DHA file rates: what a file is, what it costs in each DHA, and how to check one (October 2026)

No DHA publishes a market file rate, so every “DHA file rate today” you see is an asking price. On Zameen on 25 October 2026, a 5 marla file was advertised at Rs 27.5 to 28 lakh in DHA Lahore Phase 10, Rs 51 to 55 lakh in DHA Peshawar and Rs 6.75 to 8 lakh in DHA Quetta. A file is a promise of a plot before a plot number is allotted, so its price depends on the next ballot.

What is a DHA file?

A file is your claim to a plot of a given size in a DHA, before DHA gives you a plot number. The plot number comes in a location ballot, a draw among eligible files. Possession, the handover of a developed plot you can build on, comes later still, usually after you pay development charges.

DHAs use several names for files. These are the ones in their own notices:

• Affidavit file: DHA Quetta’s open files were “Barcode file / Affidavit file”. Zameen reported in 2018 that DHA Quetta affidavit files were issued against land acquired for the project. DHA Lahore buys land through registered land providers, who pay a Rs 1 million registration fee and pass police checks.
• Allocation file: a file allocated in the holder’s name. DHA Quetta said in 2022 that only files with finalised allocations would enter its ballot, and DHA Bahawalpur asked open affidavit holders to register their files in their names by 20 May 2023.
• Intimation letter: DHA Peshawar counts these as eligible for its 2026 ballot alongside affidavit files.

How are DHA file rates quoted?

Sellers quote a file at a total price or as a premium over what has already been paid to DHA. Zameen described DHA Bahawalpur files in 2018 as trading at “level rates”, meaning no premium: buyers paid only what the owner had paid so far.

Ask which one you are being quoted. A low “rate” can mean a premium on top of instalments you still owe. In 2015, Zameen reported that successful DHA Bahawalpur applicants were asking a Rs 3 lakh profit on top of what they had paid.

What are DHA file rates in October 2026?

These are first-page asking prices on Zameen on 25 October 2026. They are what sellers want, not what buyers paid, and they mix sectors and file types.

Phase 10 is almost the whole DHA Lahore file market: 665 of the 725 DHA Lahore file listings on Zameen. Some Gujranwala 5 marla files asked up to Rs 30 lakh, and Quetta’s Sector A6 1 kanal files asked Rs 36 to 42 lakh. We didn’t collect file prices for DHA Bahawalpur.

What is the DHA Lahore Phase 10 file rate?

Phase 10 files have fallen for smaller sizes. Graana listed a 5 marla affidavit file at Rs 37 lakh in May 2024, against Rs 27.5 to 28 lakh asked in October 2026. A 1 kanal affidavit file was Rs 1.065 crore in 2024 and Rs 93 to 99 lakh in 2026.

DHA Lahore had not published a Phase 10 ballot as of October 2026. It invited consultants to draw the Phase 10 master plan in December 2025. Our DHA Lahore Phase 10 guide covers its status, location and risks.

What is the DHA Quetta file rate?

DHA Quetta is the only DHA we found that publishes a value for files. Under its File Adjustment Scheme 2026 (10 September to 10 October 2026), a file could be adjusted against development charges, the plot price and late payment surcharge at these values from 17 September 2026:

These are what DHA credits a file against its charges, not market prices. Most Zameen asks for Quetta files were lower in October 2026. See our DHA Quetta review for possession and charges.

What are DHA Gujranwala, Peshawar and Bahawalpur file rates?

• Gujranwala: most 5 marla file asks were about Rs 20 lakh in October 2026. DHA Gujranwala publishes prices for plots, not files: from 1 to 15 October 2026, a 5 marla plot in Sector A was Rs 43 to 55 lakh. Its FAQ says the third Phase 1 location ballot “will be announced as and when finalized”. See DHA Gujranwala.
• Peshawar: DHA Peshawar scheduled a ballot for 10 September 2026 for affidavit files and intimation letters issued by 5 September 2026, with dues paid by then. See DHA Peshawar.
• Bahawalpur: DHA Bahawalpur’s 4th location ballot, set for 21 August 2025, included affidavit files. It said only plots with the cost of land fully paid would be included. See DHA Bahawalpur.
• Multan: see DHA Multan for possession sectors and plot prices.

What are the risks of buying a DHA file?

• No date for the ballot. DHA Lahore Phase 10 and DHA Gujranwala’s next ballot had no dates as of October 2026.
• Open files can be shut down. DHA Quetta announced a ban on open affidavit and barcode files in April 2022, told members not to buy or sell them, and said it would end their verification.
• Fake sellers. DHA Quetta warned in December 2022 that some parties falsely claimed agreements with it to sell files. It said it issues files only to authorised land providers.
• Unclear rules. In December 2025 the federal government formed a committee, led by the Law Minister with the FBR and NAB, to review the legal status of property file trading, including fake and duplicate files.

How do you verify a DHA file before buying?

We found no DHA page that verifies an open file online. For transfers and taxes once you hold a plot, see property transfer in Punjab and tax on property sales.

More guides: DHA Lahore review, buying property as an overseas Pakistani and how we score societies.