Villas in Luxor

Most houses (which the Egyptians call villas) are on the West Bank of Luxor but there are a few on the East Bank but they tend to be just outside of the main town and mostly built by Europeans.

It is extremely important that you ensure that you own both the land and the villa. Yes - here you can buy a villa on land you do not own as the two items are quite separate. It is also extremely important that under no circumstance do you accept that because a house is there that it is legal or for that matter because someone has a piece of paper that they are the only owner of the house or land it pertains to.

You must have your own lawyer, one you can trust and NOT one recommended by anyone with any connection to the sale of the property. Everything needs to be checked with the courts and all relevant authorities by a competent lawyer. If the sale is genuine who is going to object and if everything is correct this does not have to take a long time but, if everything isn't, you will have the information that will allow you to make an informed decision.

To protect your investment you need to go for the full registration of land and villa, not the simple Orfi contract or the 1st green paper from the court that effectively just says it agrees to the signatures but full registration. You lawyer will explain all this to you. From experience we would not deal with any lawyer that is happy to sell you anything of value on an Orfi contract alone.

Is the Villa Legal ?

This is where you need your lawyer but a good guide is to see what is around the villa you are considering.

Is there anything ancient near by? If so it is very unlikely that you will be able to own the land and there may well be a demolition order against the property as these can take years to enact. Large areas of land on the West Bank are owned by the Government but very nice villas have been built so you really must be careful what you buy over there regardless of whether it is being offered for sale through an Estate Agents here in Luxor.

If everywhere is green fields then it is unlikely that the villa is legal but there are always exceptions.

If there are buildings around that are substantial, not mud brick, if there is electric connected, not borrowed from street lighting or the overhead cables and there is mains water then you could be looking at a legal villa but extra floors are often added without permission. In Luxor absolutes are difficult to obtain but the locals think nothing of just building or adding floors without any permission.

Parting with Money.

You must ensure that you get a receipt for all monies paid and that all signatures are accompanied with the number from their identity card, which you look at and check. This is really best done through your lawyer. It isn't about trust it's about doing things right and securing your purchase. Without the number it is virtually impossible to find the person should anything go wrong. Do also check with your lawyer before you purchase from a European as there are strict rules on this.

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