We advise expatriates, international investors, and local developers on Lebanese property transactions, from a single-family purchase to a multi-unit development. Every matter starts from the same principle: in Lebanon, ownership transfers only on inscription in the Land Registry (Sijl al-Iqari) — not on a signed contract, and not on a notarized deed.
Title Registration
We take a transaction from preliminary agreement through tax clearance to final Land Registry inscription and issuance of the title deed (Sanad Tamlik). A private sale agreement or notarized deed (Kateb al-Adel) creates only a personal obligation between buyer and seller until registered — we make sure nothing intervenes before your inscription is complete.
Power-of-Attorney Review
Where a seller proposes an irrevocable power of attorney (Wikala Dawriyya) instead of a transfer, we assess it against its statutory expiration under Article 818 of the Code of Obligations and Contracts (as amended by Law 422/1995), its exposure to the seller's creditors before registration, and its vulnerability to challenge by the seller's heirs. We use a Wikala Dawriyya only as an interim tool, never as a substitute for registration.
Foreign Ownership Compliance
We structure acquisitions by non-Lebanese buyers within the caps under Law 296/2001 — 3,000 m² without a Council of Ministers decree, subject to a 10% cap on Beirut's total area and 3% on any individual Caza — and prepare the decree application where a transaction exceeds that threshold. For corporate buyers, our corporate practice structures SALs with registered nominal shares to keep ownership compliant.
Due Diligence
Before you commit funds: a cadastral extract audit, zoning verification with the Directorate General of Urban Planning, and confirmation of valid occupancy permits.
Transaction & Escrow Structuring
We draft sale-purchase agreements settled in fresh USD, hold funds in escrow released only against the Land Registry's certified registration receipt, and add currency indemnity clauses covering official-versus-parallel exchange-rate disputes.
Co-Ownership & Partition
For property held in undivided shares (Shuyu'), we negotiate friendly partitions, bring judicial partition actions under the Code of Civil Procedure, and handle pre-emption claims (Haqq al-Shuf'a) between co-owners.
Commercial Leases & Development
We negotiate retail, office, and hospitality leases under the Free Tenancy Law (Decree-Law 159/1992), FIDIC-based construction contracts, and joint ventures between landowners and developers.
In Practice
Jurdi & Co advises expatriates, international investors, and local developers on Lebanese real estate transactions, from a single-family purchase through a multi-unit development. The work centers on four recurring needs: taking a transaction from preliminary agreement through Land Registry inscription and title deed issuance; assessing power-of-attorney arrangements against their statutory expiration and creditor exposure before a client relies on one; structuring foreign-compliant acquisitions within the caps and resolving co-ownership disputes through partition or pre-emption claims.
The practice operates in Arabic, French, and English, and its Downtown Beirut office sits close to the Land Registry, the Directorate General of Urban Planning, and the courts that hear property disputes.
Contact Your Real Estate Law Firm in Beirut
Contact Jurdi & Co to audit a title, structure a foreign-compliant acquisition, resolve a co-ownership dispute, or confirm fees on a pending transaction.
This page is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice; reviewing it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Statutory references.