The Government has gazetted regulations governing the allocation of land for non-residential purposes under the Land Act, establishing the procedures to be followed when allocating such land.
The regulations have been issued under the Land Act and set out the procedures applicable to land allocated or assigned by councils, ministries and other State institutions for purposes other than residential use. The Ministry of Infrastructure, Housing and Urban Development will be responsible for implementing the regulations.
Among the objectives of the regulations are to establish procedures relating to the allocation of land, define the principles governing land allocation, set out the process for issuing land registration documents and specify rights relating to land. The regulations also define the responsibilities of land recipients and the procedures for entering into agreements.
Under the regulations, land will be allocated or assigned in accordance with policies determined by the President under Article 3(a) of the Land Act. Where the land falls within the jurisdiction of a local council and is owned by that council, the allocation or assignment will be carried out by the relevant council. All other land will be allocated or assigned by the Ministry.
The regulations state that the minimum lease rent for land, the minimum sale price of land, the maximum lease rent for land allocated for public services and the value of land reserved for Government use will be determined by a Land Valuation Committee established by the President under Article 9 of the regulations.
When determining land values, the committee will consider the location of the land within an island or city, the level of economic activity and demand for land. The regulations provide for a nine-member Land Valuation Committee representing relevant Government institutions.
The committee will include one representative from the ministry responsible for finance, two representatives from the ministry responsible for land administration, one representative each from the ministries responsible for economic affairs, fisheries, tourism, construction and agriculture, and one representative from the Local Government Authority. The Chair of the Land Valuation Committee will be appointed by the President from among the committee’s nine members.
The regulations also require the relevant council or ministry handling the transaction to maintain a register containing information on all land allocated or sold under the regulations.
Land registers prepared before the regulations come into force will remain valid. However, all land registers must be updated within six months. The regulations also state that responsibilities already delegated to local councils under the new framework will continue to be carried out by the respective councils.
The Maldives Land Act was enacted in 2003.