Glossary of Lebanese property terms

19 of 19 terms

إفادة عقاريةProperty statement

The Land Registry's extract for a lot: owners, shares, mortgages, seizures and easements. The first document any buyer reads.

سند التمليكTitle deed

The owner's certificate of ownership of a lot or of shares in it.

السجل العقاريLand Registry

Where ownership is recorded and transferred. A sale counts from its registration here.

المساحة / خريطة مساحةCadastre / survey map

The office that maps lots, and its map of a lot's boundaries and area.

إفرازSubdivision (into units)

Dividing a building into registered sections, so each apartment is its own lot.

أسهمShares

A fraction of a whole plot (of 2,400 shares). What you own in a building that has not been subdivided.

رخصة بناءBuilding permit

Permission to build, with its floors and areas. What is built beyond it is irregular.

رخصة إسكانOccupancy permit

Issued when a building is finished as permitted; needed to subdivide and register units.

براءة ذمةClearance certificate

Proof that nothing is owed — to the municipality, to the tax office, to the building committee.

كاتب العدلNotary

The public officer before whom contracts and powers of attorney are made.

وكالةPower of attorney

Authority for someone to act for you — to sign, to register, to sell. Read what it allows.

وكالة غير قابلة للعزلIrrevocable power of attorney

One the owner cannot withdraw. Sometimes used to sell without registering; it leaves the buyer exposed until the sale is registered.

حصر إرثInheritance decision

The court or religious-court decision naming a deceased owner's heirs and their shares.

إفادة تخطيط وارتفاقZoning and alignment statement

Whether a road plan or easement affects the lot, and what may be built on it.

لجنة البنايةBuilding committee

The co-owners' committee that runs the building's shared costs: generator, lift, cleaning, repairs.

عربونDeposit

Money paid to hold a sale. Write down what happens to it if either side withdraws.

على المخططOff-plan

Bought before it is built, usually with a payment plan tied to the works.

اشتراك المولّدGenerator subscription

The monthly fee for private generator power, by the amp.

التخمين العقاريValuation

An expert's estimate of a property's value, used by banks, courts and the tax office.