The seller

Buying inherited property in Pakistan: what to check

By Adil Builders · Updated 25 September 2026

A family tells you: "Our father owned this house. He has passed away, and we are selling it." This is very common in Lahore, and it is one of the riskier kinds of purchase.

Why inheritance is risky

When an owner dies, their property usually passes to several legal heirs: a spouse, sons, daughters, and sometimes parents or others. Each heir can end up with an ownership interest.

The classic problem goes like this. The seller says, "My father owned it and I am his only son." It seems to check out. Later you find there is also a daughter. Or the widow has an interest. Or one heir was never included. Or the inheritance was never recorded.

"I am the owner's son" is not an ownership document. It is a claim. You need documents showing the succession and the ownership interests that came out of it.

A missing heir does not go away. It comes back later, often as a court case against whoever bought the property.

What to establish

Before paying anything significant, you want to know:

Who the deceased owner was, and that the property was really theirs.
Who all the legal heirs are.
That the inheritance mutation (intiqal) has been recorded in the land record.
Each heir's share, as shown in the current record.
That every heir with an interest is signing, or has validly authorised someone to sign.
That no heir is disputing the sale.

PLRA recognises inheritance as one of the events recorded through a mutation. So the current Fard should show the heirs and their shares, not the deceased.

If some heirs are abroad

Heirs living overseas often sign through a power of attorney. Then you are checking two things: the inheritance, and each POA. See buying through a power of attorney.

If someone says "sab settled hai"

Family property is where verbal assurances are most tempting and least reliable. "Family property hai, sab settled hai" is not a document. Ask to see how it was settled. For inherited property, a property lawyer's title review is strongly worth the fee.

From Chapter 4, Who Is Allowed to Sell? of Understanding Property in Lahore, built from PLRA, LDA and FBR sources.