What checks should I do before buying or renting property in Lebanon?

Also asked as: “What checks should I do before buying property in Lebanon?” · “Due diligence before buying property in Lebanon” · “How do I check a flat before renting in Lebanon?” · “Lebanon property checklist before buying”

Find the property by its numbers#

The Land Registry is kept by property, not by owner. Each plot has its own real folio under its number, and that folio gathers all its rights and charges^[13]. A street name or a village will not get you to it. In a divided building, each flat gets its own unit number added to the plot number, with its own folio^[14].

The extract describes the plot and lists the owners, where their right comes from and the shares each holds^[1,2]. Shares are written out of 2,400, so 2,400 shares is the whole property^[1,15,16]. The extract also shows mortgages, pledges, seizures, other charges and pending court actions. If the plot has not been finally surveyed, the area may be missing.

Every charge on the folio passes to you unless it is cleared before you buy^[3]. Only an official certificate from the Land Registry counts for a sale or in court; copies from OMT or online are for reference only^[1,2,8,9]. The register also protects you. According to Kallas Law Firm, a person who acquires a right relying on its entries keeps it, unless they knew of the defect beforehand^[13]. More on reading a title deed before you buy.

The extract does not show where the plot sits on the ground. Where the boundaries on the cadastral plan differ from those on the ground, the plan prevails^[13,15]. The Cadastre supervises sworn surveyors, but we found no published procedure or fee for hiring one or for ordering a plan^[17]. Ask a sworn surveyor to place the plot on the cadastral plan and show you its corners on site. See how to get a cadastral map or survey.

Check the seller and any power of attorney#

Ask for the seller's ID and compare it with the owner named on the extract. Recent registry entries record details such as the owner's mother's name, but older ones often do not^[18]. We found no Lebanese source on how to match an ID to the folio, so ask the notary (kateb adel) to make that comparison and record it.

In a case the ISF reported in June 2026, someone forged the title deed of a property in Halat (Jbeil) using a fake identity document in the real owner's name. Ownership passed to the forger and then to a buyer, although the owner had never sold^[7]. The buyer learned the deed was invalid only when he tried to register, after he had already bought it. Because the property had first been transferred to the forger, an extract naming the seller does not by itself rule out identity forgery. Pair the extract with the ID check at the notary, and register the sale as soon as the deed is signed^[3].

If someone signs for the seller, read the power of attorney itself. According to Kallas Law Firm, the agent needs an express special mandate to sell^[11] to sell, and to register, an ordinary POA must be no more than 5 years old^[11,12]. Kallas adds that a seller can in principle revoke an ordinary POA whenever he wishes, and we found no public register of revocations.

A POA notarised in Lebanon is not proof on its own. In a case the ISF reported in July 2026, a suspect used forged deeds, identity cards and POAs to have notarised POAs drawn up, then mortgaged the properties^[5]. Notaries do flag suspicious papers: in August 2026, a notary's office in Jounieh and another in the Bekaa reported suspected forgeries to the police^[19]. Here is how to check that a power of attorney is genuine.

Check the building, the permits and the land#

Parts of a building may not be sold or transferred without a final occupancy permit, except units under Law 539/1996^[20]. A provisional occupancy permit lets people connect utilities and live in the flat, but it is not valid for final subdivision, sale or registration. A flat can be registered as a separate unit only if the construction complies with the building laws^[14]. For a flat, the seller also needs a rental value statement, which is issued after built-property tax and capital-gains tax are paid^[21,22] where there is no Treasury seizure on the property.

A building violation goes on the folio only at the request of the municipality or the competent technical administration^[23]. Violations under Law 139/2019 stay on the folio until finally settled or removed, with their fees and fines recorded as a privileged debt^[24]. A clean extract therefore does not prove a clean building. Ask the municipality whether it has a violation file on the property, and have an engineer compare the building with the permit plans. More on finding violations before you buy.

For land, Kallas Law Firm advises pairing the registry check with the municipal master plan, because planning, expropriation and building laws limit what an owner may do^[25]. We found no source naming the office that gives a plot's zoning. Ask the municipality and the General Directorate of Urban Planning, and have your engineer confirm the answer in writing.

Renting: check before any deposit leaves your account#

In March 2026 the ISF warned of fraudsters who post rental ads on social media and ask for a "deposit" or "reservation fee" through a money-transfer company, then cut contact once the money arrives^[26]. Its advice is to inspect in person and verify the legal owner first, and only then send money. If you are targeted, report it through the ISF Baligh service, the ISF app or the nearest police station.

According to Legalmondo (June 2025), property certificates are public and anyone may request one without showing a legal interest^[1]. You, or someone you send, can get the extract for the flat. Check that the person renting to you is the registered owner or holds a written authorisation from the owner. See how to check that your landlord is the real owner.

According to Kallas Law Firm, if the flat is sold while you live there, a lease that is not inscribed at the Land Registry binds the new owner for no more than three years^[13] of rent. Old-rent tenancies are also governed by the rent laws, not only by this rule. To get a feel for a neighbourhood, start from the area pages, then visit at different times of day before you sign.