The challenges of buying an old riad in Morocco

You’re keen to buy property in Morocco – and you like the old riads you’ve seen. Whilst old riads offer the charm that newly built, modern style Moroccan may not – you need to be careful.
Buying an old riad can involve substantial paperwork including title issues. Plus you’ll need to find skilled builders experienced in restoring riad exteriors and interiors.

Many older properties carry ‘Melkia title’ which is not recognised by the Moroccan land registry. These type of properties have to be sold under Sharia law which means getting consent from each of the property owner’s family members - before the property can be sold.

Newly built homes or properties sold in the last seven years carry ‘French title’. This means that property ownership is recognised through the Moroccan land registry which reduces the chances of dispute.

Older properties might also involve problems with access to good transport links plus restricted planning permissions.

Riad read
“Cinnamon City: Falling for the Magical City of Marrakech“, gives an amusing account of Miranda Innes’ experiences of buying and renovating an old riad in Marrakesh. You might like to read this to learn about the challenges that Miranda faced.

New or off-plan in old style
One way of avoiding the problems with an old riad is to buy is a new or off-plan property built to riad style instead. Newly built or off-plan properties in Morocco present a much safer option with fewer ownership issues. Plus the buying process is quite similar to those in Northern European countries.