Citizens who fail to validate their property documents within the prescribed 24-month period will not lose ownership of their homes or land, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has told Parliament.
But the minister warned that the position of old paper title deeds will change sharply after the deadline. Owners who have not completed the process will face restrictions when they try to sell, transfer, mortgage or use their properties in formal transactions, as the Government moves to a digital land register.
The clarification came as the country’s title deed validation and digitisation programme gathers pace, while property owners, banks and local authorities continue to deal with questions about the cost, paperwork and practical reach of the new system.
“Let me set the record straight and reassure the nation,” Minister Ziyambi said. “Failure to validate does not invalidate the title deed. It remains a fully legal title deed that simply needs to be taken through the validation process. No citizen will lose his or her property by failing to meet the deadline.”
The exercise is being carried out under Statutory Instrument 76 of 2025, which provides for the conversion of existing paper deeds into securitised deeds backed by an electronic record. The regulations cover registered real estate across Zimbabwe, including urban freehold stands, sectional titles and agricultural land.
Under the regulations, holders of old deeds must submit copies of their documents for validation and produce the originals for verification. The process includes checks on the authenticity of each deed and whether it complies with the requirements of the Deeds Registries Act. The Registrar can also ask for further documents or evidence where additional proof of ownership is needed.
Once the checks have been completed, the owner is issued a securitised deed. The deed is recorded electronically in the digital registry and a printed copy is issued on securitised paper. The system is intended to create a central record of property ownership and reduce the risk of fraud, theft and double sales.
The 24-month period runs from the publication of the regulations, with the deadline falling in July 2027. The regulations state that old title deeds continue to be recognised during the transition period. After that period, only securitised deeds issued under the new system will be recognised for legal and administrative purposes. The regulations also allow for the period to be extended by the Registrar with the approval of the minister and through a notice in the Government Gazette.
Explaining the consequences of missing the cutoff, Minister Ziyambi said the change would affect the use of paper deeds rather than immediately remove a person’s ownership rights.
“Mr Speaker, make no mistake, Hon. Members, after the 24-month deadline expires, the new digital registry system becomes the sole authoritative record of title in Zimbabwe,” he stated. “Unvalidated old paper deeds will face derecognition in formal transactions, meaning they cannot be used to sell or transfer land.”
The warning is significant for owners who may need to use property as security for a loan or who plan to sell or transfer land in the future. A paper deed that has not gone through the process could prevent a transaction from being completed through the formal registry after the deadline, even though the minister says the underlying ownership will not be forfeited.
Banks and other financial institutions have also been told to act before the deadline arrives. Minister Ziyambi directed commercial banks, asset managers, insurers and mortgage lenders to review property documents held as security for loans and other obligations.
“Therefore, I issue a direct statement-like directive to our banking sector, commercial asset managers, insurers and mortgage lenders to immediately audit your security and collateral portfolios,” Minister Ziyambi said. “Ensure that paper deeds backing your mortgage bonds are systematically guided through validation.”
The Government has set the total charge for the process at US$215. The fee is intended to cover Deeds Registry charges, the professional fee for a conveyancer and value-added tax, with officials saying the fixed amount is designed to stop arbitrary charges being imposed on property owners.
“I must stress that this prescribed fee is completely comprehensive and covers the entire process of validation… protecting the public from arbitrary overcharging,” the minister said.
A breakdown issued by the Ministry puts US$100 towards the conveyancer, US$100 towards Government and US$15 towards administration. The charge applies to properties in both low-density and high-density areas.
Officials said more than 500 property owners had completed the digitisation and validation process by early September. Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Virginia Nyemba said the programme was still new and had experienced teething problems, but owners could approach a conveyancer of their choice to begin the process.
The Government has also acknowledged that the fee could be difficult for some households. Minister Ziyambi said state legal officers were being trained to help people who could not afford a private conveyancer.
“The Second Republic is a Government of the people, by the people and for the people. We are fully committed to ensuring that we leave no one and no place behind. Poverty must never be a security barrier,” he said.
“If a citizen cannot afford a private conveyancer, the State will step in as their champion. To this end, the Ministry is actively training legal officers within the Legal Aid Directorate and the Office of the Attorney General,” Minister Ziyambi added.
The access question has already been raised in Parliament. Bulawayo North MP Minenhle Gumede said the objective of strengthening property rights and improving land records was welcome, but warned that affordability and access could place pressure on ordinary Zimbabweans. Her concerns came as officials continued to explain how the Digital Land Administration Platform would be used to process applications and store records.
The platform is also being introduced against a backdrop of delays in the wider Presidential Title Deeds Programme. In Epworth, residents have complained about the slow issuance of deeds under the programme launched in 2023 to formalise ownership in the large settlement.
Epworth North MP Zivai Mhetu said the delays had frustrated residents and allowed land barons to take advantage of uncertainty around ownership and documentation.
“The title deeds programme in Epworth, launched by the President, has been moving at a slow pace and land barons are taking advantage of this snail’s pace,” Mhetu said.
He said he had written to President Emmerson Mnangagwa after residents complained that little progress had been made. At one feedback meeting attended by 3,000 people, he said only four residents had shown that they had received title deeds.
“In my feedback meetings, 3,000 people in my constituency gathered for a meeting on various issues. Only four residents have shown that they have received title deeds so far. This means the programme in Epworth North is next to nothing to talk about,” he said.
Staff shortages at the Epworth Local Board have been cited as a major obstacle, affecting land allocations, pegging and surveying. At the launch of the programme, 265 securitised deeds of grant were handed to selected residents. More than 22,000 stand owners were expected to register, with the projected number later rising to 45,000 after additional beneficiaries were included.
Mhetu said the absence of physical addresses also created difficulties for law enforcement and residents who needed clear proof of where they lived.
“Whenever thieves violate the laws of the country in Harare or elsewhere, they come and hide in Epworth, where there are no physical addresses to the houses,” he said. “This makes it difficult for law enforcement agents to locate the suspected thieves.”
The Government’s immediate task is now to expand the validation process, assist owners who lack documents or money, and ensure that the digital register can handle applications from urban, rural and farming communities. For property owners, the minister’s message is that the July 2027 deadline is not a date on which homes will automatically be taken away. It is, however, the point after which an old paper deed may no longer be enough to complete a formal property transaction.