· 7 min read
Verify who really owns the unit
In Cairo many apartments change hands on unregistered preliminary contracts. Before any payment, the ownership chain must be traced at the Real Estate Registry back to a registered title, not simply to the last paper contract the seller shows you.
If the chain breaks, the risk is not theoretical: you may be buying from someone who cannot legally transfer ownership to you.
Search for debts, mortgages and disputes
A registry and court search reveals mortgages, precautionary seizures and pending ownership litigation. These follow the property, not the seller, and can surface years after the sale.
Read the contract as a court would
Payment schedule, delivery date, penalty clauses and the consequences of developer delay decide what you can actually enforce. Bilingual contracts should always name the Arabic text as governing, because that is the text an Egyptian court reads.
Register, then relax
Ownership becomes secure with signature validation (صحة توقيع) and final registration — the green contract. Until then you hold a contractual right, not a registered title.
This article is general guidance and is not a substitute for advice on your specific case. For a consultation, contact Mohamed Ashraf Hosny Law Office in Tahrir Square, Cairo.