How to Verify Plot Documents Before You Buy

Most plot disputes are not sophisticated frauds. They are ordinary problems that were visible in the documents and nobody read them carefully enough, early enough.

This is the order to check things in, and what each document actually proves. Work through it before any money moves — an advance paid is leverage lost.

Start with the sale deed and the chain behind it

The sale deed is the document that transfers ownership to you. Before you get there, you need to establish that the person selling has the right to sell.

Ask for the parent documents — the chain of deeds showing how the seller acquired the land, and how the person before them did. Look for:

• An unbroken sequence with no unexplained gaps
• Names that match across documents, including spelling
• Sale, gift, partition and settlement deeds all accounted for
• Any inherited property having a clear succession trail

A break in the chain is not automatically fatal, but it always needs an explanation you find convincing — and preferably one your advocate finds convincing.

Pull the encumbrance certificate yourself

The encumbrance certificate lists registered transactions against the property — sales, mortgages, and other registered charges.

• Get at least 13 years. Go to 30 if the chain looks unusual or the land changed hands often.
• Obtain it yourself through the TNREGINET portal or the sub-registrar office rather than accepting a copy from the seller.
• Read it for existing mortgages. A subsisting loan against the land must be cleared and reflected before you register.

An EC showing no encumbrances is reassuring but not conclusive — it only covers registered transactions. Unregistered claims do not appear.

Check patta, chitta and adangal

Patta is the revenue record naming the holder of the land. Chitta and adangal record classification and cultivation details.

What to confirm:

• The patta names the seller, and the name matches the deed exactly
• The survey number and subdivision match the plot being sold, not merely the parent land
• The extent recorded matches what you are being sold
• Land classification is consistent with residential use — if it still reads agricultural, ask how and when conversion happened

For a plot inside a layout, insist on the subdivided patta for that specific plot. A patta covering the whole parent survey number tells you nothing about your plot.

Walk the site with the FMB sketch

The Field Measurement Book sketch is the survey department's drawing of the land's boundaries and dimensions.

Take it to the site and physically check it. Compare boundary stones, the compound wall and the approach road against the sketch. If there is a discrepancy, get a licensed surveyor to measure before you proceed. Boundary disputes are among the most expensive problems to fix after registration, and among the cheapest to catch beforehand.

Verify the layout approval

If the plot is part of a layout, the approval is a document you must see for yourself — the approval order, with your plot number appearing on the sanctioned plan.

This is covered in detail in DTCP approved vs unapproved.

Confirm there are no dues or claims

• Property tax receipts up to the current period
• No pending loan against the land — confirm any prior mortgage is discharged
• No ongoing litigation involving the property or the sellers
• If the seller holds through a power of attorney, examine it closely: is it valid, registered where required, and does it actually authorise sale?
• If there are multiple owners, every co-owner must be party to the sale
• If a minor has any interest, the additional requirements are significant — get specific legal advice

Know the registration cost before you commit

Look up the guideline value for the survey number on the TNREGINET portal. Stamp duty and registration charges are calculated on the higher of guideline value and the actual consideration, so this determines your real closing cost. Budget it upfront rather than discovering it at the sub-registrar office.

The checklist in short

One thing worth paying for

Engage a property advocate to do an independent title verification before you pay an advance. The fee is small against the value of the land and against the cost of discovering a problem after registration.

Every listing on approvedplot.in is checked for approval status before it appears — but your own advocate reviewing your own transaction is not a step to skip, on this site or any other.

This article is general information for plot buyers, not legal advice. Requirements vary by property and jurisdiction. Have a qualified property advocate review the documents for any plot you intend to buy.