Access, and why it prices a house more than finish does
Two houses of the same size and specification can sell for very different prices. The approach to the front door usually explains more of the gap than anything inside it.
Read this
Property Guide
Browse the guide by subject
All24Buying4Foreign ownership3Costs, taxes & legal3Selling & pricing3Renting & letting3Land & surveying3The market5
Buying
The buying process, step by step
Ten stages, in the order they have to happen, and what each one gates. Nothing binds until a notary attests it, and nothing registers until the duty is paid.
Read this
Title, deeds and the thirty-five-year search
Registering a deed in Sri Lanka records the document, not your ownership, the Ordinance says so outright. That is why a title search runs back decades.
Read this
What to check before you buy a property
A Sri Lankan purchase is decided on paper long before it is decided on price. The documents to see, what each one proves, and which checks only a notary can make.
Read this
Foreign ownership
Buying a condominium as a foreigner
The condominium parcel is the one route that ends in real title for a non-citizen. It turns on a single condition about how and when the money arrives.
Read this
Can foreigners buy land in Sri Lanka?
Freehold land is closed to foreign nationals under the 2014 Act. Six routes are not, and each one gives you something different. This sets out what each confers.
Read this
The ninety-nine-year lease, and what it really gives you
A ninety-nine-year lease is a long right to use, never a title. What the instrument grants, what it withholds, what happens at the end of the term, and what to ask a notary.
Read this
Costs, taxes & legal
Capital gains tax on property: the rate changed in 2026
Resident individuals and partnerships now pay 15% on the gain, up from 10%, in force from June 2026. The department's own page had not caught up in August.
Read this
The full cost of buying, beyond the price
Duty, professional fees, registration, survey and search. What each line is, which side it falls on, and why the total cannot be fixed until the assessment is checked.
Read this
What stamp duty costs, and who pays it
Four per cent, carried by the buyer, settled before registration. The part that decides the bill is not the rate but the base it is applied to.
Read this
Selling & pricing
How long a sale takes, and what actually changes it
No Sri Lankan body publishes a days-on-market figure, so here are the mechanics instead, the two clocks running in every sale, and which delays you can remove before you list.
Read this
Pricing into a market where volumes are falling
Colombo condominium prices rose while transactions fell. Here is what that combination does to an asking price, and what an optimistic figure costs a seller in a thinner market.
Read this
What to ask an agent before you instruct them
An appraisal is a pitch until you ask what it is built on. The questions worth putting to an agent before you sign anything, and what a weak answer to each sounds like.
Read this
Renting & letting
Ending a tenancy: notice, and getting possession back
One month's notice ends a monthly tenancy, from either side. If the occupant stays on, possession comes back through the District Court, and only a stamped lease uses the 2023 route.
Read this
Rent in advance: what the law allows
Three months is the cap, but only where the Rent Act governs the premises. Residential premises built and let since 1980 are excepted, and then the advance is a negotiated term.
Read this
Tenancy or lease, which one do you actually have?
A tenancy runs on until someone ends it. A lease is a fixed term, notarially executed. Get the execution wrong and a three-year lease is a monthly tenancy instead.
Read this
Land & surveying
How to read a survey plan before you buy land
The deed says who owns the land. The survey plan says what the land is. Nine things to check on it, the lot, the bearings, the access and the date, before you commit.
Read this
“More or less”: the four words that change a land deal
Those four words qualify the extent written on a deed. Where a current survey plan disagrees with them, the survey is what the land actually is, and the gap has a price.
Read this
Perches, roods and acres: what the numbers mean
An acre holds 160 perches and a perch is 272.25 square feet. Here is how the units nest, how they convert to metric, and where the arithmetic quietly goes wrong.
Read this
The market
Land and condominiums are not the same market
The Central Bank measures land and condominiums with two different instruments, on two different clocks. Comparing their headline percentages directly is a category error.
Read this
The south coast is two markets sharing one road
Inland Galle and Matara price on local incomes. The coastal strip prices on a buyer pool from outside the district, and a regulated zone 300 metres deep sits between them.
Read this
What a district average hides
A district figure averages thousands of unlike properties across dozens of streets. Here is what that average removes, and which published numbers are worth reading instead.
Read this
Prices up, volumes down, what the index actually says
The Central Bank's Colombo condominium index rose 18.5% in 2026 Q1 while sales volume fell 15.2%. Read together, those two numbers tell a seller something neither tells alone.
Read this
Why a “Sri Lanka property price” figure is usually a Colombo one
The Central Bank's land price index and its condominium price index both cover Colombo District. Neither covers the other six districts A1 works in.
Read this
FAQ
Questions we are asked.
Where do you work?
Across Sri Lanka. The locations where we currently have properties are shown in the areas section, and the list grows as new instructions come in.
What will a property purchase cost me in Sri Lanka?
Stamp duty is 4% of the price or the Provincial Department of Revenue's assessed value, whichever is higher, payable before the deed is registered, with notary and registration costs on top. The assessed-value rule catches people out: duty is charged on the assessment when it is higher than the price you agreed.
How do you value a property?
On evidence: comparable recent sales, the stock currently competing with yours, and how long similar properties have taken to move. This is a market appraisal, not a chartered valuation; where a bank or a court needs a formal valuation, we refer you to a qualified valuer.
How long will it take?
It depends on price, location and condition. For context, Central Bank figures show condominium prices in Colombo District up 18.5% year on year in the first quarter of 2026 while sales volumes fell 15.2%. In a thinner market, correctly priced property still moves and optimistically priced property sits.
Can my property be marketed discreetly?
Yes. Quiet marketing to a qualified shortlist, with no board and no public listing, is a routine instruction. It narrows the audience and usually takes a little longer, and we are clear about that trade-off before you decide.
Can I own property here as a foreign national?
Freehold land is restricted under the Land (Restrictions on Alienation) Act No. 38 of 2014. You can own a condominium outright, and land is available on a long lease. A power of attorney, clear title and a suitable bank account cover most practical needs, and a notary should advise on your specific position.
Do you charge for a first consultation?
No. A first conversation and a market appraisal carry no charge and no obligation.