AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums The Cayes Ambergris Caye Lands Department/Title delays

if you send in a transfer of land the process has recently been taking 8 to 12 weeks. That is on properties where the Land Certificate already exists. If you purchase a condo or a lot in a subdivision where no titles have been issued or where various approvals have not yet been given then this process takes longer. Frankly I agree that two years is crazy and that there was an issue there. The key to all this is that although you paid someone on a specific date the actual filing date of the said papers may differ and is the person doing the filing providing accurate information. If you are purchasing a condo and waiting for the strata title there are many possible reasons for the delays some of which are both on the lands department and the developer. Don't panic, if the proper due diligence was done you will get the title.

I love reading all this. It seems every few weeks I can read about someone complaining about their land deal gone bad.
Most of these problems are misplaced trust and assumptions that someone is doing something for you, while you wait. The solution is almost always, get up and go do it yourself.
Banks are difficult to rob and armed robbery on the street is hard to get away with on a small island but you don't need a pistol to sell realestate. It seems we have a steady stream of visitors with money, anxious to buy a piece of paradise. They may be our greatest resource. Attorneys feed off them, the Banks feed off them and most anyone you meet will accept your check.

Inplug: I've been trying along with my Attorney to get answers out of the Lands Dept. and they will not give any reason for the delay. I read the article about the corruption about the Lands Dept. therefore I am concerned that something just isn't right. It is not only myself having these problems, there are others also.

As far as the Developer goes, that individual and others are being addressed in a whole different way.

Elbert: I do not like to read stories about other individuals problems. We have been pounding the streets down there for five years now getting this all resolved. We do spend out winters there and we love our place, however we want to bring this public. I thought a while back I read where the Lands Dept. had new software to speed things up.

When you do business with a Realtor you think they have your back. When you do business with a Developer from the US you do not think this would happen and when you use the system in Belize it is very sad. My paradise has turned in to a nightmare and I want to just be at peace and enjoy and legally OWN what I purchased. It shouldn't take this long.

I just purchased a home in the US and within a two week period I received all the legal paperwork to say it is mine. Belize brings "it takes time here" to a new level.

This is typical these days. Depending on what the status of the title was when you bought it there may have been a need for re-registration. Then there is the fact that most property sales are being reassessed and the additional stamp duty must be paid for the process to continue. Once that has been paid you should expect your title to be ready within 12 weeks.

FYI, when I bought a property in Scotland the same process occurred, reregistration and then a year before I received title. If you are enjoying your property and you have a law firm working on the case chances are it is all okay. I am presuming your ascertained that there was clear title before you submitted your transfer applications. If the title was shown as being clear this is just a bunch of lands department delays.

I am always surprised that buyers assume that the US developers are some how more ethical and honest than local developers. Some of the biggest scammers we have ever seen have been from the US and they usually end up being hauled off in handcuffs.

We do sell and transfer properties that from start to finish the title processing takes 4 weeks, but that isn't the typical way things go.

So who is the Lands Dept. to say I didn't pay enough? I had a purchase agreement with a selling price and expected to pay my stamp tax on that amount not what another individual says I need to pay.

I sure hope the Lands Dept. is going to every home/condo/lot purchased and doing the same to everyone else. I'm sure if this happened to everyone on the island then there would be a huge up roar.

Example: When a person purchases a gulf cart does Belize come back later on and say you didn't pay enough tax and charge you more. Same situation just on a bigger scale.

If your purchase price is at or close to market value I'd agree, but they have the right to question it. If it is below it warrants looking into as this was a known loophole many tried to exploit in the past.

There was a year long valuation of property and the lands department people are very savvy regarding values. The law states that the stamp duty is based on the current market value, not what you actually paid. If 10 units in the complex transferred for $150K and your transfer documents states $100K you are going to assessed at the $150K rate.

There is a full valuation department at the lands department and they are very familiar with current values and they confer with other government agencies and departments to garner their intel.

Interesting when our Realtors explained how the stamp tax was calculated they said on the purchase price on our purchase agreement. Same explanation with the FIRST Attorney we used and was not told this by the SECOND Attorney we are now using. They (Realtors, Attornies & Developer) never said a thing that you can be reassessed by the Lands Dept.

Again trust has become a BIG issue for us after the experience we've encountered and many more feel the same way.