Most problems that surface after a purchase were visible in the paperwork beforehand. This is the list to work through, and the short explanation of why each item matters, so that a client asking "is this flat safe to buy" gets a better answer than "it looks fine".
Title and ownership
- Sale deed for the current owner, and the chain of agreements going back — ideally thirty years.
- Property card or 7/12 extract, showing the land record.
- Mutation entries, confirming ownership changes were recorded.
- A title certificate from an advocate where the value justifies it. On a Mumbai flat, it usually does.
A break in the chain is the single most common defect. Where a link is missing — an inheritance never recorded, a release deed never executed among siblings — it will surface when the buyer tries to sell, not now.
Approvals for the building
- Approved building plan from the municipal authority.
- Commencement certificate, permitting construction to start.
- Occupancy certificate — the authority certifying the building is fit to occupy.
- Completion certificate, where applicable.
Encumbrance and dues
- Encumbrance certificate, showing any registered charge on the property.
- If the seller has a home loan: the outstanding balance, and a plan for the no-objection certificate and release of the original documents.
- Property tax receipts up to date.
- Society maintenance receipts, and written confirmation of no arrears.
- Electricity and water bills cleared.
Arrears follow the flat in practice even where they should not follow the buyer in law. Getting a no-dues letter from the society before payment costs nothing and saves an argument at handover.
Society paperwork
- Share certificate in the seller’s name.
- No-objection certificate from the society for the transfer.
- Confirmation of the transfer fee the society will levy, and who is paying it.
- Minutes or a letter confirming no redevelopment proposal is pending, if that matters to the buyer.
For an under-construction purchase
- The project’s RERA registration number, and the details on the authority’s portal.
- The registered agreement for sale, stating carpet area.
- The payment schedule tied to construction milestones rather than to dates.
- The committed possession date as recorded with RERA.
The RERA portal is public. Looking the project up takes a minute and shows the declared timeline, the approvals and any complaints registered against the promoter.
Where brokers add value
Clients cannot evaluate most of this, and a lawyer is engaged too late to influence which flat gets shortlisted. The broker who asks the seller for the occupancy certificate and the society no-dues at the point of listing — rather than three days before registration — is the one whose deals close on schedule.