How to Verify Ownership Documents Before Buying a Resale Unit

In Egypt's resale market, most problems that end in courtrooms started with a buyer who did not check the papers. The good news: verifying ownership is not complicated once you know exactly what to ask for. Before any deposit changes hands, work through the documents below.

The core documents to request

• The original purchase contract with the developer, not a photocopy.
• All payment receipts and, ideally, a recent statement of account from the developer.
• The seller's national ID, matched letter by letter against the name on the contract.
• Any annexes: modification letters, delivery reports, or settlement agreements.
• If someone signs on the owner's behalf, a valid notarized power of attorney that explicitly allows selling and receiving money.

Cross-check with the developer

Documents can be forged; the developer's records rarely lie. Visit or call the developer's customer service or transfer desk and confirm three things: the unit is registered in the seller's name, there are no unpaid installments or penalties beyond what the seller disclosed, and the developer has no objection to a contract transfer. Many developers require the seller's presence or a formal request to release this information, which is itself a useful test of the seller's seriousness.

Understand the registration reality

Most compound units in Egypt are held under preliminary contracts rather than fully registered title at the notary office, and that is normal at this stage of a compound's life. What matters is a clean, continuous chain: developer to first buyer to you, with each transfer stamped by the developer. If a link in that chain is missing, ask a real estate lawyer to review before proceeding.

The takeaway: insist on originals, verify with the developer directly, and involve a lawyer whenever the chain of ownership has more than one previous transfer.