The Estate Agents Council of Zimbabwe has issued an important advisory to property buyers and investors following a government directive banning the practice of so-called parallel development — a move that carries significant implications for the way residential and commercial stands are sold, developed and occupied across the country.
Parallel development, as the practice has become known in Zimbabwe’s property market, refers to the common but legally problematic situation where land is sold, built upon, or occupied before the essential bulk infrastructure serving that land — roads, water reticulation and sewerage systems — has been fully installed, inspected and certified by the relevant authorities. The practice has been widespread in both formal and informal property markets, often leaving buyers in possession of stands or completed structures that sit on land without the basic services necessary to make them habitable, compliant or legally transferable.
The government’s ban closes what has long been a significant gap in the enforcement of property development standards. Under the new directive, no building activity may commence and no occupation of any structure is permitted until the roads, water supply and sewer infrastructure serving the development have been fully completed and certified as compliant. This shifts the burden firmly onto developers to ensure that infrastructure delivery precedes, rather than follows, the sale and occupation of stands — a reversal of the sequence that has characterised far too many developments in recent years.
For property buyers, the Estate Agents Council of Zimbabwe’s message is unambiguous: always demand a Certificate of Compliance before transacting. This document serves as formal confirmation that the relevant infrastructure has been assessed and approved by the responsible authorities, providing buyers with the assurance that the land or property they are purchasing meets the required legal and service delivery standards. Without it, buyers risk acquiring assets that may be subject to legal challenge, refused occupation, or disconnected from essential services — complications that can prove costly and difficult to resolve after the fact.
The directive is particularly significant in a market where land banking and speculative stand sales have sometimes outpaced the delivery of services, leaving buyers exposed and local authorities burdened with the cost of retrospective infrastructure provision. By requiring compliance before any development or occupation proceeds, the government is signalling a commitment to raising the standard of property development practice across Zimbabwe.
For buyers, developers and estate agents alike, the message is clear: compliance first, development second. In a property market maturing toward greater accountability and transparency, the Certificate of Compliance is no longer optional — it is the foundation on which every legitimate transaction must be built.
