Almost every dispute our legal desk untangles started the same way: a booking amount paid on a Sunday, on the strength of a brochure and a friendly site visit. The five documents below take an afternoon to read and settle roughly nine out of ten of those disputes before they exist.
1. The title chain, not the title deed
A single sale deed proves the last transfer. It does not prove the seller had the right to make it. Ask for the chain — ideally thirty years, at minimum the last two transfers — plus the encumbrance certificate for the same period. What you are looking for is continuity: every owner in the chain acquiring from the previous one, with no gap papered over by an affidavit.
2. The approved plan, stamped
Compare the sanctioned plan against what is physically standing. Enclosed balconies, a converted stilt, an extra floor on the terrace — all common, all a problem when you sell or when you need a loan. The stamp and the drawing number matter as much as the drawing.
3. The completion or occupancy certificate
An OC is the municipality confirming the building may lawfully be occupied. Buying into a building without one means inheriting whatever caused it to be withheld, and it will surface again when you exit. In under-construction purchases, check the RERA registration and the promised completion date in the same sitting.
4. Society records and dues
The share certificate, the NOC for transfer, and a statement of outstanding maintenance. Also ask for the last two years of society meeting minutes — pending litigation, a planned redevelopment or a special assessment for structural repairs will be in there long before anyone mentions it to a buyer.
5. The agreement you are about to sign
Read the possession date, the penalty clause both ways, what happens to your booking amount if the loan is declined, and which party bears stamp duty and registration. In our experience the booking amount forfeiture clause is the single most negotiated line — and the one buyers most often never see before signing.
A practical order of operations
- Get the document list in writing before the site visit, not after
- Pay a token only against a signed receipt naming the property and the refund terms
- Run diligence in parallel with the loan application, not after sanction
- Keep the final 10% payable strictly at registration
None of this is exotic. It is simply the reading that gets skipped in the rush of a good site visit — and the reason our desk asks clients to book a document review before booking a flat.