Off-Plan Apartment Due Diligence in Pakistan: A Checklist Applied to Skyra Tower

Why does off-plan due diligence matter so much?

Buying off-plan means paying for a home that is described by drawings, renders and a contract rather than walls you can touch. Under a 30/65/5 plan like Skyra Tower’s, 95% of the price is paid before possession: 30% at booking and 65% over 36 months. That is a lot of money committed on the strength of documents, so the documents need to be right.

None of the checks below require special access. They require patience, a folder for PDFs, and a willingness to ask the same question twice until the answer arrives in writing. Treat a reluctance to put things in writing as information in itself.

Who is the developer, and who are you actually dealing with?

Get the developer’s exact legal name and office address. For Skyra Tower that is 7th Sky Developers (Private) Limited, with its head office on the 1st/2nd Floor, Skyra Square, Plot 555, Central Business District-South, Phase 8, Bahria Town, Rawalpindi. You can check a company name yourself on the public company search of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan.

Then be clear about the person selling to you. This website is run by an independent sales desk, not by the developer. That is common in Pakistan, and it is fine – but it means the contract, the receipts and the payee account should all be the developer’s, and you should confirm them with the developer directly rather than rely on anyone in the middle, including us.

Which approvals should you ask to see in writing?

Ask for copies of the building-plan approval and any other permissions the developer holds, together with the plot ownership or allotment documents for the site. For each one, note the issuing authority, the date and the reference number. This guide makes no claim that any particular approval exists for Skyra Tower – you are asking the developer to show you, and you should decide based on what you see.

Check that what was approved matches what is being sold. Skyra Tower is marketed as a Ground + 9 building above a lower-ground clubhouse level at Plot 656, Central Business District-South, Bahria Town Phase 8, with apartments on floors 3–7 and penthouses on floors 8 and 9. If an approval shows a different plot, height or use, ask why before going further.

• Building-plan approval: issuing body, date, reference, approved floors and uses.
• Plot documents for Plot 656 showing who holds it.
• Any conditions attached to the approvals.
• Written confirmation of anything you were told verbally about approvals.

How do you check the unit, its area and its price?

Price should equal area times rate. At Skyra Tower apartments are PKR 15,000 per sq ft and penthouses PKR 17,000, so a 600 sq ft Type B is PKR 9,000,000, a 1,225 sq ft Type D is PKR 18,375,000 and the 4,290 sq ft Penthouse 03 is PKR 72,930,000. If a quotation does not multiply out, ask why. All figures are from the developer’s current schedule and are confirmed at booking.

Ask how the sq ft figure is measured and what it includes. Then compare the room sizes on the plan with the rooms you need: the Type C lists a 15′-0″ × 12′-3″ living room and two bedrooms around 11′ × 12′. Finally, confirm the exact unit – floor and position – in writing. Current availability is on the 5th and 6th floors for apartments, with all three penthouses listed.

Renders show intent, not a finished product. Ask for a written specification of finishes and fittings so you know what is included, rather than inferring it from an artist’s impression.

What should the payment and cancellation terms say?

Read the payment schedule as a contract, not a brochure. It should name each amount and due date: for a Type G that is PKR 5,175,000 down, 36 instalments of PKR 311,458 and PKR 862,500 on possession. It should also say what counts as possession for that final 5%.

Look for what happens when things go wrong. Is there a late-payment charge? Can you transfer the unit before possession, and at what cost? What is refunded if you cancel, and when? If a full-payment discount applies – the desk currently offers 15% off for payment up front – make sure the discounted price is written into your documents, since the offer has no published end date.

What are the red flags when booking off-plan?

Most problems announce themselves early. If you notice any of the following, stop and get independent advice before paying.

• Pressure to pay today, or talk of prices rising, with nothing written down.
• A payee account in a personal name, or one that differs from the developer’s name.
• Approvals mentioned verbally but never shown.
• A quotation where area × rate does not equal the price.
• Renders described as photographs of a finished building.
• No draft booking form to read before you pay.

How do you put this checklist to work?

Print the checklist, pick one or two units from /apartments, and ask for a written quotation, the payment plan and copies of the approvals for each. WhatsApp the desk on +92 334 9107537 to request them, then book a site visit and a meeting at the developer’s head office so you can see the documents in person before you commit.