MLMUPC Minister Orders Shutdown on Recognition of Unregistered Property Transfers

• 20 August 2018
• Local News
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Minister of the Ministry of Land Management Urban Planning and Construction (MLMUPC) H.E Chea Sophara has ordered the respective authorities to stop checking and certifying property transfer documents that have not been recognised by the cadastral office, according to a document obtained by Fresh News dated August 16, 2018.

As stated in the document, the move came as a result of increasing numbers of land disputes caused by the transfer of unregistered property which does not have a clear layout of the property’s border and has not been recognised by the cadastral office.

Meanwhile, before this new order takes place, certifying the transfer of unregistered property (soft title) can be done through lower administrative offices such as at sangkats or city halls without having to go through the cadastral office.

However, this new order intends to see more unregistered property registered with the cadastral office in order to obtain the hard title, which mean more tax collection will be generated for the government through the property transfer tax or stamp duty.

Indeed, this new order came one day after Prime Minister SamdechTecho Hun Sen insisted on an increase in property transfer taxes as land prices across the country had significantly increased over the past few years since the stamp duty rate was last set. (Read more )

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