Titled or untitled property in Morocco: what to know

Titled property

A titled property is registered at the ANCFCC Land Registry: it has a land title describing the property, its owner and the registered rights (mortgages, easements). The regime is organised by Law 14-07 on land registration.

Registration is authoritative: it is the safest form to buy, resell and finance with a mortgage. An ownership certificate, requested before the sale, gives the up-to-date situation.

• Land title: what to check

Untitled property (melkia)

An untitled property is not recorded at the Land Registry; ownership is established by an adoul deed (melkia) and the chain of successive deeds. Proof depends on the quality of those deeds and the testimonies they record.

Banks rarely finance an untitled property, and resale can take longer. Boundary or inheritance disputes are harder to settle.

Registering a property

An owner can file a registration application at the Land Registry. The procedure includes surveying, publication and an objection period before the title is issued.

If you buy a property under registration, check the progress of the application and that there is no objection.

Before buying

Prefer a titled property, request a recent ownership certificate, compare the title description with reality (surface, boundaries) and sign at a notary. For an untitled property, have the deeds reviewed by a legal professional before any payment.

Other practical guides

• Selling a property in Morocco: a step-by-step guide
• Real estate profit tax in Morocco: how it is calculated
• Buying safely in Morocco: the right reflexes
• New or resale in Morocco: how to choose
• Residential leases in Morocco: what Law 67-12 says
• Co-ownership in Morocco: how the syndic works
• Selling an inherited property in Morocco: the steps
• Setting the right sale price in Morocco
• Rental yield in Morocco: the calculation method