| Abdul Hakiim Yakof |
FOREIGNERS can own land in Brunei Darussalam through a strata title which will allow them hold property for up to 99 years.
This was revealed by Bilkis Sa’ar binti Haji Kabri from the Land Department during a presentation on ‘Strata Title Management’ on Tuesday at the Songket Ballroom, The Rizqun International Hotel, Gadong.
The presentation was one of the several parallel sessions held in conjunction with the 14th Southeast Asia Survey Congress (SEASC) 2017, organised by the Survey Department, Ministry of Development in collaboration with the Brunei Institution of Geomatics (BIG), under the auspices of the Asean Federation of Land Surveying and Geomatics Survey (AFLAG).
The Land Department official said that according to the land code in Brunei, only Bruneians can own land in Brunei Darussalam. “Therefore, to be fair to foreigners, especially those who plan to live in Brunei for decades, we are giving them the opportunity to own property in Brunei.
“Normally, they will stay in Brunei for long, sometimes 20 to 30 years. They can be strata title owners for a maximum of 99 years,” she explained during the question-and-answer session.
Earlier, she mentioned the benefits of strata title ownership that include secured property ownership; outright ownership of strata titles by permanent residents and foreigners; wide-scale stimulation of the property market in Brunei; and generation of growth for property-related businesses.
Explaining the application process for strata title in the Sultanate, she said that firstly, after applying, applicants have to wait for a letter of confirmation from the Land Department. This letter will contain the terms and conditions of the land which may be used for strata titles.
In the second stage, the applicant must appoint a licenced surveyor to submit a breakdown of the building section and also a recognised valuer to determine the unit’s entitlement.
Later, the division of the building should be submitted to the Survey Department and in the fourth stage, the certification of strata plan will be issued by the Land Department.
Once it has been verified, the strata plan will be returned to the Survey Department to certify the strata title diagram.
The last stage of the process is the registration of strata units by the Land Department.
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