File, plot, balloting, possession: the words that decide what you are actually buying in a housing society
In DHA, Bahria Town and every new scheme, the same phase sells files, allotted plots, non-possession plots and possession plots at very different prices. Here is what each one is, what you can do with it, and what to check.
By Kothi Editorial · 15 September 2026 · 4 min read
Two plots in the same phase of the same society can differ in price by a third, and the listing will explain it in one word: file, allotted, non-possession, possession. Buyers who do not know the words pay for one thing and receive another. This is the ladder, from the bottom.
1. A file
A file is a right to be allotted a plot of a stated size in a stated phase — and nothing more. It has a file number, it changes hands through the society's transfer office, and it has a market price. It has no plot number and no ground.
What you are buying is a place in a queue. The society will, at some point, hold a balloting that assigns plot numbers to files. Until then:
- you cannot build, and there is nothing to visit;
- the eventual plot may be anywhere in the phase — corner, main road, next to the grid station;
- there may be development charges still payable when the plot is allotted, sometimes large;
- the balloting date is the society's to decide, and it moves.
Files are cheaper for all of those reasons. They are an investment instrument, not a home. If you buy one, buy it through the society's transfer office with the transfer recorded in your name — a file "sold" on a plain-paper agreement is worth exactly the paper.
2. An allotted plot, non-possession
After balloting, the file becomes a plot number in a block — an allotted plot. You now know where it is. But if the phase is not yet developed — no roads, no sewerage, no electricity — the society has not handed possession over, and you cannot build.
"Non-possession" plots sit between file and possession prices. The questions to ask:
- What is the society's stated development timeline for this block? (Then add time.)
- Are development charges fully paid, or is a balance due on possession?
- Are there any demarcation issues — plots that were re-numbered or resized when the ground was surveyed?
The plot exists on paper; check that the ground under it is inside the society's approved and acquired land. Litigation over land acquisition is what turns a "two-year" wait into ten.
3. A possession plot
Possession means the society has developed the block and formally handed the plot over — usually with a possession letter and a site demarcation. You can build, subject to the society's building bye-laws and plan approval.
This is the plot most home-buyers want, and it costs the most. Still check:
- the possession letter is on the society's record, not just in the seller's folder;
- the NDC — no dues, no objections;
- the plot on the ground matches the number and dimensions on paper (measure it);
- any construction time limit — some societies charge non-construction penalties after a period.
4. A house (constructed)
Beyond possession lies the built house, where the plot questions are joined by the building's: completion certificate from the society, approved plan matching what was built, utility connections in order. A house on a possession plot with an approved plan and a completion certificate is the cleanest thing in a society to buy.
The society itself
All of the above assumes the society is real. Before any of it:
- Approval — the scheme has the development authority's NOC (LDA in Lahore, RDA in Rawalpindi, CDA in Islamabad, and so on), and the phase you are buying in is inside the approved area. Many societies are approved for one phase and marketing several.
- Land — the society owns or has acquired the land it is selling. Ask; then ask the authority.
- Map — the approved layout plan exists and the block you are buying in is on it.
DHA and the established Bahria Town phases are past these questions; a new private society is not, whatever the billboard says.
Price and what moves it
| What you hold | Roughly what you pay | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| File | Least | Wait for balloting; sell the file |
| Allotted, non-possession | More | Know the location; wait for development; sell |
| Possession | Most | Build, within bye-laws; sell |
| Constructed, with completion | Most, plus the building | Live in it; rent it; sell |
Within a possession block, corners and park- or road-facing plots carry a premium of their own — typically five to ten percent.
Questions people ask
Q: What is the difference between a file and a plot?
A file is a right to be allotted a plot of a given size in a phase, with no plot number yet. A plot is an allotted, numbered piece of ground. Files convert to plots on balloting, sometimes with further charges.
Q: What does non-possession mean?
The plot has been allotted but the society has not yet developed the block and handed it over, so it cannot be built on. Development charges may still be due.
Q: Can I build on a non-possession plot?
No. Building needs possession from the society and an approved plan under its bye-laws.
Q: Is a file a safe investment?
It is a queue position with a price attached, transferred through the society. It carries balloting risk, development-charge risk and timeline risk, and it is only as safe as the society and the land behind it. Buy it recorded in your name at the society's office, never on plain paper.
As of September 2026. Society procedures and charges vary; the transfer office's current rules govern.