Real Estate Law
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Real Estate Law
Bhandari Law and Partners handles real estate matters at every stage — from the first due diligence check through to closing, registration, financing, leasing, and, when things go wrong, litigation. We work with Nepalese clients and clients based abroad, including non-resident Nepalis, foreign investors, developers, lenders, and companies buying, selling, or leasing property anywhere in Nepal.
The Legal Framework
Property law in Nepal isn't governed by a single statute. It sits across the National Civil Code (Muluki Civil Code), 2017, the Land Act, 1964, the Land Revenue Act, 1977, the Land (Survey and Measurement) Act, 2019, the Apartment Ownership Act, 1997, and the Land Acquisition Act, 1977. If foreign money or a foreign party is involved, the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act (FITTA), 2019 usually comes into play as well. On top of that, local municipalities set their own zoning and land-use rules, which can vary quite a bit from one district to the next.
Because these laws overlap, and because land records and local practice differ across Nepal's municipalities, real estate deals here are rarely as simple as signing a sale deed. Getting a transaction through cleanly means dealing directly with Land Revenue Offices, the Ministry of Land Management, the Department of Industry, and, in foreign investment cases, the Investment Board Nepal. We do this regularly, so we know where deals tend to stall and how to keep them moving.
What We Do
Due diligence. Before a client commits to buying anything, we check the title. That means pulling the original ownership certificate (the Lalpurja), tracing the chain of previous owners and transfers, confirming there's no mortgage, lien, or pending court case attached to the property, checking tax clearance, and verifying boundaries and permitted land use. Most real estate disputes trace back to something that would have shown up here if someone had looked.
Structuring the deal. How a purchase should be structured depends entirely on who's buying. A Nepali company, an individual NRN, a foreign-invested entity, and a lender all face different rules and different restrictions under the Land Act. We work out which route actually applies — including whether a purchase needs to go through a Nepal-registered company with FITTA approval, or whether the client's NRN status changes what's possible.
Sale and purchase. We act for buyers, sellers, developers, and agents through negotiation, drafting the sale and purchase agreement, coordinating execution of the deed with the Land Revenue Office, and seeing the registration through to completion.
Documentation and approvals. We draft the transaction documents and handle the approval process for transferring the property with the relevant Land Revenue Office. Where foreign investment is involved, we also manage the applications and approvals with the Department of Industry and Investment Board Nepal.
Licensing. We help clients get the licenses and regulatory sign-offs needed to develop, operate, or transfer real estate, including making sure a project complies with local zoning and land-use requirements.
Leasing. We draft and negotiate commercial and residential leases, and advise on renewals, rent reviews, and disputes between landlords and tenants.
Financing. For lenders and borrowers, we advise on mortgage and security structures over real property and prepare the documentation needed to register and, if it comes to that, enforce that security.
Disputes. Our litigation team handles real property disputes of all sizes — straightforward breach of contract claims, title defects, boundary disagreements, easement disputes, inheritance and partition claims, and disputes arising from construction or development projects. We appear in court and, where it makes sense, through arbitration or mediation.
Who We've Worked With
We've advised manufacturing businesses, hotels, international organizations, diplomatic missions, real estate agents, commercial centers, hydropower companies, lenders, and service companies on their real estate matters in Nepal. Our clients range from individual property owners and NRNs buying a single plot to multinational investors structuring their first acquisition in the country.
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