Buying property in Bangladesh while living abroad is common, and it is also where fraud and costly mistakes are most common. The risk is not the distance itself — it is relying on one person you cannot check. This guide shows how to put checks between you and the money.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Have an advocate review your agreement, any power of attorney and the payment plan.
1. Separate “finding” from “verifying”
The person who shows you a property — a relative, a broker, a seller — is not the person who should verify it. Keep these roles apart. Use an independent party to check the papers and the site.
2. Make a short written brief
Write down what you want: location, size, budget, purpose (own use, rent, investment, building), and your timeline. A clear brief stops you being steered to whatever the broker has in stock.
3. Shortlist, then verify before you visit
Ask for the deed, the latest khatian and the mouza map for each shortlisted property. Have them checked for consistency and searched against the registry, mortgage, cases and government interest. Many properties fall away at this stage — which is the point. It is cheaper than a flight.
4. Use video visits properly
A video walk-through is useful if you control it: - Ask for a live call, not a recorded clip, and ask the person to show the boundary, access road and neighbours. - Have them hold up that day’s newspaper or a dated note near the plot, and show a landmark you can find on a map. - Ask for dated photographs and a map pin.
5. Power of attorney — handle with care
A power of attorney lets someone act for you in Bangladesh, but it is powerful. If you must give one: - Limit the scope to the specific property and task. - Give it to someone you know well, and let your advocate draft it. - Follow the correct signing, attestation and registration steps for documents made abroad; get the current requirements confirmed. - Know how to revoke it, and note when it ends.
Never sign a blank or very broad power of attorney because a broker asks.
6. Pay safely
- Pay against papers, in stages, to an account in the seller’s name — avoid cash and third-party accounts.
- Keep bayna small until the checks are done.
- Get a written, signed agreement that states the price, the schedule and conditions, and what happens if the seller cannot clear the title.
- Keep every receipt and bank transfer record.
7. Registration and mutation
A purchase is not finished at payment. Make sure the deed is registered, then that mutation (the update of the record) and tax records are changed to your name. Ask for copies of everything.
8. After purchase: protect the property
Empty land can be encroached on. Arrange for periodic inspection, boundary marking and, for a building, a caretaker or management service. Tell neighbours and local officials who is responsible.
Common mistakes
- Trusting one relative or broker for finding, checking and paying.
- Paying a large bayna before any verification.
- Signing a broad power of attorney.
- Buying from photographs without checking the papers.
- Forgetting mutation and tax after registration.
How BEST ABASHON helps
For overseas buyers we can run the checks end to end — verification, site visits with photographs, a video walk-through, a clear report, and coordination of registration and mutation — and keep you updated through your case on our tracking page. Start a request.
