Buying Caribbean property from abroad
Fake listings are rising as property sales move online. What Jamaica and Trinidad are doing, and how diaspora buyers can protect a deposit.
In March 2026, scammers in Jamaica stole a licensed agent's "For Sale" signs, changed the phone number and planted them on a different property. By June, Jamaica's National Housing Trust was warning about fake social media pages selling its houses.
As more Caribbean property is marketed on WhatsApp and Facebook, buyers abroad are easier targets. The good news is that a few simple checks stop most of these scams before any money moves.
How property is sold today
Much of the Caribbean property market runs on phone photos, WhatsApp broadcasts and Facebook posts. The same house can appear in three chats at three prices, and "available" often means "available last month."
That suits buyers who live nearby and can visit. It is risky for someone in Toronto or New York deciding from a video call.
The scams to know
Jamaican realtors and housing officials have described several common tricks in 2026:
- Stolen or copied "For Sale" signs with a fraudster's number, as the Realtors Association of Jamaica reported in March.
- Fake pages using the National Housing Trust's name, even though the NHT does not sell homes through social media.
- Copied profiles of real agents, with photos stolen and the contact details changed.
- Pressure to pay a cash or wire deposit "to secure the deal" before a viewing or a lawyer's check.
Realtors Association president Gabrielle Gilpin-Hudson put it simply: "If something is appearing too good to be true, it's probably not real."
How rules differ by country
Jamaica
Real estate agents must be licensed by the Real Estate Board under the Real Estate (Dealers and Developers) Act. Licensed agents have to check that the seller owns the property and is allowed to sell it. You can check an agent on the board's register.
Jamaica also has an online land records service. Through the National Land Agency's eLandjamaica site, basic title information is free to search, and copies of title documents cost a small fee.
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago passed a Real Estate Agents Act in 2020, but as of October 2026 it has not yet been brought into force. That means there is no compulsory licence for agents yet.
Land records are also split between two systems: the older deeds system and the newer registered-title system. Sally Singh, president of the Association of Real Estate Agents, has called for a move to mostly registered titles and one digital land information system to cut fraud.
| Jamaica | Trinidad and Tobago | |
|---|---|---|
| Agent licensing | Required, through the Real Estate Board | Law passed in 2020, not yet in force |
| Online title search | Yes, through eLandjamaica | Not a single national system yet |
Where the money goes
A deposit is the riskiest moment in a purchase. The safest approach is to pay into an escrow arrangement, where a lawyer or another trusted third party holds the money until agreed conditions are met, such as a clean title search.
Diaspora buyers also face currency timing. Your income is in US or Canadian dollars, the price may be in local currency, and banks need paperwork for large transfers. Leave extra time before any contract deadline, because a delayed wire can look like cold feet to the seller.
For new builds paid in stages, tie each payment to an independent inspection, not to photos sent by the builder.
A checklist for buying from abroad
- Check the agent's licence where one exists, and call their office number from the brokerage's own website.
- Search the title yourself, or hire a local lawyer to do it, before paying anything.
- Never pay a deposit before a viewing, in person or by a live video walk-through you control.
- Pay deposits only into a lawyer's or escrow account, with written conditions for release.
- Get insurance quotes before agreeing a price, since hurricane and flood cover can change what you can afford.
Our post on payment fraud covers more scams that start in a chat.
What to watch
Watch whether Trinidad and Tobago brings its Real Estate Agents Act into force and starts licensing agents. Watch for progress on a single digital land records system there. In Jamaica, watch for police and Real Estate Board action against fake listings. Until then, treat any property deal that starts on social media as unverified until a lawyer says otherwise.