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Buying Property

# How to Buy Land in Rwanda: Complete Guide for First-Time Buyers

By Kigali Yacu Property Research Team · Published 12 August 2021 ·Updated 12 August 2021 · 4 min read

Buying land in Rwanda means confirming four things before you pay anything: the registered owner and UPI number, the zoning and permitted use, the physical boundaries, and road and utility access. Skip any of these and you're relying entirely on the seller's word — which is exactly how most land disputes in Rwanda start.

This guide walks through the process for a first-time land buyer, with the specific checks that matter most for land versus a finished property.

## Why land purchases carry more risk than buying a house

With a finished house, you can physically inspect the structure and its obvious condition. With land, there's nothing to inspect except the ground itself — which means the paperwork carries almost the entire weight of your protection. Informal family agreements, undocumented boundary understandings, and inherited land where the title was never formally updated are all more common on land parcels than on developed property, particularly outside the most established neighbourhoods.

## Step 1: Decide what you're buying land for

Land for a personal home, land for a small development, and land purely as a long-term investment all point toward different priorities — a personal-home buyer cares most about neighbourhood character and schools, while an investor cares most about appreciation trajectory and zoning flexibility. Get clear on this before you start looking, since it changes which plots are actually worth shortlisting.

## Step 2: Shortlist and compare plots

Look at price per square metre alongside the absolute price — a larger plot at a lower per-metre rate can be a better deal than a smaller "cheaper" plot, or vice versa. Compare our current land listings directly:

Listing | Size | Location | Price
--- | --- | --- | ---
Rebero plot | 610 sqm | Kicukiro | RWF 150,000,000
Nyarutarama plot | 1,000 sqm | Gasabo | RWF 580,000,000
Nyarutarama landmark plot | 7,000 sqm | Gasabo | RWF 4,500,000,000

See all current land for sale for the full list.

## Step 3: Verify the title

This is the step that matters most for land specifically:

1. Confirm the UPI number matches the exact parcel.
2. Confirm the registered owner matches the seller, or that any inheritance or corporate chain is properly documented.
3. Check for disputes or encumbrances — an unresolved family claim or unpaid loan secured against the land.
4. Walk the physical boundaries against the title description — don't rely on a fence or hedge someone tells you is the boundary.

See our full title verification guide for how this works, and property due diligence for the complete process.

## Step 4: Check zoning, access and utilities

- Zoning — confirm the parcel is designated for your intended use (residential, commercial, mixed).
- Road access — tarmac versus unpaved, and single versus multiple road frontage.
- Utilities — proximity to water and electricity connection points, which affects both construction cost and timeline if you plan to build.
- Soil and drainage — particularly relevant on Kigali's hillier terrain.

## Step 5: Negotiate and structure payment

Payment should follow the same milestone-based principle as any property purchase — deposit against a signed agreement and confirmed title verification, further payment against transfer application, final payment at registered transfer. Avoid paying the full price before documentation is confirmed.

## Common mistakes first-time land buyers make

- Buying based on price alone. A cheap plot with poor road access or an unresolved title issue can end up costing far more than a fairly priced, fully verified alternative.
- Skipping the physical site visit. Photos and a written description can't substitute for walking the actual boundaries, especially on land where informal fencing may not match the registered survey.
- Assuming utility connections are close by. Confirm actual distance to water and electricity infrastructure before budgeting for construction — this is easy to overestimate from a description alone.
- Not confirming who else has a claim. Inherited land in particular can carry co-ownership claims from family members not directly involved in the sale.

## After you own the land

Once your plot is secured, your next decision is whether to build a house yourself, hold the land as a longer-term investment, or resell. See our full buy and build guide for what comes next, or real estate investment if you're evaluating land purely as a return-generating asset.

## Getting help

Land due diligence deserves at least as much scrutiny as a house purchase, arguably more given there's no structure to distract from documentation gaps. Request due diligence on a specific plot, or browse our current land listings to get started.

## Frequently Asked Questions

Can foreigners buy land in Rwanda?

Land in Rwanda is generally held under leasehold rather than outright freehold, including for citizens, with residential terms typically up to 99 years. Foreign nationals and diaspora buyers should confirm the specific rights applicable to their situation before committing — we'll explain this for any specific plot.

What is a UPI number and why does it matter when buying land?

UPI stands for Unique Parcel Identification — the unique reference code for a registered land parcel in Rwanda's land administration system. It's the primary way to verify a parcel's registered owner and status, and a legitimate seller should be able to provide it without hesitation.

How much does land cost in Kigali?

This varies enormously by district and neighbourhood — a premium Nyarutarama plot and an outer-district plot of the same size can differ by a large multiple in price. See our investment locations guides for neighbourhood-specific context rather than relying on a single citywide figure.

What's the difference between buying land with one road versus two roads?

Two-road (corner) access gives more flexibility for driveway and gate placement and generally makes a plot easier to resell or subdivide. Single-road access is standard and not a problem on its own, but worth factoring into your planning.

Should I buy land before deciding what I'll build on it?

Have at least a rough sense of your intended use — single house, multi-unit, or land for later resale — before buying, since plot shape, size and zoning can all constrain what's actually possible.

## Ready to look at land?

Browse current land listings or tell us your budget and preferred area.

View Land Listings
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