Zimbabweans Won’t Lose Homes Over Unvalidated Title Deeds But Face Restrictions After 24-Month Deadline
Zimbabweans who fail to validate their paper title deeds within the stipulated 24-month period will not lose ownership of their properties, but they will face restrictions when attempting to sell, transfer or use them to secure loans.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi clarified the position during National Real Estate Day celebrations in Harare, assuring property owners that the validation exercise would not result in the loss of their homes or land.
He explained that existing paper title deeds would remain legally valid even after the deadline, although owners would have to complete the validation process before undertaking certain property transactions.
Also Read: Government Gives Property Owners 24 Months to Validate Title Deeds
What Happens If You Miss The 24-Month Title Deed Deadline?
According to The Herald, Minister Ziyambi said homeowners who miss the deadline would retain their legal ownership, but would be unable to use their unvalidated deeds to conduct property transactions.
This means anyone seeking to sell or transfer their property would first have to validate their title deed. The same requirement would apply to property owners hoping to use their land or houses as security when applying for bank loans.
“An unvalidated paper deed remains a valid legal instrument. However, once the deadline has passed, it cannot be used to sell or transfer property until it is validated,” Minister Ziyambi said.
He added that financial institutions would also require validated deeds before accepting properties as collateral.
The exercise, which involves validating, digitising and re-issuing title deeds, is being implemented under the Deeds Registry Regulations of 2025, Statutory Instrument 76 of 2025, alongside the Presidential Title Deeds Programme.
Government Sets US$215 Title Deed Validation Fee
The Government has set an all-inclusive fee of US$215 for the validation process.
According to Minister Ziyambi, the amount covers registration, conveyancing and other related charges.
He acknowledged that some property owners might struggle to meet the cost but said financial difficulties would not prevent them from obtaining secure tenure.
“Poverty shall never be a barrier to tenure security. Where a citizen cannot afford it, we will step in with a system to assist them,” he said.
The digitisation programme is intended to replace conventional paper records with secure, tamper-proof and digitised title deeds.
Government says the changes will strengthen property ownership records and enable homeowners and other property owners to use their assets more easily when seeking credit.
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