The Lahore Property GuideThe seller
How to verify the seller is really allowed to sell the property
By Adil Builders · Updated 25 September 2026
Imagine everything checks out. The plot exists, the Fard is genuine, the registry is genuine, the society is real. Then you find out the person you have been dealing with cannot sell you the whole property.
That is one of the most common ways a Lahore property deal goes wrong. So verify the person, not just the property.
The golden question
What is your legal basis for selling this property?
A genuine seller can answer with documents. There are only a few possible answers, and each one needs a different check:
- "I am the recorded owner." Match their CNIC to the current record, and check their share is 100%.
- "I am one of the co-owners." Find out each person's share, and who else has to sign.
- "I have a power of attorney." Check what it covers, whether it is valid, and how it was authenticated.
- "I represent the company." Check who is actually authorised to act for the company.
- "I am selling for the heirs." Check how ownership passed to them, and that every heir is included.
Co-owners
If the Fard shows Ahmed 50% and Bilal 50%, Ahmed can generally transfer his own share, not Bilal's. Pakistan's Transfer of Property Act deals with this directly. "Bilal is my brother, he agrees" is not a signature.
Family relationships are not a substitute for documentation. Do not rely on verbal family consent.
Husband and wife
If the record shows both a husband and a wife, "my wife agrees" is not the same as her interest being properly transferred. The people who hold an interest need to sign the required documents, or validly authorise someone to sign for them.
An old registry
A seller shows a registry from 1998 with his name on it. That proves something about a transaction in 1998. It does not show he still owns the property today. Check the current record.
Someone in possession
"I have lived here for twenty years" is not ownership. Someone can occupy property without holding the title you need.
Minors and companies
A parent selling a child's property, or an employee selling company property, are cases where the law has specific requirements. Here a property lawyer should be involved before any real money moves.
The three questions that should become automatic
- Who owns it? Not who is selling it.
- What gives this person the right to sell it?
- Will everyone who needs to sign actually sign?
That third question catches a surprising number of problems.
From Chapter 4, Who Is Allowed to Sell? of Understanding Property in Lahore, built from PLRA, LDA and FBR sources.