AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
If the title is in your parent's name, the house becomes part of their estate when they die and passes by their will or by intestacy, which can mean siblings and others share it. If it is in your name, you keep control and it passes under your own estate, but your parent lives there on your permission, so record that right in writing. Either way, register the title properly, since transfers of land need the governor's consent and registration.
Many Nigerians abroad build a house at home for their parents, often on family land or a plot bought for the purpose. The money is yours, the house is theirs to live in, and the question of whose name goes on the title is easy to postpone. It should not be. The name decides who can sell, who inherits and how a family dispute will be resolved.
Option one: title in your parent's name
This matches the intention many people have: it is the parents' house. But legally it becomes your parent's property, and on their death it forms part of their estate.
- If your parent leaves a will, the house passes as the will directs.
- If not, it passes by the law that applies to their estate. Under Lagos's Administration of Estates Law 2015, as summarised by The Trusted Advisors (Mondaq, March 2025), the surviving spouse and children rank ahead of other relatives and children share equally regardless of gender.
- Your siblings, and any half-siblings, may therefore have a share in a house you paid for.
- Your parent can, in principle, sell or mortgage it.
Where a father dies first, the courts protect the surviving widow's right to stay in the matrimonial home (Nzekwu v Nzekwu, 1989), which is usually what the child who built it wants. See our guide on a widowed mother's right to the family house.
Option two: title in your name
With the title in your name, you control the property and it passes under your own will or estate. Your parents live there by your permission, which is fine while everyone agrees, but leaves them exposed if you die first and your own heirs, perhaps a spouse abroad, take a different view.
- Write down your parents' right to live in the house for life, in a signed document a lawyer drafts.
- Make a will that deals with the house, and says what happens to your parents' right of residence.
- Expect to sign documents from abroad, often through a power of attorney; under Nigerian practice a power of attorney executed abroad must be witnessed by a notary public, judge or magistrate, according to a LawPavilion guide.
Why registration matters either way
Whoever's name you choose, the title must be properly registered. Land in Nigeria is held under the Land Use Act, and transfers generally need the state governor's consent. Ekiti State's procedure for a deed of assignment, dated December 2025, gives an example of what that involves: an existing Certificate of Occupancy, a subsequent transaction form, a three-year tax clearance, a valuation report, stamp duty, the governor's approval and registration at the deeds registry, taking up to 30 working days. Other states have their own procedures and fees.
An unregistered deed or a family arrangement on paper is the commonest source of later disputes. Build on land whose title has been verified; our cross-link on title checks in Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt covers that.
Family land is a special case
If the house is built on family land, the land may belong to the family as a whole, not to your parent. Building on it does not by itself make the house yours or your parent's alone. Before building, get the family head and principal members to agree in writing that the plot is allotted to your parent or to you, and ask a lawyer how that can be perfected into a registrable title.
Comparing the options
| Parent's name | Your name | |
|---|---|---|
| Who controls sale or mortgage | Your parent | You |
| On your parent's death | Passes under their will or intestacy, possibly shared among siblings | Unaffected; parent's right ends unless recorded for a surviving parent |
| On your death | Unaffected | Passes under your will or estate; record your parents' right to stay |
| Disputes with siblings | More likely after your parent's death | Less likely, but possible over family land |
Steps before you build
- Decide whose name goes on the title and explain it to your parents and siblings together.
- Verify the land's title and register any transfer, including governor's consent where required.
- If the title is in your name, have a lawyer draft your parents' right of residence.
- If it is in your parent's name, encourage them to make a will that reflects the family's understanding.
- Keep records of every payment for land and construction.
This is information, not legal advice. Take advice from a lawyer in the state where the land is.
Whichever option you choose, tell your siblings what you have decided and why, ideally with your parents present. A decision explained at the start is far easier to defend than one discovered after a funeral.
Where Pryme fits
With a Pryme account you can pay the land seller, the lawyer and contractors directly in naira from abroad with Send, and generate a verifiable receipt of each payment, a useful record of who paid for the house whichever name goes on the title.
Questions people ask
Should I put my parents' name on the house I build?
It suits the intention that it is their house, but on their death it becomes part of their estate and may be shared among siblings. If you want control, keep it in your name and record their right to live there.
Can my siblings claim the house I built for my parents?
If the title is in your parent's name and they die without a will, siblings may be entitled to shares under the law that applies to the estate.
Do I need governor's consent to transfer land in Nigeria?
Transfers of land held under the Land Use Act generally need the governor's consent and registration. Each state has its own procedure; Ekiti's, for example, includes a tax clearance, valuation, stamp duty and registration.
What if I build on family land?
Family land may belong to the family as a whole. Get written agreement from the family head and principal members allotting the plot, and ask a lawyer how to turn that into a registrable title.
Sources
- Inheritance rights of women in Nigeria: legal framework and cultural perspectives (Mondaq, The Trusted Advisors) · accessed Oct 2026
- Regulatory procedure for Deed of Assignment (Ekiti State Government) · accessed Oct 2026
- Power of attorney in Nigeria: the law, the power and the practice (LawPavilion) · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.