What commission do real estate brokers charge in Lebanon when a property is sold?

Also asked as: “Is broker commission in Lebanon 2.5% or 5%?” · “Real estate agent fee when selling in Lebanon” · “How much do agents take on a house sale in Lebanon?” · “Samsara commission in Lebanon”

What the law says about broker fees#

Lebanese law calls brokerage samsara. Article 291 of the Commercial Code defines it as a contract in which the broker, for a fee, guides you to a deal or acts as go-between in the negotiations, and the rules of agency apply to it generally^[1]. We read Articles 291 to 297 and found no licensing rule for real-estate brokers in them. More on that in whether brokers are licensed in Lebanon.

Article 292 says the fee is set by agreement or an official tariff, and failing those by custom or the judge's estimate^[1]. We found no official tariff for real-estate brokerage, and no law names which party pays. A judge may also reduce an agreed fee that is out of proportion to the deal and the work it took. See whether a court can reduce a broker's fee.

The 2.5% custom, and why it is only a starting point#

The figure people quote comes from brokers. JSK Real Estate, a Lebanese agency, wrote in October 2018 that the buyer pays 2.5% of the final price to the buyer's agent and the seller pays 2.5% to the seller's agent. The president of REAL, the brokers' syndicate, referred to the same 2.5% in a December 2015 interview^[2,3]. That adds up to 5% of the price when both sides have their own agent. If a broker quotes you 5%, ask whether that comes from you alone or is the total for both sides.

This is custom, and under Article 292 it is negotiable^[1]. We found no source from after 2019 on whether the rate has changed or whether it is quoted in US dollars. To learn what brokers charge today, ask several brokers for written quotes, or ask REAL what its members usually charge. Who pays which share is covered in who pays the broker, buyer or seller.

JSK also says it is accepted in Lebanon for one agent to act for both sides^[1]. No source says what that agent charges each side, so get it in writing.

When the fee is due, and when it is lost#

Under Article 293, the broker earns the fee when the information or negotiation he provided leads to the contract^[1]. If the contract has a suspensive condition, the fee is due only once the condition is met. Any expenses you agreed to pay are owed even if no contract results. The law does not say whether "the contract" means the promise of sale, the notarial deed or the registration. A sale in Lebanon can pass through all three, and ownership moves only at registration^[6]. Your written agreement can fix the moment. See when the broker's commission becomes due.

Under Article 294, a broker loses both the fee and any expenses if he acts for the other party in breach of his obligations, or gets that party to promise him a fee in bad faith^[1].

VAT and the rest of the bill#

PwC's tax summaries (July 2026) give Lebanon's standard VAT rate as 11%^[4,5], charged on commercial transactions by businesses unless they are exempt. No source says whether brokerage commissions carry VAT; it depends on whether your broker is VAT-registered. Before you agree, ask the broker whether the quoted rate includes VAT, and ask for a VAT invoice. More in VAT on a broker's commission.

The commission comes on top of the state charges. Kallas Law Firm puts a buyer's charges at about 4% (Lebanese), about 6% (non-Lebanese)^[7] of the property's value, and that estimate leaves out broker commission. The seller's side is set out in what it costs to sell a property.