Paid for a property? Finish the name transfer.

You bought the home. You paid. You may even hold the keys. But if the name transfer — የስም ዝውውር — is not completed, the law does not yet see the property as fully yours. That gap is where problems live.

Name transfer means the property is legally registered in your name and you hold the ownership confirmation that proves it. It is the step that converts a purchase into ownership.

What happens if you skip it

Everything is fine until it is not. The day you want to sell, transfer to family, use the property in a legal matter, or defend it against a claim, an incomplete transfer surfaces as your problem — at the worst possible time, with the least possible leverage. Authorities in Addis have repeatedly urged owners who bought from developers or individuals to complete the process rather than delay.

If you have purchased and the transfer is still pending, treat it as urgent, not administrative. Gather the contract and payment receipts, and push the registration through to the end. It is the least glamorous step of buying a home, and the one that makes every other step count.