Offers, the arboun deposit and closing a property sale safely in Egypt

From "yes" to keys: the four stages

A resale in Egypt usually moves through four stages. Each has its own paper, and each protects you only if it's written properly.

Handling offers

• Get every offer in writing, with the price, how it will be paid, and any condition such as a mortgage.
• Compare the whole offer, not only the price. A slightly lower offer in cash, with a short timeline and no conditions, can be worth more than a higher one that depends on a bank approval.
• Answer in writing too. If you counter, say exactly what you'll accept.
• Don't take a deposit to "hold" the home from several buyers at once. One arboun, one buyer.

If you don't yet know what your home is worth, start with our guide to pricing your property or ask for a free valuation.

What the law says about the arboun

The arboun is governed by Article 103 of the Egyptian Civil Code. Unless you agree otherwise:

• Paying an arboun gives each side a right to withdraw.
• If the buyer withdraws, they lose the arboun.
• If you withdraw, you return double the arboun, even if the buyer suffered no loss.

The words "unless you agree otherwise" matter. Egyptian courts look at what the two sides intended: whether the arboun was a part-payment that confirms the sale, or the price of withdrawing from it. In one reported case, the Cairo Court of Appeal ordered a seller who withdrew to return double the arboun plus 4% a year from the date of the claim. The way to avoid a dispute is to write the purpose down.

What the arboun agreement should say

There's no standard amount and no standard timeline for an arboun in Egypt, so the agreement is where you set both. A good agreement states:

• Both parties, with full names and national ID numbers
• The home: address, unit number, floor, size, and project if any
• The full price and how it will be paid
• The arboun amount, and how it was paid (bank transfer reference)
• What the arboun is: part of the price, or the price of withdrawal
• The deadline for signing the final contract
• Conditions, such as a mortgage approval, the developer's transfer approval, or a clean legal review
• What happens if a condition fails: for example, the arboun is returned in full within a set number of days
• What's included: kitchen, air conditioning, parking space
• Signatures of both parties and, ideally, two witnesses

Ask your lawyer to draft or review it. It's a short document that decides what happens to real money.

Getting paid safely

• Take the arboun and the price by bank transfer, into your own account. It's a clear record for both sides, and for the 2.5% disposal tax you'll owe.
• If a company is paying, it can't pay more than EGP 10,000 in cash for property under the 2020 rules of the non-cash payments law, and state bodies must collect property prices above that by non-cash means.
• Commissions above EGP 10,000 to a broker must also be paid through a bank.
• Hand over the keys only when you've been paid what the final contract says is due at handover.

The final contract and handover

1. Sign the final sale contract with your lawyer present. It repeats the price and terms, records what's been paid, and sets the handover date.
2. For a developer unit, complete the developer's transfer: the buyer is recorded as the new owner and takes over any remaining instalments. Our guide to selling off-plan before delivery covers this.
3. Hand over the home with a signed handover record: meter readings, keys, and the condition of the home.
4. Transfer the utilities into the buyer's name, or give them what they need to do it.
5. Support the buyer's registration. If your home is registered, the sale can be registered at Shahr El Akary, which by law must decide within 30 days, or 37 with an objection.
6. Pay the 2.5% disposal tax within 60 days of the sale. See taxes and fees when you sell.

The scams to know about

Most fraud in Egyptian resales follows a few patterns. Knowing them protects you as a seller too, because a buyer who's been warned will ask you for exactly these proofs.

• Selling the same unregistered home twice. It's a known scam: the same home is sold to two buyers on paper. Buyers protect themselves by checking the contract chain, asking neighbours and the building's doorman about earlier sales, and taking possession the day they pay. A tidy file and keys handed over at closing make your sale look as safe as it is.
• Fake powers of attorney. Someone claims to sell for the owner with a forged or general power of attorney. If you sell through an agent holding your power of attorney, make it special to this one home.
• Forged documents. Under Law 9 of 2022, using forged papers to register a property is punishable by at least one year in prison and a fine.
• Fake brokers. Since 25 July 2026, brokers must be registered with GOEIC. Ask for the broker card, and check agents on Feinh Verify.

The buyer's side of these checks is in our guide to the legal checks before you buy.