US Embassy: Problems obtaining clear title to property in The Bahamas

The US Embassy in Nassau has received complaints about problems obtaining clear title to property in The Bahamas, according to the US Department of State’s Bahamas Investment Climate Statement, which added that investors in The Bahamas have also complained about “lengthy and difficult” real estate processes. “US Embassy Nassau has received reports of problems obtaining clear title to property, often delaying real estate transaction closings,” the statement says. “This can be due to the seller having no legal right to convey, or because separate claims to ownership arose after a purchase was made.” The statement noted that governments have committed to allaying these difficulties through the development of a digital land registry. It explains that this new registry would “improve market transparency, facilitate the ease of doing business, and ensure households and businesses have secure titles”. It laments, though, that the government does not publish the number of cases where property is without a clear title. “Despite the high number of second-home owners in The Bahamas, local and international investors describe the process of registering property as lengthy and difficult,” the statement says. “Land ownership in The Bahamas is based on English law and can include Crown land, commonage land, and generational land. The investor’s secured interest in mobile and immobile property is recognized and enforced by law. Mortgages in real property and legal rights in personal property are recorded with the Registrar General of The Bahamas.” The US Department of State explains in its statement that unoccupied property cannot revert to other owners, like squatters, which it contends has led to a high incidence of unoccupied, derelict, and partially constructed residences. It also notes that the city of Nassau currently suffers from the existence of numerous abandoned buildings. “In 2023, the government issued demolition orders for nine derelict buildings in the downtown area, and as of April 2025, US Embassy Nassau is aware of six of nine being demolished,” the statement notes. “Legislation to support the redevelopment and management of Downtown Nassau is being drafted.”