How to Bid at LDA's Plot Auction on 3 November: The Day-Of Guide

LDA's plot auction happens tomorrow, Tuesday 3 November 2026, at 10 in the morning in the Convention Centre at the Expo Centre in Johar Town. If you are thinking of raising your hand, tonight is when the preparation happens. Everything below comes from LDA's own terms and conditions and its published catalogues, read from lda.gop.pk, with the auction's current status checked against coverage dated 2 November.

This is the practical companion to our reserve-price analysis, which walks through what each starting price means against market asks. This guide answers a different question: how do you actually show up, qualify to bid, and walk out without a costly mistake.

The short version

• Doors: Tuesday 3 November, 10:00 am, Convention Centre, Expo Centre, Johar Town, Lahore.
• Carry three copies of your CNIC.
• Carry earnest money of at least 10 percent of your target plot's starting price, in cash or by demand draft or pay order made out to "LDA UD-Wing". Cheques are not accepted.
• The reserve is the floor. The auction only moves upward from there.
• If you win, 20 percent of the total cost falls due within 15 days, and the remaining 80 percent within 60 days. Every tax sits on top of the winning bid.
• Catalogue lists can change up to auction day. Confirm your plot's serial number on the morning of the auction.

Tonight's checklist

Do this before bed, not at the venue gate.

1. Pick your plot and know its serial number. The current residential catalogue lists 38 plots plus two designated apartment sites in Jubilee Town. LDA's October newspaper adverts listed 45 residential plots; seven were quietly dropped from the October 22 catalogue and several plot areas were corrected downward. If you shortlisted from the advert, re-check against the current catalogue on lda.gop.pk. The reserve prices in our auction reserve guide use the catalogue figures.

2. Work out your earnest money. This is the amount that gets you into the bidding. LDA requires at least 10 percent of the plot's starting price, deposited at the bank booth at the venue. Examples from the catalogue:

• LDA Enclave, 3 marla Block D, starting at Rs5.55 million: earnest Rs555,000.
• Johar Town, 20 marla Block D-II, starting at Rs37 million: earnest Rs3.7 million.
• LDA City, 40 marla corner Block C, starting at Rs60 million: earnest Rs6 million.

Carry more than 10 percent if you can, since it shows seriousness, but the minimum is 10. Lose the bidding and the earnest is refunded to you the same day.

3. Get the instrument right. Cash or a demand draft or pay order in favour of "LDA UD-Wing". A personal cheque will be refused. If you are arranging a pay order from your bank, do it today; banks do not issue them on the morning of.

4. Fix your ceiling before you arrive. Your maximum bid should be the all-in cost, not the hammer price: winning bid plus 236K advance tax, stamp duty, TMA tax and any other levies. LDA's terms state clearly that the buyer pays all government taxes and levies on top. Set the ceiling tonight, in writing, before adrenaline gets a vote.

5. Check your filer status. Nothing in LDA's terms restricts bidding by filer status or nationality. But your tax bill changes dramatically with it: an active filer pays 1.25 percent advance tax on purchase under section 236K, while a non-filer faces tiered rates up to 18.5 percent. Our property tax breakdown walks through the numbers with worked examples.

How the day works

Registration happens at the venue. Every participant submits three copies of their CNIC. You deposit the earnest money at the bank booth set up on site. Once that is accepted, you are a registered bidder.

Bidding itself is an open auction against the published starting price. Two rules deserve your attention.

First, a single bid is accepted only if it is at least 5 percent above the starting price. If nobody competes with you, offering exactly the reserve is not enough; the bid must clear the reserve by 5 percent. This is the rule that quietly catches lone bidders.

Second, LDA reserves the right to accept or reject the highest bid without assigning any reason. The hammer is not a contract by itself. Plan your finances around the possibility that even a winning bid needs LDA's acceptance before it becomes final.