Guide

An office, a shop
or a factory in Pakistan

Premises for a business raise the same questions as a house, with two more: who holds them, the company or a person, and whether the place may be used for what you intend. This page is about the checks before money moves.

Where this applies This page covers commercial property in Pakistan. The record and the offices differ by province. The page on selling a house describes the Punjab record.

A shop front with a bicycle parked in front of it
Photograph: Daniel von Appen

What this is about

Before a lease or a purchase, the record has to be read: who owns the premises today, and what is registered against them. Then the use: whether the building is approved for commercial use, and whether the business needs any licence for that place. Both are things a seller or landlord will assure you of and a record may contradict.

Leases for business premises are governed by the same rent law as houses in most provinces, and the same rule applies: a written, registered agreement, or a weak position later.

What has to be in place

What has to be clear.

  1. Whether the company or a person will hold the premises.

  2. What the record says today.

  3. Whether the use you intend is allowed there.

Note Your advocate confirms which of these apply to your case.

The documents you will be asked for

What is usually asked for.

  • The record extract and the previous deed, or the landlord’s title.
  • The company’s registration documents.
  • A board resolution authorising the purchase or lease.
  • A power of attorney for whoever signs.

How an advocate helps from where you are

What an advocate does.

  • Reads the record and checks the approved use.
  • Drafts or reviews the lease or the sale deed.
  • Registers the agreement, and attends the registry for the signing.

What to ask before you agree

  • What does the record say, and is my intended use allowed there?
  • Should the company or a person hold the premises?
  • Will you register the agreement and attend the signing?
  • What do you need from me, and by when?
  • What is your fee, and what is not included in it?

More in Premises

Also relevant I want to sell my house in Pakistan from abroad What has to be in place before a sale, which papers the buyer will ask for, and what an advocate does at the registry that you cannot do from where you are. Read this next

Also relevant

All of Premises on one page

Words you will meet

commercial property
Property used for business.
lease
The agreement to rent premises.
approved use
Whether the place may be used for business.

Sources

Official pages read on 11 September 2026. The page says only what these say, and what an advocate does; nothing specific to your case.

Checked

11 September 2026

Pakistan. Sources listed at the end of the page.

Find an advocate who handles this

The register shows who acts on a power of attorney, who has filed from abroad, and in which city.