$15,000 is sent to build a home, progress photos start rolling in your inbox. Foundation dug, bricks stacked and roof almost done. Excitement and Expectant. Fast forward you land at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International airport. You drive to the plot and boom. The only thing standing tall is the grass. Turns out, outside of the google images you were sent, the house never got built.
A common story told in hushed tones, at gatherings of Zimbabweans from all the corners of the globe. The amounts may be different, the shame and anger the same. Where did it all go wrong?.
Short answer….no due diligence done.
So What Exactly Is Due Diligence?
The Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary puts it plainly:
“Action that is considered reasonable for people to be expected to take in order to keep themselves or others and their property safe.”
Think of it as the background check you’d run before hiring someone to watch your children.
Except in this case, the children are your life savings, hard earnings, capital to wealth.
Due diligence in property transactions mean:-
- Confirming the seller’s name matches the title deed.
- Checking the title for any encumbrances.
- Making sure municipal rates and taxes are current.
- Confirming the stand is surveyed and that layout plans have been approved by the relevant local authority.
- Confirming the Seller has the requisite authority to sell.
A thorough check may be the difference between owning a property and owning a receipt for something that does not exist.
Why Investing Home is best
Let’s be honest about something. You are not just buying a stand in Ruwa. You are buying the right to say “I built something back home.” In today’s global uncertainty, ownership is more important than ever.
Immigration debates abroad keep getting louder, with most countries deliberating on who belongs where. And for you, your piece of land on Zimbabwean soil whispers, “I belong here. I invested here”.
Investing in property at home in Zimbabwe is strategy as opposed to sentiment. Urban growth corridors in Zimbabwe are expanding, rental demand in key suburban areas are on the rise and while the world argues, bricks and mortar in Zimbabwe remain a steady bet.
So yes, the pull is real and the opportunities are real.
So are the risks.
What Are You Actually Buying?
The Serviced Stand
A serviced stand, a plot within an approved subdivision where infrastructure like road access, water and sewer connections has been planned or installed. You buy the land now. You build when you are ready. As the area develops, values typically rise.
An investment that grows in value, even when you hold it.
The catch? “Serviced” is a word that occasionally works harder than the infrastructure it describes.
Before committing
- Verify that layout plans are formally approved, that
- Development permits exist and, that
- The local authority actually recognises the subdivision.
Cattle paths and optimism do not count as road access, regardless of what the brochure implies.
Cluster Homes and Gated Developments
Lock up and go options that can be rented out without much fuss.. They are low maintenance, relatively secure and straightforward to manage from abroad.
Know Your Titles
This part matters enormously and does not get explained enough:
Freehold title A freehold title represents the most secure form of property ownership. It grants the holder absolute and perpetual ownership of both the land and any structures erected upon it, without any fixed time limit.
A registered owner enjoys full proprietary rights over the property.
Sectional Title gives you a title deed in your name for your specific unit, with proportional shared ownership of common areas.
It is registered at the Deeds Registry.
Share Block Scheme a company owns the land and buildings. You buy shares in that company, which entitle you to occupy a specific unit. You do not receive a title deed. Your security depends entirely on that company staying properly registered, financially sound and legally compliant. If it is deregistered or mismanaged and companies do get deregistered, your position becomes complicated in ways that require lawyers, time and patience you may not have.
Cession Agreements A cession is essentially a promise of future ownership. It is contractual, not registered at the Deeds Registry and it grants personal rights against the developer not the stronger, enforceable real rights that come with a registered title deed.
Many buyers assume a cession means they own the property, they have rights and interest in the property, it falls short of ownership
How the Buying Process Works From Abroad
The sequence is straightforward when done properly:
- Identify the property and request all supporting documentation upfront
- Conduct due diligence a deeds search, rates clearance, permit verification and ownership confirmation
- Sign a written Agreement of Sale verbal agreements and handshakes are memories, not contracts
- Transfer funds through formal channels Nostro accounts, FCA accounts or a conveyancer’s trust account
- Register the transfer at the Deeds Registry where applicable
The purchase process requires the buyer from the diaspora to appoint a local representative via Power of Attorney to handle the logistics. This works well when done correctly. A Power of Attorney must be notarised and authenticated.
It should be limited to the specific transaction, carry an expiry date and ideally be held by a registered legal practitioner rather than a well-meaning relative who is also managing seventeen other things.
A broad, open-ended Power of Attorney handed to the wrong person is not a convenience.
It is an invitation.
And one more thing: if a seller tells you the offer expires tonight unless you send a deposit immediately that is not urgency.
That is a script. Walk away.
How to Pay and How Not To
Formal gateways to registered lawyers or Agent trust accounts
Avoid informal cash transfers.
Avoid sending money to personal accounts. Avoid anyone who suggests a “simpler” arrangement that bypasses formal channels. The simplicity is theirs. The risk is yours.
The Professional You Cannot Afford to Skip
A registered conveyancer is not a luxury, they are a legal practitioner with specialist qualifications in property transfer.
They also can physically inspect records at the Deeds Registry, verify the ownership chain, check for encumbrances, confirm survey diagrams and flag irregularities that a buyer would never catch on their own.
Engage one early. Not after the deal is done. Not when something feels wrong, from the moment you identify a property you want to buy.
One More Thing Worth Knowing
Zimbabwe is currently digitising its entire property registry system under the Deeds Registries Regulations 2025 (SI 76 of 2025). Every title deed in the country regardless of when it was issued must be validated, digitised and reissued in a new securitised format.
For diaspora owners, this is a crucial matter. You cannot approach the Deeds Registry directly only a registered conveyancer can manage the process on your behalf. If you are abroad, you will need to grant a Special Power of Attorney to a conveyancer to act for you.
The upside? Once complete, the new digital system will make ownership verification faster, more transparent and far less susceptible to the kind of fraud that has cost too many people too much.
Before You Sign Anything: Your Checklist
- Confirm the seller’s name matches the registered title deed
- Conduct a formal Deeds Registry search to see if there are no caveats, no bonds, no prior sales
- Verify municipal rates and taxes are current
- Confirm survey diagrams and approved layout plans exist
- Check that development and subdivision permits are in place (for new developments)
- Understand whether you are receiving a title deed, a cession or shares in a company
- Use a registered conveyancer from the beginning, not the end
- Route all payments through formal banking or a trust account
- Notarise and authenticate any Power of Attorney and limit its scope
- Never let urgency rush you past verification
The Bottom Line
Wanting a piece of home is smart, rational, strategic and meaningful in ways that no spread sheet can measure.
The people who lose money in property deals are not clueless. They are just like you and me, working across time zones, juggling bills, clinging to the dream of building something back home. That mix of trust, hope and incomplete information? Well that combination is exactly what fraudsters feast on!
Diaspora money is sacred capital. Each money transfer to Zimbabwe is the echo of your sweat abroad, a bridge between sacrifice and legacy. Make sure therefore that what you receive in return is real, legal and undeniably yours. Careful due diligence is protection. It ensures that your investment is secure and legally compliant.
So next time before you wire that money, remember: “Love your family, but trust the Law.”
And in Legal terns:
- Ensure title deeds are authentic and registered with the Deeds Office.
- Confirm contracts are properly drafted and enforceable under Zimbabwean Law.
- Verify that all transactions comply with the exchange control regulations and property statutes.
- Engage a qualified lawyer to conduct independent due diligence, because only then is your investment secure, defensible and positioned for long term profitability.
Co-written by:
Nigel Panavanhu a lawyer at MCM Legal
Stoneridge Bamu, from the conveyancing department at MCM Legal
Article remains the copyright of MCM Legal www.mcmlegal.co.zw