Building A House in Gambia
Architectural Drawing & Plans:
 The first step to building a house in The Gambia is to get a house
plan drawn up by an architect. You can of course get an architect
outside the Gambia to do this for you but you must remember that there
a techniques of building in a tropical climate and the materials may
also differ.
Building Permits
 The second step is to get your house plan approved by Physical
Planning Dept. in Banjul. You should take at least 3 copies of your
plans when submitting your application form. There is a fee payable
based on the number of square metres of your house. The law requires
that you get a building permit as well for your fence and 'Boys
Quarters' (Accommodation for maid and watchman)
Build Your Fence Now!
The third step is to build your fence. This is necessary for security
and establishes your physical boundaries according to your plans. You
don't want to start your building and find out half-way through that
you are partly building on someone else's property. Please note that
you should build your fence exactly according to your plans and that
there is a minimum distance allowed where a road separates two
different plots. You can find this out the minimum legal distance from
the Lands Office in Banjul.
Build It Yourself
If you are going to build your own home then make sure that the 'Boys
Quarters' is build first. This allows you to have several rooms in
which to store your building materials for security. You could of
course buy a container and keep your materials there. This is perhaps
the best option and you can always sell the container when you have
finished building. Containers can be purchased from the Gambia
Shipping Agency.
Employ a Watchman. Do take care to photocopy the watchman's ID card
and make sure you know where he lives. Only employ a watch man who has
been recommended to you.
Try to get the house plans quantified by a quantity surveyor. This
will give you a rough idea as to the quantity of building materials
you need to buy to build the structure of your house. It should give
you a rough idea of the cost of building but it doesn't include
finishing like fans and bathrooms. This you can easily do yourself by
visiting several building materials stores and shops.
Prices of materials are always rising in The Gambia so buy in bulk.
You don't even have to take the materials with you the same day. Just
make sure you keep you receipt and you can collect what you need when
you need it. CAUTION: Please note that you should only buy from large
reputable companies who may perhaps give you this facility. Also note
that the company may also go bankrupt and you could lose your money.
If you don't intend to employ the services of a 'labour & materials'
contractor who buys all the materials and builds the house for you,
then you might want to consider employing a 'labour only' contractor.
Whatever you do make sure you get a contract drawn up by a solicitor
and signed by both parties.
Do make sure that you employ the services of a store keeper who
records all materials coming in and all materials coming out on a
daily basis. Make sure that all deliveries are signed for.
Employ a contractor: (Labour and Materials)
If you wish to employ a full contractor then get a contract drawn up
by conveyance lawyer in Gambia. This is vital for your own protection
and make sure that you tender the contract out to a number of
interested contractors first.
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Process of Buying Land in Gambia
Tourist Development Area (TDA)
 Once you have decided on a piece of land that you are interested
in buying you should try and first first get written
verification of ownership of the land from the Alkalo and get a
Gambian Lawyer to look the ownership documents over.
The document that initiates the land buying process in Gambia is
the 'Transfer of Ownership of Land' form.
There are 6 copies and these should be signed by all parties and
witnessed. Before you sign this form it must be accompanied 6
plot sketch plans showing the plot you wish to purchase.
The documents should then be signed by the Alkalo (village
chief), Seyfo (district chief) and the relevant local government
body.
Please note that in Gambia a plot of land could be owned by a
number of people from the same family, so their consent to sell
the land must be given to you in writing, witnessed and signed.
A fee of around D3,000 should accompany the Transfer of
Ownership Form and is payable at the local government level.
There are other documents involved after this stage along with
other fees.
Other Documents:
Certificate of Occupancy of Land Held
Land Use Clearance and Transfer
Income Tax Clearance from the sellers of land
Fencing Permit
Leasing of Land
Once you have purchased you plot you must try and get the land
fenced as soon as possible and if possible paint NOT FOR SALE on
all four sides. This is to discourage anyone trying to "re-sell"
your plot. It might be an idea also to put your mobile telephone
number on the wall and build a small single room with no frills
at all.
Last updated 1 May, 2008
Please note: Disclaimer
The
process of buying land in Gambia is subject to periodic changes.
Always check with the appropriate authorities before proceeding with
any land purchase in Gambia. Always engage the services of a lawyer
based in the Gambia before entering into any property
transaction process, paying of advances and signing any documents with
anyone. Potential buyers have been known to have been tricked into
'buying' land that does not belong to the person 'selling'!
Furthermore the same plot of land could have been 'sold' to 2 or more
people!
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