Taking Over the Seller's Installment Plan: What Transfers and What Does Not

Taking over a seller's installment plan — known in the Egyptian market as takeover or تقبيل — is one of the most common resale structures in compounds. You pay the seller for what they have already paid, often plus an over price, and continue the remaining installments with the developer. But buyers often assume everything transfers automatically. It does not.

What normally transfers

The core of the deal is the contract itself: once the developer approves the transfer, the unit, its specifications, and the remaining payment schedule move to your name. Delivery obligations and the unit's position in the project also carry over. In most cases, the maintenance deposit terms and delivery date stated in the contract remain as they are.

What may not transfer

Personal discounts, launch offers, or special terms the original buyer negotiated may not survive the transfer — some developers reserve the right to adjust conditions. Any side agreements between the seller and a broker or the developer that are not written into the contract effectively vanish. Penalties or arrears the seller accumulated can also become your problem if you do not check the account statement first.

Protect yourself before you sign

• Request an official statement from the developer showing paid amounts, remaining installments, and any arrears.
• Confirm the developer's transfer conditions and any transfer fee in writing.
• Verify that the contract terms you are inheriting match what the seller described.
• Complete the transfer through the developer's official process, not just a private contract with the seller.

Practical takeaway: in a takeover, you are buying a contract, not just a unit. Read that contract as if it were written for you — because after the transfer, it is.