Tick off title, society, tax and payment steps before you pay a token amount and before registration.
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How to use it. Work through the groups in order. The first group has to be done before you pay any token or earnest money. Once a seller has your money, walking away over a title problem gets harder, and refunds of earnest money often lead to disputes. The title and society groups need documents from the seller, the society and the sub-registrar's office, so give yourself one to three weeks. Ticks are saved only in this browser.
What it covers. The checklist is for buying a resale flat in a housing society, the most common second-hand purchase in Indian cities. For an under-construction flat from a builder, add the RERA registration, the agreement for sale format and the builder's payment plan. For a plot or independent house, add land records such as the 7/12 extract, patta or RTC, the conversion order for non-agricultural use, and a boundary survey.
Worked example. Suppose the encumbrance certificate shows a mortgage registered in 2019 with no release recorded. Do not pay until the seller produces the lender's closure letter and a registered release, or until the lender agrees in writing to hand the original documents to you against your payment.
Limits. A checklist cannot replace a title search by an advocate. Read the resale document checklist guide and the title and encumbrance guide for what each document proves.
Cost Calculations and Checklists
The documents to check when buying a resale flat in India: title chain, encumbrance certificate, OC, society NOC and share certificate, tax receipts, loan closure, and when to ask for each.
Mistakes, Disputes and Official Sources
How to check that a seller really owns a property in India: tracing the title chain, reading an encumbrance certificate, land records, litigation searches, public notices and the advocate's report.
