Legal

Finding & Qualifying a Lawyer

If you're a first-time buyer or you're buying or selling a home without an agent in Lebanon, a real estate lawyer can answer your questions, help you negotiate, and take care of a lot of the little details you might not be aware of or available to do.

If you don't already have a list of prospective real estate lawyers, a great place to start your search is right here at Real Estate Lebanon. You can view a precompiled list that we have prepared for you.

Once you have reviewed a list of lawyers, take a few minutes to make sure that you are looking for the right kind of lawyer. Keep in mind, for example, that there are different types of real estate lawyers, so you need to look for one with expertise where you need it.

Understanding Lebanon's Real Estate Laws

Lebanon's former law limited the acquisition of land by foreigners to 5% in each Mohafaza, the actual law allows foreigners to acquire 3% of the total area of Lebanon regardless of the geographic location subject to one condition: foreigners can acquire no more than 3% of the total area of a caza. One exception to this law is Beirut, where foreigners are allowed to acquire up to 10% of the total area of the capital.

Foreigners can now acquire 3,000m2 of land without the passage of a decree by the Council of Ministers. The authorization to acquire a piece of land for a specific project has to be executed within a period of five years (extended only once for an additional five years if requested).

It is legally allowed for foreigners to buy more than 3,000m2 subject to a Council of Ministers' decree.

The law has lowered real estate registration fees to 5.8% for both Lebanese and foreign investors. This 5.8% registration fee includes the municipality fee of 0.25%, stamp duty of 0.3%, the lawyers' syndicate fee of 0.1%, and an additional 0.1% if the registration took place through a notary's office rather than the land registry (these fees add up to 0.75% of the 5.8% fee and have remained unchanged).

Thus, registration fees, net of the additional duties, have been reduced by 1% for Lebanese investors and 11% for foreign investors.