Using property rights to fight crime: the Khaya Lam project

Despite it being legal in South Africa to acquire a title deed to a government-issued home, roughly 20 million South Africans do not hold title to their property. Millions of homes are eligible to have ownership transferred from the government to the individuals living in them, but legal costs and lack of awareness keep these renters from going through the steps to secure title deeds. Though they may occupy the property for years, without a title deed South Africans are unable, under the law, to make improvements to the property, sell it, or leave it to heirs. The government can seize the property at any time. The Khaya Lam project began in 2013 in an effort to streamline the title deed process and cover legal costs and has teamed up with municipalities to issue almost ten thousand deeds to date. The expansion of property rights are a positive shock to wealth, which can affect investment in security, but could also create opportunities for more crime. This article employs the Synthetic Control Method to understand the relationship between securing property rights and crime.