The legal checks before you buy property in Egypt: contracts, permits and paying safely

Know which contract you're signing

Most homes in Egypt change hands without ever being registered, so the first question is what kind of paper you're actually getting.

Registration is simpler than it used to be. Law 9 of 2022 removed the old requirement that the previous owner be registered first, separated it from paying the seller's tax, and gives the Registry 30 days to decide, or 37 if there's an objection. The fee is fixed by the unit's size, up to a maximum of EGP 2,000. If the home you're buying can be registered, registering it is the best protection you can buy.

Buying from a developer: five checks

1. The company. Ask for the developer's commercial register extract, and check that the company named on your contract is the one that owns or was allocated the land.
2. The land. Ask for the land allocation decision or the title to the land, and check whose name it's in: the company's, or a partner's or landowner's.
3. The building permit. Under the Consumer Protection Law (Law 181 of 2018, Article 15), units can't be advertised or sold before a building permit is issued. Ask for the permit for your building and phase.
4. The phase approval. A developer selling in phases must have approved master and detailed plans before advertising, and keep a separate bank account for the project, under Decision 2184 of 2022. Ask which account you're paying into, and ask for the maintenance deposit to be held in its own account: a 2026 study of developer contracts found some had none and recommended one.
5. The contract terms. Read the delivery date, the delay compensation, the cancellation penalty and the transfer conditions. Our guide to developer payment plans explains each one.

Keep every brochure, advertisement and payment receipt. If a dispute comes, they are part of your evidence.

Buying resale: five checks

1. The full chain of contracts. You need every contract from the developer, or the original registered owner, down to the person selling to you, with no gaps. Each name should match the next contract's seller.
2. Bills in the seller's name. Ask for recent electricity, water and gas bills and the annual property tax receipts. They help show the seller really holds the home, and that nothing is unpaid.
3. Money owed to the developer. If the unit isn't fully paid, ask the developer for a statement of paid and remaining instalments and its written conditions for transferring the unit to you.
4. Ask the people who know. Talk to the doorman (bawab) and neighbours: who lives there, whether the home has been offered to others, whether anyone else has paid for it. Selling an unregistered unit to two buyers is a well-known fraud.
5. The building's legal status. In older areas such as Maadi, Heliopolis, Nasr City and Zamalek, some buildings have floors or changes built without a permit. Ask whether the building is fully licensed or has applied for reconciliation under Law 187 of 2023. The Ministry of Housing says reconciliation brings official utility connections and a higher market value, and the deadline to apply has been extended for six months from 5 November 2026. Have your lawyer confirm how any violation affects registering your purchase.

Checking the person you're dealing with

• The seller. Check the seller's national ID against every contract. If someone is selling for the owner, ask to see the power of attorney, check it's a special one covering this home and its sale, and call the owner yourself.
• The broker. Real estate brokers in Egypt must now be registered with the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC) under Law 21 of 2022, through a company, and the deadline to register passed on 25 July 2026. Ask to see the broker's card. Brokerage needs a written contract, and a commission above EGP 10,000 must be paid by bank transfer or another non-cash method, not cash.
• Anyone claiming to represent Feinh. Check their number or name on Feinh Verify before you share documents or pay anything.

How to pay safely

• Pay a developer only into the company's own bank account named in your contract, by bank transfer, so there's a record.
• On a resale, pay the seller's own account, never a broker's or a relative's.
• Agree the purpose of any deposit in writing. Under the Civil Code, a buyer who withdraws loses a deposit (arboun), and a seller who withdraws pays it back double, unless you agree otherwise. Our guide to the deposit and closing explains how to word it.

Your checklist

Tick each one as you get it, and print the list for your lawyer.

• Seller's national ID, matching the name on the contract
• The full chain of contracts from the developer or registered owner to the seller
• Registered deed, if the home is registered, or confirmation of whether it can be
• Developer's commercial register extract
• Land allocation decision or land title, and whose name it's in
• Building permit for the building and phase
• Developer's statement of paid and remaining instalments, and its written transfer conditions
• Recent utility bills in the seller's name
• Property tax receipts
• Power of attorney, if someone is selling for the owner, checked as special and covering this sale
• Broker's registration card and a written brokerage agreement
• The building's licence, or proof of a reconciliation application
• Your lawyer's review of the contract before you sign or pay

Every home on Feinh is checked before it goes live, but our check isn't a legal title search, and nor is this list. Use both with your own lawyer, and you'll avoid the problems buyers in Egypt run into most.