Property & Legal
Property Documentation & Conveyancing in KarachiEvery clause matters once it's registered.
A property transaction is only as sound as the documents behind it. A poorly drafted sale agreement, a gift deed missing a required attestation, or a transfer letter with an inconsistency between the price stated and the price paid can create problems years after the transaction is complete — problems that are far harder to fix once registered than they would have been to catch beforehand.
We draft and vet the full range of property documents used in Karachi transactions: sale agreements, sale deeds and conveyance deeds, gift deeds (hiba), general and special powers of attorney, lease deeds, and transfer letters used by DHA, Cantonment Boards, and private societies. We also review documents that a client's other side has already drafted, before they sign anything.
Our approach is deliberately unglamorous — we read every clause, cross-check names and CNIC numbers against the underlying title record, confirm the description of the property matches survey and mutation records, and make sure nothing in the document creates an ambiguity that a future buyer's lawyer, or a court, could exploit.
Who this is for
Who needs this service
Anyone entering a sale agreement should have it reviewed before signing, particularly the clauses on possession date, penalty for delay, and what happens if either party defaults.
Transferring property to a spouse, child, or relative through a gift deed needs to be documented correctly to avoid future disputes among other family members.
If you need someone else to sell, buy, or manage your property on your behalf, the power of attorney needs to be drafted with the right scope and properly attested.
Commercial and residential lease deeds need clear terms on rent escalation, renewal, and termination to avoid disputes partway through the tenancy.
Developers need standard-form allotment and transfer documentation that is consistent across all units and stands up to scrutiny at registration.
Problems we solve
What we take off your desk
- Sale agreement silent on what happens if the seller delays possession
- Gift deed drafted without proper attestation, later challenged by other heirs
- Power of attorney too broad or too narrow for the intended purpose
- Property description in the deed not matching the survey or mutation number
- Sale price stated in the deed inconsistent with the actual agreed amount
- Lease deed missing clear terms on renewal, rent increase, or termination notice
How it works
Our process, start to finish
Instructions and fact-check
We confirm exactly what is being transferred, to whom, and on what terms, and pull the underlying title and mutation record.
Drafting or review
We draft the required document from scratch, or mark up a document already prepared by the other side, clause by clause.
Client walkthrough
We go through the draft with you in plain language so you understand exactly what you are signing before it is finalised.
Execution and attestation
We arrange signing, witnessing, and attestation where required, so the document is ready for registration or handover.
What we need from you
Documents typically required
- CNIC copies of all parties to the document
- Existing title document or allotment letter
- Latest mutation or membership record
- Survey number or plot file details
- Draft agreement or deed already prepared, if any
- Details of the agreed price, payment schedule, and possession date
- NTN of parties for tax-relevant documents
If a document is missing, tell us — in most matters we can work from what you have and obtain the rest on your behalf.
Documentation differs by transaction type
A sale deed for a DHA bungalow, a gift deed transferring a flat to a daughter, and a lease deed for a commercial unit in a Cantonment area all follow different formats and attract different requirements. DHA and Cantonment Board transfers use their own prescribed transfer letters alongside or instead of a conventional registered deed, while freehold property outside these jurisdictions typically requires a deed registered under the Registration Act at the sub-registrar's office.
We keep templates current with what each authority actually accepts, because offices routinely reject documents on formatting or clause grounds that have nothing to do with the substance of the transaction — costing clients an extra trip and further delay.
Stamp duty and how it applies to different documents
Stamp duty in Sindh is not limited to sale deeds — gift deeds, powers of attorney, and lease deeds each attract their own stamp duty treatment, and some categories (such as gifts between close family members) may be treated differently from an arm's-length sale. We confirm the applicable treatment for the specific document and relationship involved before finalising the draft, rather than assuming one rate applies across the board.
Getting the stamp paper denomination and duty category wrong is a common cause of documents being rejected or returned at the registration counter, which is why we check this before the document is even printed on stamp paper.
Common drafting mistakes we see
The most frequent issue in documents brought to us for review is inconsistency — a price in the agreement that does not match the price in the deed, a property description that does not match the mutation record, or a power of attorney that authorises far more than the client intended to give away. These are easy to miss reading quickly but expensive to fix once signed and registered.
We quote a fixed fee for drafting or reviewing a given document once we know its type and complexity, agreed before we start, so there is no ambiguity about cost for what is often a same-week turnaround.
Questions clients ask
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between a sale deed and a conveyance deed?
- In practice the terms are often used interchangeably in Karachi property transactions — both refer to the formal document that transfers ownership from seller to buyer and is presented for registration or mutation.
- Is a gift deed the same as a sale deed?
- No. A gift deed (hiba) transfers property without consideration, typically between family members, and has its own execution and attestation requirements distinct from a sale deed involving a price.
- How specific should a power of attorney be?
- As specific as the task requires — a power of attorney given to sell one particular plot should say so clearly, rather than granting broad authority over all of a person's property, which increases risk if misused.
- Can you review a document my sale is already based on?
- Yes, we regularly review agreements and deeds drafted by the other party or their lawyer before a client signs, and flag anything that needs to be changed or clarified.
- Do lease deeds need to be registered?
- Depending on the term and value of the lease, registration may be required under the Registration Act; we confirm this on a case-by-case basis before finalising a lease deed.
- How long does drafting a sale deed usually take?
- Once we have the title record and agreed terms in hand, a straightforward sale deed draft is typically ready within a few working days, though attestation and registration scheduling can add time.
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