Is investing in Lebanese real estate a good idea, and what are the risks?

Also asked as: “Is real estate in Lebanon a good investment in 2026?” · “Is it worth buying property in Lebanon to rent out?” · “What are the risks of buying property in Lebanon?” · “What return does Lebanese property give?”

What the rent really earns#

The only dated yield we found comes from a broker. JSK Real Estate gave Ras Beirut a gross yield potential of 3.5% to 5% in Q3 2025, without saying how it worked that out^[1]. It is a gross figure, before tax, maintenance, generator costs and months with no tenant. More on rents in rental yield in Beirut.

An opinion piece in Libnanews (August 2026) gives an illustration, not an average: a flat offered at USD 300,000 that rents for USD 1,000 a month earns USD 12,000 gross a year and about USD 9,000 net. By our own division that is 4% gross and 3% net^[4]. The Beiruter (January 2026) reports that rents have not risen like sale prices, because resident households have limited purchasing power, and that rents are higher where expatriates or jobs drive demand^[8].

An empty flat still costs you money. The same Libnanews piece says many apartments earn no rent because they sit empty, are used a few weeks a year or are held for resale, yet still pay building, generator and lift costs, so their net return can be zero or negative^[4]. Libnanews (August 2026) also reports that a study for the Municipality of Beirut found 23% of 1996-2018 dwellings vacant (over 7,000 units), and that 43% of dwellings completed in 2019 to 2022 were still empty in 2023.

Can you sell it again?#

Libnanews (October 2026) describes a two-speed market. Quality property in sought-after areas finds buyers, while other listings stay unsold for a long time^[2]. One advisory firm quoted by LeBusiness, Cedar Keys Estates, says listings priced on what a neighbour claims to have been offered often sit for six months unsold^[5]. We found no official data on how long resales take.

The pool of buyers is small. People with fresh dollars can still buy, but households tied to old bank deposits largely cannot^[2]. Commercial banks were reported in autumn 2026 not to be writing home mortgages^[2,3]. Libnanews (August 2026) notes that the Banque de l'Habitat ceiling of about USD 100,000 covers only about one third of a USD 300,000 flat^[4,8]. Credit Libanais figures reported by An-Nahar show registered sales fell 25.54% in number from January to July 2026, compared with the same months of 2025^[5,7].

Asking prices are not sale prices, and no source we found measures the gap between them^[4,5,7].

Who says prices will rise#

The positive claims come from people who sell property. JSK Real Estate wrote in September 2025 that Lebanese real estate remains one of the few trusted ways to protect and grow capital, without discussing risks^[9]. Assukna's founder wrote in April 2026 that prime-area prices will move if Lebanon stabilises even partly, and in the same piece warned that the market is illiquid and a quick exit is risky^[10].

Libnanews (October 2026) reports an expectation from R.E.A.L president Walid Moussa: up to +30% by end 2026 (estimate, not observed)^[2]. Libnanews calls it an anticipation, not a rise already seen, and says it does not mean every flat will gain that much. The sources also disagree on where prices stand now. R.E.A.L, quoted by The Beiruter in January 2026, says prime areas are close to pre-crisis levels^[8]. Assukna's founder, in April 2026, says Beirut, Jounieh, Byblos and Aley are still well below 2018 and 2019 levels in real USD terms^[10]. Both are interested parties and neither shows a data series. More in where prices may go by 2027.

The risks that cost money#

Off-plan projects carry the developer's risk. Libnanews reports that the 2018 bankruptcy of the developer Sayfco left about 600 buyers exposed: bank mortgages on the projects blocked their titles, and some settlement proposals asked buyers for an extra USD 10,000 to lift the mortgages and register^[4]. Read how to check a developer before you pay anything off-plan.

The title and the price of a specific flat need their own checks. District statistics miss the floor, a broken lift, a deed shared between heirs or a registration that will stall^[5]. Only the property's own Land Registry extract shows the owner, mortgages and restrictions^[11,12].

Location changes the logic. Libnanews (October 2026) writes that in war-affected areas such as the South, value is tied to reconstruction, return, compensation and security, and does not follow Beirut's price mechanisms^[2].

Entry and exit cost money too. Kallas Law Firm puts buying costs at about 4% for a Lebanese buyer and about 6% for a non-Lebanese buyer, before broker and lawyer fees^[6]. When you sell, Art. 66 of Law 10/2022 says that, where there is no Treasury seizure on the property, the rental value statement used to set the fee base is issued once the built-property tax and the capital-gains tax are paid^[6,13]. The tax rates are on the fees pages, so check them before you work out a return.