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The Lagos State Government has announced that tax clearance is now a mandatory requirement for housing transactions in order to prevent fraud and safeguard the interests of property owners.
This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Abdulhafis Toriola, through a statement issued by the Chief Public Affairs Officer of the ministry, Adesile Rufai.
Toriola emphasised that the new regulations are aimed at preventing fraudulent activities in the transfer of property ownership and protecting individuals who may have misplaced their home ownership documents.
He stated that all applications for the transfer of home ownership must be supported by evidence of home ownership, a search conduct result, and a valid means of identification in cases where home ownership documents are lost.
Furthermore, Toriola highlighted that applicants seeking ownership transfer must provide a letter of allocation, payment receipts, and a valid means of identification to the Ministry of Housing.
He said the measure is intended to verify the authenticity of ownership claims and address the rising cases of false claims identified by the ministry.
Moreover, the permanent secretary revealed that individuals applying for replacement of lost documents must submit the homeowner(s) national identification card, a police report, and a notice of loss of document in the national newspaper for processing and confirmation of ownership.
He added that all housing transaction applications in the state must be accompanied by a valid tax clearance certificate of the applicant, including those who are currently serving.
