What it means
سند مالکیت (sanad-e mâlekiyyat) means title deed or the official document that proves ownership of a property. It is a compound of two Arabic loanwords: سند (sanad), meaning document or certificate, from the Arabic root س-ن-د (s-n-d, to lean on, to support), and مالکیت (mâlekiyyat), meaning ownership, from the Arabic root م-ل-ك (m-l-k, to possess or rule). Together they form the standard administrative and legal term for what in English is called a title deed. In everyday speech Iranians often shorten this to just سند (sanad) when the context of property is clear. The opposite situation, having no سند, is a major problem in Iranian property disputes.
How to use it
- سند مالکیت آپارتمان رو به نام خودم زدم. (Sanad-e mâlekiyyat-e âpârtmân ro be nâm-e khodam zadam.) “I registered the apartment’s title deed in my own name.”
- بدون سند، فروش ملک ممکن نیست. (Bedun-e sanad, forush-e molk momken nist.) “Without a title deed, selling property is not possible.”
- سند دستیه یا تکبرگی؟ (Sanad dastiye yâ tak-bargi?) “Is the deed handwritten or single-sheet registered?”
- سند مالکیت رو از دفتر اسناد رسمی بگیر. (Sanad-e mâlekiyyat ro az daftar-e asnâd-e rasmi begir.) “Get the title deed from the notary office.”
Cultural note
Property ownership and سند are deeply serious matters in Iranian culture, where real estate is one of the primary stores of family wealth. Iranian deeds historically came in a handwritten six-column format called سند دستی (sanad-e dasti), which is now being replaced by the single-sheet computerised system called سند تکبرگ (sanad-e tak-barg). Disputes over سند, especially in inherited properties or informal arrangements between family members, are among the most common civil cases in Iranian courts. Obtaining a clean, single-owner سند is considered a major life milestone when purchasing a home.