List of Documents to Be Verified Before Buying Any Property or Participating in Any Auction

• List of Legal Documents to Consider When Purchasing a Property in Chennai:
• Title Deed
• Patta/Chitta/Adangal
• Encumbrance Certificate (EC)
• Power Of Attorney
• Layout Approval
• Building Planning Permit
• Building License
• Property Tax, Water Tax, and Electricity Bill
• Construction Agreement
• Sale Agreement
• Completion Certificate/Occupancy Certificate (OC)

List of Legal Documents to Consider When Purchasing a Property:

Buying an apartment/villa in chennai from a developer is not just investing a huge sum and taking possession. It requires buyers to be aware of legal aspects before making investment. Buyers should not only lookout for an apartment/villa that satisfies their requirements but they should also make sure that the property has legal clearance so that the buyer will not end up in a regrettable situation. It’s always advisable to take help from a legal professional who is an expert in this field for legal vetting of property documents. They help buyers in making wise and informed decisions about legal clearance over the property and then go ahead with the property investment.

Generally, most of the buyers may not be aware of the terms and jargon used in the legal document of a property. Legal professionals help buyers in apprehending the jargon and ensure that the paperwork is precise and clean so that there will not be any legal proceedings that buyers would face in the future. If there are any issues in the paperwork they are the ones who can guide the buyer with a proper alternative and how to approach the developer. Property lawyers also ensure that promises made by builders are not just in words, but are also reflected in the documents in writing. Banks also help in the legal vetting process if the purchaser is applying for a loan. They have online platforms to verify the documents provided by the developer and various checkpoints to sanction the loan. Before buying an apartment/villa in Chennai take help from property lawyers to verify these below mentioned documents and make sure that there are no tangles involved.

Title Deed

It’s a legal instrument in writing or a document that confirms the ownership of a property. It also defines the rights and privileges the owner has over the property and any lien on the property and the value of the property. Buyers should verify the owner’s name and details, the location of the property and its extent, and all details about the property to confirm that the transfer of property is in order during purchase and that any future transaction can be carried out hassle-free.

Patta/Chitta/Adangal

Patta is a revenue document issued by the government that shows the possession of the property. Patta Chitta document comprises Patta number, district, taluk, and village details, name of the owner, survey number and subdivision, Type of land (Wet or Dry), the total area of land, and property tax details.

Encumbrance Certificate (EC):

It provides all the registered transaction details on the transfer of ownership and mortgage if any. With the respective sub registrar’s office, EC needs to be verified to ensure that the property is free of financial and legal liability. If the property has any financial liability then the lender will add “charge” to EC. Therefore it is necessary to verify that there are no charges or liens added to the EC before purchasing an apartment/villa.

Power Of Attorney:

It’s a document that authorises another person the empower to present themselves on behalf of the owner. It’s merely a signing authority and not the actual ownership. Hence the buyer should check the validity of the power of attorney while buying a property since the principal/owner can cancel the power of attorney without taking the concurrence of the power holder. If the power of attorney is more than 30 days old, the life certificate of the ownership should be enclosed along with other documents during registration if in case the owner is an individual. In the case of developer/corporate, a life certificate is of no concern.

Layout Approval:

This approval holds the description of the building like the number of floors, flats on each floor, surface area. All developers/builders need to get layout approval from the concerned state-run DTCP to initiate projects. A property buyer investing in an individual villa/apartments at Chennai needs to provide documents showing the layout approvals and building plan being approved by the DTCP to get a loan. Buyers can verify the list of all approved plots on the official website of the state run DTCP portal. Alternatively, one can also visit the DTCP office to get information.

Building Planning Permit:

It is an approval given by the respective statutory body to carry out any construction activity on the land or building. While applying for a building planning permit, developers will submit a sale deed, EC for a period of upto 13 years, parent documents, tax receipts, NoC from various statutory bodies, project plans, project estimation, STP details, etc. Without a planning permit, any construction activity taking place is considered illegal.

Checklists for Buying Properties:

• Checklist for Buying Properties

Checklist for Buying a Property Through Bank Auction:

• Checklist for Buying a Property via Auction