The Property Document Checklist for a Resale Flat

This is not legal advice, and every purchase should go through a lawyer engaged by the buyer. But an agent who cannot name these documents will not spot a problem until it costs everyone three months.

The core set

1. Sale deed of the current owner. Registered, with the chain going back as far as your lawyer advises for the state. This is the primary proof of ownership.

2. Mother deed / chain of title. The sequence of previous transfers. Gaps in the chain are the most common source of trouble.

3. Encumbrance certificate. For the relevant period. Shows registered charges — mortgages, liens, registered disputes.

4. Occupancy certificate. Issued by the local authority certifying the building is fit for occupation. Its absence is serious.

5. Completion certificate, where applicable.

6. Approved building plan. And a check that what exists matches what was approved. Unauthorised alterations become the buyer's problem.

7. Property tax receipts. Recent, and a sequence without gaps.

8. Society share certificate, where the society is registered — evidence of membership.

9. Society NOC and no-dues certificate. Confirming nothing is outstanding on the flat and the transfer is permitted.

10. Maintenance and utility bills, paid, latest.

11. Loan closure and NOC from the lender, if the flat was mortgaged. Plus the original documents released.

12. Identity and PAN of the seller, matching the deed exactly.

For an under-construction purchase, additionally

• RERA registration number, verified on the state RERA portal rather than the brochure
• The builder-buyer agreement
• Allotment letter
• Payment receipts, all of them
• Commencement certificate
• The approved layout and the sanctioned plan

The situations that need extra care

Inherited property. A succession or legal heir certificate, a will where one exists, and consent from every entitled heir. Missing consents surface years later.

Joint ownership. Every owner must sign. All of them, not "my brother agrees".

Sale through power of attorney. Verify the POA is registered where required, specific to this property and this act, and still valid. Confirm the principal is alive — a POA generally lapses on death.

NRI seller. Additional tax deduction obligations on the buyer, plus POA and repatriation considerations.

A flat under an existing home loan. The buyer's lender and the seller's lender must coordinate. Plan the sequence early.

The three agents skip most often

1. The encumbrance certificate — because it takes time to obtain
2. The no-dues certificate — because the society is slow
3. Checking the plan against reality — because it requires actually walking the flat with the drawing

Each of these has stopped a registration on the day.

The sequence

Verify before the token amount, not after. A refundable token is a matter of what the receipt says, and receipts written casually are how buyers lose money.

Engage the lawyer before any payment. Their job is to find a reason not to buy, and paying them to do it after you have already paid a token defeats the purpose.