Buy a home safely

Most bad stories share the same three mistakes: no title check, money paid outside the bank, and a deposit handed to a salesman.

Checked: October 2026

Key facts

A registered property has a land title number. The land registry, ANCFCC, issues a certificate showing the owner, mortgages and seizures.
Unregistered property, known as melkia, rests on adoul deeds and is far easier to dispute.
Off-plan sales are governed by a specific law: a written contract, staged payments linked to progress, and guarantees for your money.
Paying part of the price abroad, or undeclared, is illegal. The Exchange Office opened investigations into developers who asked buyers abroad for it.

Ask for the land title number and get the ownership certificate yourself from ANCFCC.
Choose your own notary, not the seller's. The notary checks the title, the taxes owed and the permits.
Pay every dirham by transfer through the notary, from a convertible or foreign currency account.
Sign nothing and pay nothing at a property fair. Visit the site and read the building permit first.
After signing, check that the title has been registered in your name.

CNIE or passport
Proof that the funds came from abroad
For property bought through someone else: a power of attorney drawn up by a notary, an adoul or an authorised lawyer

Brochures promising delivery in three or four years are not a guarantee. Ask which bank or insurer guarantees completion.
A price far below the market, or pressure to pay today, is the oldest signal there is.
Never let the purchase be registered in a relative's name for convenience. Legally, the home is theirs.

Checked: October 2026. Independent guide, not a government site. Rules change: confirm on the official page before you act.