What is the difference between hard and soft title?

Hard title: freehold, registered with the government, legally recognized. Soft title: long-term transfer, recognized locally but not registered. Hard title is safer.

Can a foreigner buy in Phnom Penh?

Condos: yes, within the 70/30 foreign quota. Landed property: soft title only, or through a Cambodian company.

Cambodia · KHR

Real estatein Cambodia

Cambodia offers hard title (freehold) and soft title (long-term lease) for property. Phnom Penh condo market boomed with Chinese investment. sivrce opens with Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

Registry path

Title checked

3D map

4%flat transfer tax on declared value

Hard titlethe only nationally registered chain

30%foreign quota in co-owned buildings

Soft titlelocal recognition only

What a purchase really costs

150,000៛ home in Cambodia

Transfer tax (4%) (4%): 6,000៛
Legal & title conversion (≈1%): 1,500៛
Cash needed at closing: 157,500៛

≈ +5% over the price. A flat 4% transfer tax on the declared value, with hard titles the only fully registered chain. Soft titles dominate outside central Phnom Penh — they transfer at the sangkat level but carry no national registry protection. The 70/30 rule caps foreign ownership in a co-owned building at 30% of units (70% must stay Cambodian); landed property stays domestic.

Rentals run on rules

The rent side, in three lines

Deposits run one to three months; one is common in Phnom Penh condos.
Leases run one year minimum, longer for commercial.
Soft-title tenancies enforce only locally — verify the hard title before relying on a lease.

Phnom Penh rents off garment wages and expat NGOs; Siem Reap off Angkor tourism. Hard title is the asset class.

Hard title is freehold and registered with the government. Soft title is a long-term transfer recognized locally but not registered. Condos can be foreign-owned within the 70/30 foreign quota.

Phnom Penh condo boom peaked with Chinese investment; Sihanoukville saw a surge then pullback. The market is volatile.

sivrce.com/kh is the canonical Cambodia URL. Listings publish only when verified.

FAQ

What is the difference between hard and soft title?: Hard title: freehold, registered with the government, legally recognized. Soft title: long-term transfer, recognized locally but not registered. Hard title is safer.
Can a foreigner buy in Phnom Penh?: Condos: yes, within the 70/30 foreign quota. Landed property: soft title only, or through a Cambodian company.

All markets: sivrce.com · Georgia marketplace: sivrce.ge · Prices and availability are published only when a verified listing exists. Market currency: KHR.