Documents to Check Before Buying a Plot
Know what to request, what to compare and which questions to resolve before you commit to a plot.
Before you request documents
Back to the Plot Buying Knowledge Hub
Identify the exact village, survey or subdivision number, plot number, area and development phase. Keep these details beside every record you receive. A campaign name alone does not identify the legal parcel.
This guide helps you prepare an independent review. It is not a title certificate or legal opinion. A local property lawyer and an appropriate survey or planning professional should determine what applies to your plot, intended use and buyer status.
Prepared by the HoABL Properties marketing-partner team. Sources checked on 16 September 2026. For the wider process, read the national plot-buying guide.
Your document-request checklist
- Seller identity and authority to sell.
- Ownership documents and earlier transfers.
- Current land records and mutation entries.
- Encumbrance searches and relevant releases.
- Survey, boundary and approved layout plans.
- Documents establishing road access.
- Land-use, conversion and development permissions.
- Applicable project and phase registration records.
- Dues, service and maintenance information.
- Draft agreement, quotation and payment terms.
Mark each group as received, missing or needing clarification. Receiving a copy is different from verifying it.
Seller authority and title history
Request the legal seller’s identity and the documents explaining their capacity to sell. If someone signs for a company, co-owner or another person, ask your lawyer to examine their authorisation. Inherited, jointly owned and leasehold land can require additional records and consents.
Obtain the current ownership instrument and the earlier sale, gift, partition, inheritance or other documents needed to trace ownership. Let your lawyer determine the appropriate search period. Ask for a written explanation of missing links, inconsistent names and unresolved claims.
Ask: “Do these documents establish the seller’s ability to transfer this particular plot, and what remains unresolved?”
Land records, encumbrances and boundaries
Obtain the relevant record of rights, property record and mutation entries. Compare names, parcel references, area and recorded interests with the ownership documents. Ask your adviser to resolve discrepancies.
The Department of Land Resources provides routes to state services for records of rights, cadastral maps and deed registration. Record names and copy procedures vary by state.
Ask your lawyer which registration searches, encumbrance certificates and other enquiries are needed, and which dates and references to search. If a mortgage or charge is identified, obtain advice on release documents and payment arrangements. Ask what the search does not cover; a blank result should not be treated as a guarantee that no dispute exists.
Request the survey plan, subdivision details and sanctioned layout where applicable. Have the offered plot, dimensions and boundaries reconciled with the site. Do not use a brochure illustration as the only plan for this check.
Access and permitted use
Ask for the public-road record, layout provision or access-right documents relevant to the route into the plot. Have your adviser establish whether any consent or restriction affects that route. Seeing a road during a visit does not answer every access question.
Request the applicable land-use designation, conversion order or sanad, approved layout and development permissions. Ask a planning professional to check the issuing authority, covered parcel, conditions and outstanding approvals.
Keep three questions separate: can the seller transfer the land, is your intended use permitted, and what permission is needed for your proposed building?
Project and phase registration
For a development covered by RERA, search the appropriate state authority’s records using the registration number and legal promoter name. Match the phase, location and offered plot to the sales documents. If the seller says registration is not required, ask your lawyer to assess that explanation.
Section 4 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 addresses registration disclosures including title, encumbrances, approvals and plans. Review the available documents, not only the registration number in an advertisement.
For a Maharashtra example, MahaRERA’s registration-document guidance includes legal and financial encumbrances, sanctioned layouts and an NA order for plotted development. Check the current record for the actual phase. Registration is one part of the review; it does not replace examining ownership, access and proposed construction.
Dues, agreement and payment terms
Request available property-tax and land-revenue receipts, relevant dues statements, and written service and maintenance terms. Ask who bears amounts due before and after handover. Keep promises about utilities, roads and amenities with the contractual documents.
Have the draft agreement reconciled with the plot schedule and dated quotation. Check parties, area, phase, inclusions, delivery obligations, instalments, cancellation conditions and how changes are handled. Confirm the authorised payee through an independently verified contact.
Use the Aero Estate cost-sheet guide as a project-specific example of quotation questions, then obtain the actual terms for your own purchase.
State examples: Maharashtra and Goa
Maharashtra
The relevant records may include a 7/12 extract, mutation entries or a property card, depending on the parcel. The Maharashtra Land Records services directory provides these services and verification routes. Ask which record applies and obtain the appropriate authenticated copy.
Goa
Ask about survey and subdivision references, Form I & XIV where applicable, ownership documents and conversion. North Goa’s conversion-sanad guidance lists title and survey documents among application requirements. An application checklist is not proof of approval for the offered plot.
Use the Goa land-buying guide for broader local questions. These examples are not a nationwide checklist: requirements elsewhere need their own review.
Track the review and unresolved questions
For each document, record its name, reference number, issuing authority, date, parcel or phase, adviser and unresolved questions. Keep original files as received and distinguish later revisions.
- Received: a readable copy is available.
- Checked: the relevant adviser has explained its relevance and limitations.
- Clarification needed: a mismatch, missing page or condition remains open.
- Resolved: supporting evidence and the answer are recorded.
For example, if the quotation says Plot 24 in Phase B but the plan shows Phase A, request the correct plan before relying on it.
Pause and seek advice if the seller or parcel cannot be matched, access is only verbal, a required permission is merely promised, or payment pressure prevents a proper review.
Common questions
Is a sale deed enough on its own?
Give it to your lawyer with the ownership history, land records and plans. Ask what further evidence is needed for a reasoned title opinion.
Must every plot have every document listed?
No. Names and requirements vary by state, land category, tenure and type of sale. Ask the adviser to explain which items apply and why.
Does project registration replace a title review?
No. Include the correct phase disclosures in the broader review of ownership, access, permissions and contractual terms.
What should I keep after registration?
Retain executed registered documents, payment receipts, possession records and relevant approved plans. Ask about the applicable land-record update process. The Department of Land Resources FAQs explain that mutation procedures and online facilities differ between states.
Continue planning your purchase
Read the national plot-buying guide, assess costs with the beginner investment guide, or request available project documents.
Our marketing-partner team can help collect sales material. Independent professionals should assess the property and transaction for you.
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