Illegal housing societies in Islamabad and Rawalpindi: the official lists, counts and how to check (Oct 2026)

The illegal housing societies in Islamabad list is on CDA’s website: on 25 October 2026 it named 98 schemes, about half of them on Lehtrar Road or Simly Dam Road. For Rawalpindi district, RDA’s illegal list had 610 societies, against 78 approved. Both are free to search, and you can check a name below.

Neither list is complete. CDA sealed at least four schemes in September 2026 that are not on its page, so a society missing from the list is not proof that it is legal. The test is the other way round: is it on the approved list, with an NOC (no-objection certificate)?

We downloaded both authorities’ approved and illegal lists on 25 October 2026 and counted them with a script. The counts by road and by date below are our tallies, not CDA’s or RDA’s.

Where is the CDA list of illegal housing societies in Islamabad?

It is at cda.gov.pk/illegal-housing-schemes, a web page you can browse by first letter or as one list. It has no “last updated” date. CDA says plots are being sold in the name of these schemes although their sponsors “have not obtained any approval/NOC from CDA”.

Our tally of the 98 lines by the place each one names (some name two places):

Some lines look like the same scheme twice, such as “Abdullah Garden” and “Abdullah Gardens” on Kuri Road, or “Danyal Town” and “Dhanyal Town”. Search for part of a name, not the full spelling.

How many illegal housing societies are in Rawalpindi in 2026?

RDA’s illegal list, at rda.gop.pk/ihs, had 610 records on 25 October 2026. Its approved list, at rda.gop.pk/ahs, had 78. RDA tells buyers to check the live page and not to trust screenshots shared on social media.

492 of the 610 records carry the date 8 May 2025, which looks like the day the list was loaded into RDA’s new website rather than when each scheme was declared illegal. 118 records were added in 2026: 105 of them in March, 5 in August and the newest, Fazaia Housing Scheme Tarnol in Tehsil Taxila, on 10 September 2026. 23 records have a name but no location.

Of the 118 records added in 2026, 21 name Chakri Road and 10 each name G.T Road, Adyala Road or Misriot. If you are buying on Chakri Road, search RDA’s list by mouza (revenue village) as well as by name.

Which well-known societies are on the illegal lists?

This table copies the authorities’ entries as of 25 October 2026; it is not our judgement. Several names have one part approved and another part illegal, so the phase and block matter.

Some schemes aren’t on either illegal list but still lack approval. On CDA’s approved list, Bahria Enclave Phase-I has an approved layout plan but no NOC, and Jinnah Garden Phase-I’s layout plan is cancelled. Of CDA’s 70 private schemes, only 31 had both an approved layout plan and an NOC.

What does “illegal” mean for a housing society?

In Islamabad, CDA approves private schemes in two steps: first the layout plan (LOP), then the NOC for development. CDA’s own pages say sponsors may start development and sell plots only after the NOC. A CDA notice of 2 September 2026 says that developing a scheme without an approved layout plan and NOC is illegal.

In Rawalpindi district, the rules are the Punjab Development Authorities Private Housing Schemes Rules, 2021. RDA said in March 2026 that it acts against violations in Rawalpindi, Taxila, Gujar Khan, Kallar Syedan and Kahuta with notices, FIRs, sealing, demolition, bans on property transactions and referrals to the FIA’s cyber crime wing, The News reported.

“Illegal” can also mean only part of a society. In September 2026, RDA served Taj Residencia’s owner a show cause notice for booking plots in blocks that are not in its approved layout plan, The Nation reported.

What has CDA done against illegal schemes in 2026?

• May 2026: CDA sealed the offices of Shaheen Town on Lehtrar Road and Islamabad Green Paradise in Zone IV, and said buying and selling in illegal schemes is prohibited, The News reported.
• 2 September 2026: CDA ordered the sealing of Islamabad Green Paradise’s site and management offices in Koral, and asked IESCO and SNGPL to connect electricity and gas only in line with CDA-approved plans, ProPakistani reported. The same day it ordered Al-Amin Garden Phase-I’s offices sealed.
• 23 and 25 September 2026: CDA sealed the offices of Islamabad Villas on Kurri Road near Bani Gala, and of Itifaq Residencia on Simly Dam Link Road, both for developing without an approved layout plan or NOC, ProPakistani reported.

None of those four schemes (Islamabad Green Paradise, Al-Amin Garden Phase-I, Islamabad Villas, Itifaq Residencia) was on CDA’s 98-entry page when we checked on 25 October 2026.

What can I do if I bought in an illegal society?

Since August 2026, CDA also says allotment letters in Islamabad’s private schemes aren’t valid unless a CDA Director (Planning) has vetted them, and only plots inside approved layouts can be transferred, ProPakistani reported. Ask the seller for a vetted letter.

More guides: new housing schemes in Islamabad, plots on installment in Islamabad, Islamabad sectors and zones, best housing society in Islamabad, society approval check, LDA approved societies list.