Buying an apartment in Dhaka: a 12-step checklist before you pay

An apartment is the largest purchase most families in Dhaka will ever make. With an under-construction project, payments usually run for several years while the building goes up, and by the time you receive the keys, nearly all of your money has already changed hands. The checks you do before signing count for far more than anything you try to fix later.

This checklist follows the order in which most buyers move, from setting a budget to the day of handover. It applies to any project you are considering, including ours. Keep it with you on site visits and in meetings with developers, and do not move to the next payment until each step is settled.

1. Set a full budget, including registration costs

The price per square foot is only part of the cost. Car parking is usually priced separately. Add utility connection charges, the owners’ association fund, interior work, moving costs and the cost of registering the flat in your name.

Registration costs in Bangladesh are made up of stamp duty, registration fee, local government tax and an advance tax on the transfer, often called gain tax. Rates are set in the national budget and change often. In the FY2025-26 budget the government cut several of these charges. The Business Standard reported that stamp duty fell from 1.5 percent to 1 percent and the advance tax in Dhaka’s highest-value area category fell from 8 percent to 4 percent, bringing the combined cost down from around 14 to 15 percent of deed value to around 8 to 9 percent. The government also began aligning mouza rates, the official minimum values used in deeds, with market prices.

Because these rates move from one budget to the next, ask the developer and your lawyer for a written estimate based on the rates in force on the day you plan to register. Keep a margin of a few percent in your budget for changes.

Plan for the tax paperwork too. Prothom Alo reported in June 2026 that the FY2026-27 budget made proof of income tax return submission mandatory for mutation of land and flats in city corporation, pourashava and cantonment areas. If you do not yet file returns, register for an e-TIN and file before you buy.

2. Research the developer

The developer’s history tells you more than any brochure. Developers in Dhaka must register with RAJUK under the Real Estate Development and Management Act, 2010. Ask for the registration details, and check whether the company is a member of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB).

Then look at the record. Visit two or three buildings the developer has already handed over and talk to the people living there. Ask whether the building was delivered on time, whether the finishes matched what was promised, and how quickly the developer fixed problems after handover. Count how many projects the company is building at once. A developer stretched across too many sites can slow down on all of them when sales dip.

3. Verify the land title

When you buy a flat in Dhaka, you also buy an undivided, proportionate share of the land under the building. A flaw in the land title is a flaw in your ownership. Ask your lawyer to examine:

• The title deeds and the chain of earlier deeds showing how the land reached its current owner
• Khatian records from the relevant surveys, such as CS, SA, RS and the Dhaka City Survey
• Mutation (namjari) and DCR in the landowner’s name
• Land development tax receipts up to the current year
• A non-encumbrance search at the sub-registry office for any mortgage, sale or court order on the land

For plots in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and Dhanmondi, which were originally allotted on long-term lease by RAJUK or the Dhaka Improvement Trust, your lawyer should also check RAJUK’s records for the plot.

4. Read the joint venture agreement and power of attorney

Most apartment buildings in central Dhaka are built through a joint venture between a landowner and a developer. The finished units are split between them. You need to know which side your unit belongs to.

Ask to see the registered joint venture agreement and the registered power of attorney the landowner gave the developer. If you are buying from the developer, confirm that your unit is listed in the developer’s allocation and that the power of attorney authorises the developer to sell it. If you are buying a unit from the landowner’s share, the landowner signs the sale directly. Mistakes at this step lead to some of the most painful disputes in Dhaka real estate, because two parties can end up claiming the same flat.

5. Check RAJUK approvals

Ask for a copy of the RAJUK-approved building plan, with its reference number and approval date, and the land use clearance. Count the floors on the approved plan and compare them with the building on site or the one being marketed. A project selling more floors than RAJUK approved is a serious warning sign. You can contact RAJUK through rajuk.gov.bd to confirm details if anything looks unclear.

Unapproved construction is widespread. The Financial Express reported in 2018, citing RAJUK data, that only 10.88 percent of about 416,000 structures built in RAJUK’s area over nine years from 2008 had formal approval, and only 173 had received occupancy certificates.

Ask the developer whether it will apply for an occupancy certificate when the building is complete. This certificate confirms that the finished building matches its approval. Its absence can have real consequences. The Green Cozy Cottage building on Bailey Road, where 46 people died in a fire on 29 February 2024, had no occupancy certificate, and restaurants were operating on floors approved for other uses, Prothom Alo reported.

6. Look closely at structure and safety

Dhaka sits in an earthquake-prone region, and the Bangladesh National Building Code 2020, published in the official gazette in February 2021, sets the rules for structural design, fire safety and building services. Ask the developer which code the structural design follows, who the structural engineer is, and whether you can see the soil test report.

Fire safety deserves its own questions. Count the staircases and check that the fire stairs are separate, enclosed and kept clear. The Bailey Road building had only one staircase. Ask about fire doors, alarms, extinguishers and, in taller buildings, hydrants and sprinklers.

Check the building services as well: the number and capacity of lifts, generator capacity and which areas it covers, the electrical substation, the underground water reservoir and the pumps. Under the revised Detailed Area Plan, The Business Standard reported, sewage treatment plants are mandatory for plots of five katha or larger, so ask whether the building has one.

If the project is under construction, visit during working hours. Look at how materials are stored, whether the site is tidy and whether workers wear safety gear. A disorganised site rarely produces a well-built building.

7. Inspect the unit and its layout

Ask how the quoted size is calculated. In Dhaka, the advertised square footage usually includes a share of common areas such as stairs, lift lobbies and walls. Request a breakdown of the usable floor area inside the apartment, and compare it across projects.

Study the floor plan. Check bedroom sizes against your furniture, the position of the kitchen, cross-ventilation, natural light, balcony depth and storage. Facing matters in Dhaka’s climate. Many buyers prefer south or east facing units for breeze and morning light. Ask which floor your unit is on and what the view will be once neighbouring plots are redeveloped under the higher FAR now allowed in many zones.

Confirm your car parking space by number on the basement or ground floor plan, and make sure it appears in your agreement.

8. Ask about utilities

Electricity in Dhaka comes from DESCO or DPDC depending on the area, and water from Dhaka WASA. Ask who applies for the connections, who pays the connection fees and whether each flat will have its own meter.

Ask about gas early. New household gas connections from Titas have been restricted for years, so many new buildings run on LPG, either through individual cylinders or a central LPG system. Know which one your building will use before you design your kitchen.

9. Understand every page of the contract

Purchases from developers usually involve an allotment letter followed by a deed of agreement for sale. Read both in full before paying anything beyond a booking amount. The agreement should include your unit number and floor, its size and how that size was measured, the parking space, a detailed specification schedule, the payment schedule, the handover date and what happens if either side defaults.

Payment schedules work best when they are tied to construction milestones such as completion of piling, each floor slab and finishing work. A schedule tied only to calendar dates leaves you paying even if the site stops.

The 2010 Act sets out remedies for late delivery. A December 2024 article in The Daily Star explains that when a developer fails to deliver on time, it must refund the amount paid plus compensation within six months, and that where the agreement does not specify the compensation, a rate of 15 percent on the amount paid applies. The Act also sets interest on overdue instalments from the buyer. Read these clauses carefully and ask your lawyer how they apply to your agreement.

Check the cancellation terms too. Find out how much is deducted if you need to cancel, how long a refund takes, and whether you can transfer your booking to someone else before handover.

10. Plan your financing

If you need a home loan, talk to banks and financial institutions before you commit to a payment schedule. Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation and most commercial banks offer home loans, with terms that vary by lender.

A lender’s process gives you a useful second check. Banks examine the land title and approvals before they lend against a property. If a bank refuses to finance a project, ask why. Get your loan approved in principle before you sign, so a gap between your savings and the payment schedule does not put your booking at risk.

11. Register the flat and complete mutation

Booking a flat and paying for it does not make you the legal owner. Ownership passes when the sale deed is registered at the sub-registry office. The deed should describe both the apartment and your proportionate share of the land. Some developers register the deed after full payment and before handover, and others at handover. Agree the timing in writing.

After registration, apply for mutation so the land records show your name. Mutation applications are now handled online through the Ministry of Land’s systems, linked from land.gov.bd. Keep certified copies of the deed, the mutation and every tax receipt in a safe place, and pay land development tax each year.

12. Inspect carefully at handover

Handover day is your last chance to get problems fixed while the developer’s team is still on site. Walk through the apartment with a written list. Check walls and ceilings for cracks and damp patches. Open and close every door and window. Run every tap and shower and look for leaks underneath sinks. Test each switch and socket. Tap floor tiles to find hollow spots. Ride the lift, and ask to see the generator running.

Collect the as-built drawings, warranty cards for installed equipment and the details of utility meters. Find out how the owners’ association will be formed, what the monthly service charge will be and whether there is a reserve fund for future repairs. A legal analysis in The Daily Star notes that the 2010 Act requires developers to maintain the property for at least one year after possession, so ask how defect complaints will be logged and how quickly they will be handled.

Extra checks for a ready or resale apartment

Buying a completed flat removes construction risk, and you can see exactly what you are paying for. It brings its own set of checks.

Ask the seller for the registered sale deed through which they bought the flat, their mutation in the land records and the latest land development tax receipt. If the seller bought from a developer, ask for the original allotment letter and agreement as well, so you can trace the flat back to the developer’s share in the joint venture. A non-encumbrance search will show whether the flat has been mortgaged to a bank. If it has, the loan must be cleared and the mortgage released before or at registration.

Check what is owed on the flat. Ask the owners’ association for a statement showing that service charges are paid up to date, and look at the latest electricity, water and gas bills. Unpaid dues often stay with the flat, which makes them your problem once you buy it.

Look for changes made inside the apartment. Previous owners sometimes remove walls, enclose balconies or move bathrooms. Removing a structural wall or column can weaken the building, so compare the current layout with the approved plan and ask an engineer to look at anything that has changed.

Ask about the building’s age and upkeep. Find out when the lifts were last serviced, whether the generator has been replaced, how often the water tank is cleaned and whether there is a reserve fund for major repairs. A well-run owners’ association with clear accounts is a good sign for the years ahead.

Agree the possession date in writing, and make sure the seller hands over all keys, access cards and meter documents on the day of registration.

Apartments from Aakash

Aakash Developments has built residential and commercial projects in Dhaka since 2015. Our building designs are submitted to and approved by RAJUK, our structures follow the Bangladesh National Building Code, and our service continues after handover.

Current residential projects include Aakash Lake Breeze and Aakash Lake View in Gulshan, Aakash Lake Park on Dhanmondi 12/A, Aakash Tranquil in Dhanmondi, Aakash Anupom in Banani, Aakash Godhuli in Lalmatia, Nahar Aakash Villa in Baridhara, and Neel Aakash and Sara Aakash House in Bashundhara. Upcoming projects include Aakash Horizon in Banani and Aakash IndiGo in Bashundhara.

You can browse the details on our ongoing residential projects and upcoming residential projects pages. Bring this checklist to our office and ask us every question on it. Call 01879-336666, email info@aakashgroupbd.com or contact us to arrange a site visit.

The best time to ask

Every step on this list is easier before your first large payment than after it. A good developer will answer each question with documents. A buyer who asks early ends up with a home that is legally sound and registered in the right name.

This article is general information and is not legal or financial advice. Tax rates, registration costs and regulations change, so confirm current requirements with a qualified lawyer before you buy.