Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Land buyers in Cambodia: Beware!

Land Buyers Beware, Warns Rights Official

By Sok Khemara, VOA Khmer
Washington
31 December 2007


An expert on real estates says buyers should take precautions before buying a piece of land in Cambodia because of the weak law enforcement and the use of tricks by sellers.

"Fake documents, the court's unwillingness to implement the existing laws,and the greed of some local authorities make owning land in Cambodia unsafe," says Adhoc Land Unit Chief Latt Ky who is the guest on Hello VOA program on Monday.

Latt says he has closely monitored the land conflicts all over the country. He says only powerful and high-ranking officials in Cambodia can receive justice.

The ADHOC official compares the land problems to voter registration problem because people often come to Phnom Penh to ask for help from the National Assembly or from the government but they are often ignored.

Latt told VOA listeners that ADHOC has a branch in every provinces in Cambodia. He urges people to consult with his office before buying a piece of land to avoid future problems.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is sad! I'm afraid the revolution is impending.

Anonymous said...

There must be a 'plan roeung' for the lot in the name of the seller. To make sure this plan roeung is not a fake it needs to be checked with the office of land registration (cadastral office). Any title issued by the Sangkat or other communal administration are subject to disputes by the government. In order to safeguard against future uncertainties the buyer must make sure the seller pays all taxes due and to get certified copies of the tax documents. This way the buyer can show the government that everything went according to the book.