Risks of leaving property in a relative's care

This is the single most common route by which overseas Pakistanis lose property, and it rarely begins with dishonesty. It begins with convenience.

How it happens

• A general power of attorney given for one small task is used years later to sell or mortgage
• A caretaker cultivates or builds, and over years acquires a claim to possession
• Rent is collected and never remitted, and a tenancy hardens into an occupancy claim
• A relative transfers the plot into his own name and sells to a third party who buys in good faith
• The owner dies abroad and heirs discover the property was disposed of years earlier

How to reduce it

• Never give a general power of attorney. Give a special one, for one task, with an end date
• Put the caretaker arrangement in writing, stating clearly that possession is on your behalf
• Pay the caretaker, however little — payment records the relationship
• Keep all original documents outside Pakistan
• Check the record annually yourself, not through the person holding the property
• Revoke every power of attorney the moment its task is complete