On the ground

How to physically check a plot before buying it

By Adil Builders · Updated 25 September 2026

A property can be perfectly documented and still be physically different from what you think you are buying. The site visit is where you prove the paper and the ground describe the same thing.

Before you go

Take the approved layout (not the brochure), the plot and block number, the ownership and transfer documents, and any site plan. Know which plots should be on each side.

On site: the checks

Identity. Is this really Plot 456, Block C? Find it yourself from the layout, don't let the dealer just point.
Neighbours. If 455 should be on the left and 457 on the right, is that true?
Boundaries. Walk all four corners and the front, back and both sides.
Dimensions. Measure the frontage and depth, not just "ten marla."
Access. Which road serves the plot, and is it public, a society road, or someone's private land?
Occupation. Is anyone using it? Any wall, structure or encroachment?
Infrastructure. What exists today: roads, sewerage, water, electricity, drainage?
Layout match. Do the road, parks, corner and orientation match the approved plan?

Things that are clues, not proof

A Google Maps pin, the dealer's phone location, a society employee pointing, paint on a wall or a board saying "456" are useful clues. None of them identifies the plot authoritatively.

Google Maps is great for roads and landmarks. It was never meant to establish a legal boundary. A concrete pillar does not become authoritative because someone painted "123" on it.

Area is not shape

Two ten marla plots can be very different. A 30 by 75 ft plot and a 20 by 112.5 ft plot have similar areas and very different driveways, rooms and light. Setbacks and rights-of-way also mean you can own ten marla but build on less.

Take a record

Photograph or video the entrance, each corner, the plot marker, neighbouring plots, the road, boundary walls and nearby landmarks. Note the date. Ask the neighbours how long the boundaries have been there and whether there has ever been a dispute; treat what they say as information, not proof.

Warning signs

The plot number does not fit the sequence of its neighbours.
A boundary marker looks newly installed.
A neighbour disputes the boundary.
The plot is noticeably smaller than claimed.
Access means crossing someone's private land.
The approved layout shows a park or road here.
The seller refuses independent measurement.

If anything does not match, stop and find the reason. For raw land, irregular plots or disputed boundaries, use a professional surveyor and consider formal demarcation.

From Chapter 9, Physical Verification of Understanding Property in Lahore, built from PLRA, LDA and FBR sources.