How to check a property's papers before you pay

Start with the sale deed

The registered sale deed (sometimes called a conveyance deed) shows how the seller came to own the property. Check that the name on it matches the seller’s government ID, and that the description — plot or flat number, area, boundaries — matches what you are being shown.

Ask for the earlier deeds as well. A clean chain of ownership, each transfer registered, is what a lawyer will look for first.

Make sure the land records agree

For land, plots and independent houses, the state’s land records should show the seller as the owner: the khatauni in Uttar Pradesh, the jamabandi (a copy is called a fard) in Haryana. The khasra or survey number in the deed must match the record.

After every sale the record is updated by mutation — dakhil-kharij or intkal. If the mutation is still in an earlier owner’s name, ask why before you go further.

Ask for an encumbrance certificate

An encumbrance certificate, issued by the sub-registrar’s office for the years you ask for, shows whether the property is mortgaged or carries any other registered claim. If the seller has a loan against it, the loan must be closed before the sale, with a no-dues letter from the bank.

Check the approvals

What to ask for depends on what you are buying:

• A flat in a project: the building plan approval, the occupancy or completion certificate, and the project’s RERA registration.
• A plot in a colony: the approved layout, and proof that the land use allows housing — a change of land use (CLU) or conversion order where one is needed.
• A builder floor or independent house: the sanctioned building plan for the floors that actually exist.

Clear the dues

Ask for the latest property tax receipt, electricity and water bills, and — for a flat — a no-dues letter from the society or maintenance agency. Unpaid dues often follow the property, not the seller.

Do not buy on a power of attorney

Some properties are “sold” through a general power of attorney, an agreement to sell and a will instead of a registered sale deed. The Supreme Court held in 2011 (Suraj Lamp & Industries v. State of Haryana) that such arrangements do not transfer ownership. Insist on a registered sale deed in your name.

Before you pay a token

Never pay a token or an advance before you have seen the original papers and met the owner in person. On MeraSquareFeet, the Verified Owner badge means the owner’s sale deed and government ID were checked against that listing — a good start, but still have a lawyer check the papers before registration.

• Sale deed and the chain of earlier deeds
• Land record (khatauni or jamabandi) and mutation in the seller’s name
• Encumbrance certificate; bank no-dues letter if there was a loan
• Approvals: building plan, occupancy certificate, RERA, layout or CLU
• Tax receipts, utility bills, society no-dues
• Seller’s government ID matching the deed