NLA Making Land Ownership Easier

The National Land Agency (NLA) Systematic Land Registration Programme is making it easier for Jamaicans to secure ownership of their property.

The systematic land registration programme seeks to assist persons to obtain titles for property they have lived on open, undisturbed and undisputed for upwards of 12 years, through the process of adjudication.

It is being facilitated under the Registration of Titles, Cadastral Mapping and Tenure Clarification (Special Provisions) (Amendment) Act, 2020, which was passed in Parliament in June of 2020.

According to Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Hon Floyd Green, the programme ‘signals the start of a new paradigm”.

“It builds upon the need that we have seen on other programmes. But this is a special programme that really recognises the need for property registration right across Jamaica, but especially here in St. Elizabeth,” he said.

Mr. Green was speaking at an inaugural ceremony to hand over 35 certificates of title to residents of Flagaman, Potsdam and surrounding communities, held at the Newell High School, St. Elizabeth, on February 23.

He noted that St. Elizabeth has the second-lowest record of registered lands in the country with only 41 per cent registration.

Mr. Green, who is also Member of Parliament for Northwest St. Elizabeth, stated that it has been a challenge for many residents who possess parcels of land undisturbed for over 12 years to secure tittles for their properties. This has contributed to the low land registration rate.

He lauded the NLA for establishing a more efficient and systematic land-titling system, which will enable hundreds of residents in several communities across the island to obtain land titles in a more seamless manner.

“The process that the NLA has gone through is that they have declared a number of areas or systematic adjudication areas. The agency was able to display 29 adjudication records and prepare applications that resulted in the issuance of 2,572 certificates of title, and this is work that has been ongoing,” he shared.

The objective is to increase security of tenure and provide for a more efficient and systematic land-titling system.

One of the major benefits of systematic land registration is that the Government will advance the entire cost for the registration process.

Minister Green charged the beneficiaries to recognise the value of their titles and use it as collateral for obtaining loans and other economic outcomes.