HOW TO SUBDIVIDE 1 ACRE OF LAND IN KENYA FOR HOUSING PURPOSES.
There are 2 methods to subdivide 1 acre of Land in Kenya.
Method 1.Surveyor.
This method you use a land surveyor to subdivide the land into 1/8th acre plots. In most local authorities in Kenya, the minimum plot size is 1/8th acre in size. This method usually brings about 7 parcels of 1/8th acre plots per acre.
Method 2. Architect
In this method you use www.a4architect.com to come up with a housing estate scheme and have it approved by the relevant local authorities . Titles are then issued under sectional properties act. This method produces an average of 14 plots per acre.
Method 1. Surveyor
Costs:
Assuming Land is within Thika Municipal Council near Mangu High School Area:
If survey is Mutation:
Consulting Land surveyor: KES 14,000 per plot
Ministry of Lands: KES 1000 per plot.
Total per plot: 15,000
Total per acre=KES 105,000
If Survey is Cadastral[most urban areas]:
Consulting Physical Planner: 2,000 per plot.
Municipal Planner 1,000 per plot.
Lands Officer: 2,000 per plot
District Surveyor: 1,000 per plot.
Consultant Surveyor: 40,000 per plot.
Total per plot:46,000.
Total per acre[7plots]=KES 322,000.
Average sales revenue[7plots @ KES 800,000 per plot]=KES 5.6M less KES 322,000[Survey fees] =KES 5,278,000.
In this method, the land owner hires a Registered Physical Planner and Land Surveyor to come up with a subdivision report to be presented to the relevant Local Authority for approval.
The report is presented in the council meeting and discussed by the technical commitee. Here, suggestions such as ceeding some land for social ammenities such as schools , plot size ,road size are heard.
Suggestions such as whether the roads to be murram grade or tarmac are heard.
The Physical Planner and Land Surveyor will then go back to the drawing board and ammend the subdivision plan to conform to the council suggestions.
Once the council is satisfied with the subdivision report by the Physical Planner and the Surveyor, the Council Planner issues a letter approving the subdivision of land as per the surveyed plots and sets out conditions that the land owner should meet before the Ministry of Lands issue titles to the plots.
Such conditions include issues such as infrastructure development[roads, water, storm water drainage, sewer, comunication]. In most cases, the council allows the land owner to be issued with 30% of the title deeds so that he/she can sell them off to finance infrastructure development.
Once all the conditions for subdivision as stated in the subdivision approval letter are met, the council inspects and issues a letter allowing the Ministry of Lands to issue all the remaining titles.
The land owner takes the letter to the Ministry of Lands to begin processing individual land title deeds.
This ensures that no lands in Kenya will be subdivided into smaller plots without infrastructure development such as roads and sewers being put in place by the land owner.
This is mainly enforced to the letter in subdivisions around Nairobi CBD. Subdivisions further from Nairobi CBD sometimes circumvent this requirement and titles are issued without any infrastructure whatsoever .
Advantages.
In this method, the buyers of the 1/8th acre plots can construct what they want so long as it conforms to the local authority requirements.
Disadvantages.
The land owner can not subdivide the land into sizes less than 1/8th hence less profits.
Method 2. Architect.
Costs:
Assuming Land is within Thika Municipal Council near Mangu High School Area:
Architectural Plan Approval fees:First 1000 square feet charged @ KES 1,500. Subsequent 100 square feet are charged at KES 1,000 .
House floor area: 130m2 =1,300 square feet. Council charges for 1,300 sq.ft =KES 4,500.per unit.
Public health/Physical Planning fees: KES 10,000
www.a4architect.com consulting fees per plot= KES 40,000
Total for 1 plot= KES 54,500.
Total for 14 plots=KES 763,000
Average sales revenue[14plots @ KES 800,000 per plot]=KES 11.2M less KES 763,000[Survey fees] =KES 10,437,000 per acre.
This method earns approximately 100% more revenue sales per acre than the Survey method.
Check this similar project nearby selling at KES 800,000 per plot.
http://www.propertyunit.com/detail/1981/
In this method, the land owner hires a registered architect such as www.a4architect.com to come up with a housing estate design.
The architect submits the drawing to the local authority planning department [development control section]. Here,the project is subjected to a technical commitee discussion where issues such as space for social ammenities, size of roads , house unit design , building code conformity, sewerage disposal are analysed.
Any suggestions and recommendations are then relayed upon to the architect for ammendments. Once the architect ammends the design to conform to the council requirements, the council approves the development.
The architect comes up with sectional titles under the sectional properties act.
An acre can on average produce 14 units.
Advantages.
The land owner can have more plots to sell under sectional title[14 plots] as opposed to certificate of title[7 plots].
The plot buyers do not have to apply for plan approvals once they buy since this has already been done.
The plot value rises higher since the area becomes controlled in development since buyers can only build the specified building design with minor amendments.
Such an example is the estates next to Imara Daima, off Mombasa road whereby once someone buys the plot, they are issued with the architectural plans to guide them on how to build.
Disadvantages.
Some plot buyers would like to buy a plot and develop flats or smaller units for rent. In this scenario, its not possible unless some part of the scheme had been pre-designed for highrise buildings.
Francis Gichuhi
Architect.
www.a4architect.com
+254721410684
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