An hour spent reading documents before a purchase is worth more than several years of litigation afterwards.
Almost every property dispute has a document at its centre — usually one that was signed without being read against the record. This is a general checklist, not advice on a specific transaction.
The title document and the chain behind it
The current sale deed matters, but so do the documents by which the seller acquired the property. A gap in the chain is a warning sign, not a formality.
Revenue records and mutation
For agricultural and rural land, entries in the record-of-rights and the position of mutation are central. Confirm that the person selling appears in the record and that earlier transfers were followed by mutation.
Agreement to sell
An agreement to sell is not a transfer of ownership. It records terms — price, time, possession and consequences of default. Those terms should be specific enough to be enforced.
Points frequently overlooked
- Whether any co-sharer or heir has not signed
- Whether the property is subject to a mortgage, charge or attachment
- Whether the measurement on the ground matches the document and map
- Whether an existing tenant or occupant is in possession
- Whether a power of attorney relied upon is valid and subsisting
After the transaction
Registration is not the last step. Mutation, record entries and, where applicable, transfer of connections and tax records should be completed, so that the position on paper matches the position on the ground.
This article is general information about legal procedure and is not legal advice. Facts and applicable law differ from case to case, and no outcome is promised.