listings and investment claims
Treat a listing as the start of enquiries. Verify ownership, boundaries, occupation and promised features before relying on the sales description.
Which claims need documentary support?
Identify statements that influence your decision: the size of the plot, type of title, road access, availability of utilities, rental income or permission to develop. Ask what evidence supports each statement and who supplied it.
A photograph, location pin or attractive price does not establish the seller’s authority or the property interest available. Save the listing and communications so that the promised features can be compared with the proposed agreement.
How should the property be matched to the records?
- Compare the advertised location and dimensions with the available plan.
- Identify the seller and the person authorised to negotiate.
- Ask who occupies or uses the property and on what basis.
- Check claimed access and shared facilities.
- Identify proposed works, approvals and completion promises.
Arrange an appropriate physical inspection and technical checks. Send discrepancies to the lawyer rather than assuming that a record or a site visit alone answers every question.
What about rental yields or rising values?
Request the assumptions and records behind projected income. Consider vacancy, management, repairs, finance, taxes and the ability to sell. An advertised return is not evidence of a guaranteed outcome.
Legal review does not establish investment suitability or market value. Obtain appropriate independent financial and valuation advice, especially where borrowing or pooled investor funds are involved. See property fund proposals where the offer is an investment interest rather than direct ownership.
What should happen before a reservation payment?
Confirm the recipient, the legal basis for the payment and the refund or forfeiture terms. Identify which checks remain outstanding and how they affect the agreement. Pressure to pay quickly should not prevent you from understanding what the payment secures.
Use the deposit checklist and due diligence guide. If a claim cannot be substantiated, ask the adviser how it affects the contract and your decision to proceed.
Related guidance
Published by Solie Law Chambers. Updated . General guidance; the advice for your matter depends on its facts and applicable law.
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