Is buying an apartment in instalments from a developer in Lebanon safe?

Also asked as: “What are the risks of buying an off-plan apartment on an instalment plan in Lebanon?” · “Is a developer payment plan in Lebanon safe?” · “What happens to my instalments if the building is never finished?” · “How do I protect my money when buying off-plan in Lebanon?”

What you own while you are paying#

A purchase in Lebanon runs from a Land Registry extract, through an optional promise of sale and a notarial deed, to inscription at the Land Registry. Ownership passes only at that last step^[1]. A private agreement does not transfer ownership. According to Kallas Law Firm, only the deed signed before a notary (kateb adel) for inscription at the Land Registry does that.

So every instalment you pay before inscription buys you a claim against the developer, not a flat^[1,2]. If the developer stops, sells to someone else or loses the land, you have to pursue them for it. More on this position in buying with a contract but nothing registered.

The promise of sale and its inscription#

According to Kallas Law Firm, a promise of sale can be provisionally inscribed on the property's folio, the registry page for that plot. This keeps your rank against any later sale or mortgage. Without the inscription, the promise cannot be relied on against third parties who acted in good faith^[1,3].

Rank matters because, between competing rights on the same property, priority goes by the date of entry in the registry's daily journal. For requests filed the same day it goes by the hour of filing, and the date a deed was signed does not decide it^[4]. Provisional inscriptions also run out. Depending on how they were made, they expire after one month, six months, two months or up to one year, according to the same firm's summary.

Our sources do not explain how a promise is inscribed for a flat that has no registration of its own yet, or how long such an inscription holds during a build that takes years. Put those two questions to a lawyer first. See whether a promise of sale is enough for a flat not yet built.

What the land's extract tells you#

The Land Registry extract (ifadeh aqariyeh) shows the owner, charges, mortgages and restrictions on the plot^[1,4]. For an off-plan flat, that means the land the building stands on. A mortgage or seizure already entered there ranks ahead of anything you file later^[4]. If the Special Investigation Commission has noted that the property is under verification, that note also appears on the register^[7].

Get the extract yourself rather than relying on a copy the developer hands you. You will need the plot number and its real estate district. This page does not cover which office issues the extract or what it costs; how to check a title deed explains the procedure, and a lawyer or notary can request it for you. The extract is a written record, so seeing where the plot actually sits on the ground needs a cadastral map or survey; ask your lawyer how to obtain one for that plot. If the land is mortgaged, read whether the developer's bank can take the land.

If the project stops#

We found no confirmed source on bank guarantees, escrow accounts or a legal procedure for buyers when a developer stops building. We cannot tell you what you would recover or how long it would take. A Lebanese lawyer can give you a view once they have read your contract and the extract. Start with what you can do if your developer stops building, and before you pay a deposit, check the developer.

A loan will not rescue a stalled purchase. As of autumn 2026, the press reports that commercial banks are still not writing home mortgages^[8,9]. BDH pays the seller only after ownership is registered in the borrower's name and the bank holds the new title deed^[5,6].