Buying Property in India? Check These 214 Things Before You Pay
Before buying property in India, verify the seller's ownership, 30-year title chain, Encumbrance Certificate, Patta and revenue records, FMB, DTCP/CMDA/LPA approval, RERA registration where applicable, Occupancy Certificate, property boundaries, outstanding loans and taxes, Sale Deed and registration details.
- Written by
- Jamin Editorial Team
- Published
- 13 August 2026
🏡 THE ULTIMATE PROPERTY BUYER CHECKLIST IN INDIA
214 Checks Before You Pay Even ₹1
🇮🇳 The Jamin Bazaar 2026 Property Due-Diligence Checklist
Title • Patta • EC • FMB • DTCP • CMDA • RERA • Seller • Site • Tax • Agreement • Registration • Possession
👑 THE GOLDEN RULE OF PROPERTY BUYING**Don't fall in love with the property before you investigate the paperwork.
**The view can be beautiful.
The gate can be magnificent.
The price can look irresistible.
But none of those things can repair a bad title.
🧠 Why a Checklist Beats Expertise
A surgeon can perform the same operation for twenty years and still use a checklist.
Not because the surgeon has forgotten how to operate.
Because people skip things when they are under pressure.
Property buying works the same way.
You walk onto the land.
The breeze is good.
The road looks promising.
Your family likes it.
The seller tells you another buyer is interested.
The broker says:
“Sir, documents are perfect. We can check everything later.”
And suddenly the Encumbrance Certificate gets skimmed instead of read.
The A-Register is promised instead of produced.
The FMB is forgotten.
The approval number is taken from the brochure instead of verified with the authority.
And the Sale Deed gets signed because everyone is already sitting inside the Sub-Registrar's Office.
🔴 That is exactly how expensive mistakes happen.
This isn't meant to be another property article.
This is a working document.
214 individual checks.
Each one exists for a reason.
Print it.
Save it.
Take it to the property.
Give sections to your:
⚖️ Advocate 📐 Surveyor 🧾 Chartered Accountant 🏦 Banker 🏗️ Engineer 👤 Yourself
Then start ticking.
🚦 HOW TO READ THIS CHECKLIST
| Symbol | Meaning | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 🔴 | DEAL-BREAKER | 🛑 Stop. Fix it before paying. |
| 🟠 | MAJOR ISSUE | ⚠️ Resolve it or renegotiate materially. |
| 🟡 | CAUTION | 🔍 Investigate, price and monitor it. |
| 🟢 | CLEARED | ✅ Evidence checked and passed. |
| 🔵 | VERIFY | 📑 Confirm against the original/authority. |
🚨 BEFORE THE 214 CHECKS
THE SEVEN DEAL-BREAKERS
Don't spend six weeks investigating a property that can fail in six hours.
Run these first.
The source itself makes these the gateway checks before Sections A–R.
| # | 🚨 Deal-Breaker | 🔍 How to Verify | 🟢 PASS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 🔴 Seller has the original title deed | Physically inspect it | Name matches seller's ID |
| 02 | 🔴 Property has valid DTCP / CMDA / LPA approval where applicable | Verify with issuing authority | Approval matches property |
| 03 | 🔴 Land classification is suitable or properly converted | Check Patta/A-Register/conversion documents | Classification cleared |
| 04 | 🔴 30-year EC has no unexplained live charge | Obtain and read EC | No unresolved mortgage/attachment |
| 05 | 🔴 Every co-owner is identified | Compare title + Patta + seller disclosure | Everyone will sign |
| 06 | 🔴 Applicable RERA registration is current | Verify on RERA portal | Registration and filings current |
| 07 | 🔴 Completed building has applicable Occupancy Certificate | Verify document independently | OC sighted |
🛑 ONE OF THE SEVEN FAILED?
Don't immediately ask:
“Can we somehow manage this?”
Ask:
“Why should I accept this risk?”
A property that cannot survive the first seven checks has no business receiving your advance.
🧮 YOUR 214-CHECK JOURNEY
Think of this as the property's health report.
| Section | 🔍 Investigation | Checks |
|---|---|---|
| 🟢 A | Buyer Readiness | 18 |
| 🏡 B | Property Type Triage | 9 |
| 📂 C | Document Request | 5 |
| ⚖️ D | Title & Ownership | 31 |
| 🔗 E | Encumbrance & Liabilities | 17 |
| 🏛️ F | Approvals & Compliance | 26 |
| 📕 G | Revenue Records | 22 |
| 👣 H | Site Visits | 28 |
| 🏢 I | Building & Structural | 19 |
| 🏗️ J | Under-Construction | 27 |
| 🗣️ K | Seller Interrogation | 25 |
| 🌳 L | Neighbourhood | 14 |
| 💰 M | Financial & Tax | 25 |
| ✍️ N | Agreement Clauses | 20 |
| 🔑 O | Registration Day | 23 |
| 🏆 P | Post-Registration | 16 |
| 🌍 Q | NRI Addendum | 11 |
| 🔄 R | Resale Readiness | 9 |
TOTAL: 214 CHECKS
Score only the sections applicable to the type of property being purchased, as the original checklist specifies.
🟢 SECTION A
💰 BEFORE YOU INVESTIGATE THE PROPERTY, INVESTIGATE YOURSELF
Buyer Readiness • 18 Checks
Most people begin here:
“Which property should I buy?”
Begin one step earlier:
“Am I actually ready to buy one?”
| # | Check | Pass |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | 🔴 All-in budget calculated | ☐ |
| A2 | 🔴 Down payment genuinely available | ☐ |
| A3 | 🟠 Emergency reserve preserved | ☐ |
| A4 | 🔴 CIBIL checked | ☐ |
| A5 | 🔴 Loan pre-approval obtained | ☐ |
| A6 | 🟠 EMI/income ratio modelled | ☐ |
| A7 | 🟠 EMI stress-tested against higher rates | ☐ |
| A8 | 🟠 Income stability considered | ☐ |
| A9 | 🔴 Source of funds documented | ☐ |
| A10 | 🟠 Capital-gains implications checked | ☐ |
| A11 | 🔴 Ownership structure decided | ☐ |
| A12 | 🟠 Co-owner/co-borrower tax structure checked | ☐ |
| A13 | 🟡 State-specific concessions checked | ☐ |
| A14 | 🔴 Purchase purpose defined | ☐ |
| A15 | 🟠 Intended holding period considered | ☐ |
| A16 | 🔴 Independent property advocate appointed | ☐ |
| A17 | 🟠 CA briefed | ☐ |
| A18 | 🟡 Surveyor identified | ☐ |
SCORE: ____ / 18
💎 JAMIN INSIGHTA ₹1 crore property isn't a ₹1 crore decision.
Registration costs, professional fees, financing expenses, repairs, brokerage and other transaction expenses sit outside the headline number.
Budget for ownership, not advertising.
The source specifically begins the full checklist by testing buyer readiness, including the all-in budget, liquidity, credit, financing, source of funds and independent professional support.
📂 SECTION C
THE 24-DOCUMENT TEST
This section deserves to look almost like a vault inventory on the website.
Before you pay an advance, ask:
“Can the seller actually produce the property?”
Not the building.
Not the keys.
The paperwork.
🔵 TITLE VAULT
☐ Current Sale Deed ☐ Mother Deed ☐ Previous title documents ☐ 30-year EC ☐ Legal heir/succession documents ☐ Release/partition deeds ☐ Power of Attorney, if applicable
🟢 REVENUE VAULT
☐ Patta ☐ Chitta / Adangal ☐ A-Register ☐ FMB Sketch ☐ Conversion Order
🟡 APPROVAL VAULT
☐ DTCP / CMDA / LPA Approval ☐ Approved Building Plan ☐ OC / CC ☐ RERA Registration
🔴 LIABILITY VAULT
☐ Property Tax ☐ EB / Water ☐ Association No-Dues ☐ Bank Loan Closure / NOC
👤 SELLER VAULT
☐ PAN ☐ Aadhaar ☐ Co-owner IDs ☐ Residential Status ☐ All required signatories identified
The original provides a ready-made 24-document request that buyers can send directly to a seller.
⚖️ SECTION D
WHO ACTUALLY OWNS THIS PROPERTY?
This should be one of the darkest, most serious sections visually.
Follow the title backwards.
TODAY'S SELLER
⬇️
📜 Previous Sale Deed
⬇️
📜 Previous Owner
⬇️
📜 Partition / Settlement / Inheritance
⬇️
📜 Earlier Owner
⬇️
📜 Mother Deed
⬇️
🔍 30 YEARS
Every transfer should connect.
Every name should connect.
Every survey number should connect.
Every extent should connect.
Every unexplained gap is a question.
👑 GOLDEN RULE
**You are not buying from the person standing in front of you.
**You are buying the legal chain behind them.
🏛️ SECTION F
🚨 “PANCHAYAT APPROVED”
Put this in a giant red website card.
🔴🔴🔴 WARNING 🔴🔴🔴
“PANCHAYAT APPROVED LAYOUT”
does not automatically mean
“LEGALLY APPROVED LAYOUT.”
Ask:
WHO approved it?
WHAT is the approval number?
WHERE is the approved plan?
DOES my plot appear on it?
DO the dimensions match?
Then independently verify the answer.
The source treats this as one of the most commonly missed and potentially expensive Tamil Nadu checks.
👣 SECTION H
VISIT THE PROPERTY THREE TIMES
☀️ VISIT ONE
Weekday Morning
Check the property.
📐 Boundaries 🛣️ Road 💧 Drainage ⚡ Electricity 🌊 Water 🏗️ Encroachment
🌤️ VISIT TWO
Weekend
Check the neighbourhood.
👥 Speak to three neighbours 🌧️ Ask about flooding 🚗 Check traffic 💧 Ask about water 🔊 Listen to the area
🌙 VISIT THREE
After Dark
Check reality.
💡 Streetlights 👣 Safety 🏘️ Real occupancy 🐕 Nuisance 👃 Drain/STP smells 📱 Mobile coverage
💎 JAMIN NIGHT TESTDrive through a supposedly “sold-out” development at 9 PM.Look at the windows.
If almost every house is dark, you may not be looking at a thriving community.
You may be looking at inventory held by investors.
That three-visit structure comes directly from the checklist's 28-point site inspection section.
🗣️ SECTION K
THE SELLER INTERROGATION
This could be fantastic on the website as expandable question cards.
Ask the seller:
👤 “Who else must sign?”
👨👩👧 “Did you have brothers or sisters?”
🏦 “Was this property ever mortgaged?”
📕 “Whose name is on the Patta today?”
🏛️ “Who approved this layout?”
🏢 “Where is the Occupancy Certificate?”
⚖️ “Has anyone ever disputed this property?”
🏠 “Is anybody occupying it?”
💰 “Will you accept the entire consideration through banking channels?”
And perhaps the most revealing:
“Why are you selling?”
Ask it once.
Ask it again at another meeting.
See whether the story changes.
🔑 REGISTRATION DAY
I'd turn this part into a dramatic final countdown.
24 HOURS TO OWNERSHIP
🔵 VERIFY
☐ Seller ☐ Co-owners ☐ Original documents ☐ SRO ☐ Stamp duty ☐ TDS ☐ Bank disbursement ☐ Witnesses
🔴 THEN READ THE SALE DEED SCHEDULE
WORD.
BY.
WORD.
Survey Number ✓
Subdivision ✓
Extent ✓
North Boundary ✓
South Boundary ✓
East Boundary ✓
West Boundary ✓
UDS ✓
Apartment / Plot Number ✓
One wrong digit can follow the property for years.
🏆 THE FINAL SCORE
At the end, don't merely show a number.
Turn it into a visual Property Health Score.
🟢 95–100%
STRONG
Documentation and verification are unusually complete.
🟡 85–94%
PROCEED WITH CONDITIONS
Close the remaining issues before releasing money.
🟠 70–84%
HIGH CAUTION
There are enough unresolved matters to justify serious renegotiation or further diligence.
🔴 BELOW 70%
STOP
This property needs substantially more work before you should consider committing money.
And above every score:
🚨 ONE UNRESOLVED DEAL-BREAKER OVERRIDES THE SCORE.
👑 THE FINAL JAMIN BAZAAR RULE
You can replace tiles.
You can repaint walls.
You can rebuild a kitchen.
You can landscape an empty plot.
You can even demolish a house and build another one.
But you cannot renovate a defective title with Italian marble.
So before you buy the view...
Before you buy the location...
Before you buy the promise of appreciation...
Before you hand over the advance...
📜 Verify the title.
🏛️ Verify the approval.
📕 Verify the records.
📐 Verify the land.
👤 Verify the seller.
💰 Verify the money trail.
Then:
🟢 BUY WITH YOUR EYES OPEN.
JAMIN BAZAAR
The property may win your heart. Let the documents win your trust.
This article is general educational information about buying land in Tamil Nadu. It is not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, charges and procedures change, and the position for a particular plot depends on its own records. Verify the current requirements with the relevant authority, or with a qualified professional, before you commit to a purchase.
Still deciding?
Our desk will walk you through any of this against a specific plot — including the documents you should ask to see.
Colophon
- Written by
- Jamin Editorial Team
- Published
- 13 August 2026
- Extent
- 10 min read
Set in Inter. Published by Jamin Properties, Tamil Nadu.