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Due Diligence · Step-by-step · India

How to Verify Plot Documents Before Buying

A plot is only as good as its paperwork. In twenty years of buying and developing land, almost every painful situation I've watched a buyer fall into traced back to a document they never asked to see — or saw and didn't know how to read. This is the exact sequence I run before any plot purchase: which documents to demand, how to read each one, and the online portals to verify them on. None of it requires special access; all of it is non-negotiable.

Why verification is everything

Land is the one asset where the document is the value. A great location, a fair price and a persuasive developer mean nothing if the title is defective, the land is unconverted, or there is an undisclosed loan sitting against the parcel. Unlike an apartment, where the structure is visible, a plot's risks are almost entirely on paper — which is why disciplined verification is the highest-return work you will do in the whole transaction.

The principle throughout: never accept a photocopy and a promise. Insist on certified or digitally signed copies, cross-check every document against the survey number and boundaries, and match the seller's identity to the records. If a seller resists producing any of the documents below, treat that resistance as information.

1. Title deed and the mother deed chain

The title deed proves the seller legally owns what they're selling. But a single sale deed is not enough — you need the mother deed (the earliest document establishing ownership of the parent land) and the unbroken chain of subsequent sale deeds linking it to today's seller. Trace at least 30 years. Each transfer should connect cleanly to the next, with no missing link, no unexplained change of name, and consistent survey numbers and extents throughout.

Read it for the essentials: who is conveying to whom, the exact extent and boundaries, the survey number, and that the document is registered at the Sub-Registrar's Office. Match the seller's name on the latest deed against their photo ID. A break or ambiguity anywhere in the chain — a gift, a partition, an inheritance with no probate, a power-of-attorney transfer — is exactly what a property lawyer's title opinion exists to catch.

2. Encumbrance Certificate (EC)

The EC is the official Sub-Registrar record of every registered transaction on the property over a period — sales, mortgages, liens, court attachments. A clean EC confirms the land is free of active bank loans, hidden charges and registered disputes. Obtain it for at least 30 years (Form 15 lists transactions; a Form 16 / nil-encumbrance certificate confirms no entries for a period).

Read it carefully: an EC showing a subsisting mortgage means there is a lender whose dues must be cleared and a release deed produced before you buy. Note too that an EC only captures registered transactions, so it is necessary but not sufficient — pair it with the title chain and physical checks. My dedicated walkthrough is in how to check the EC for a plot.

3. DC conversion order (for agricultural land)

In and around Bangalore, a large share of plotted land began life as agricultural land. To be legally used and sold as residential, it must be converted to non-agricultural use through a DC conversion order (commonly the Form 11B order) issued by the Deputy Commissioner. Confirm the order exists, that the survey number and extent on it match the plot, and that the converted use is residential.

4. Khata certificate, extract and tax receipts

The Khata is the municipal record identifying the property and its owner for tax purposes. Ask for the Khata certificate and Khata extract, plus the latest property tax paid receipts. Confirm the owner's name matches the title, the property details match the plot, and tax is paid up to date with no arrears.

In Karnataka the A-Khata versus B-Khata distinction is decisive: an A-Khata (or a valid e-Khata) signals a fully compliant property suitable for loans, building approval and clean resale, while a B-Khata flags an approval or regularisation issue. For most buyers, A-Khata is the safer requirement — the full explanation is in A-Khata vs B-Khata.

5. Survey, boundary and layout approval

Paper must match the ground. Verify the survey records and measurement (in Karnataka, the RTC / Pahani and the survey sketch) and confirm the survey number, extent and boundaries on the documents match the physical plot. For a plot inside a layout, also confirm the approved layout plan and the release certificate from the correct planning authority — BDA/BBMP, BMRDA or DTCP depending on location.

The discipline here is the backbone of my documents checklist — use that as the printable companion to this guide.

6. RERA registration (for plotted projects)

If you are buying into a developer's plotted development that promises infrastructure or amenities, the project must be RERA-registered. Get the registration number and verify it on your state RERA authority's portal — confirm that the project (not just the developer) is registered, and that the approved layout map on file matches what's being sold to you. RERA registration is the floor, not the ceiling: it adds transparency and recourse, but you still run every title, EC, conversion and Khata check yourself.

Verifying documents online

A growing share of this can be done from your desk before you ever visit the Sub-Registrar. The records and the portals that hold them:

• Registered deeds & EC — apply and verify through your state registration portal (in Karnataka, Kaveri Online Services).
• Land & survey records — the state land-records system (Bhoomi / RTC in Karnataka) for ownership, extent and survey detail.
• Khata — the municipal portal (BBMP e-Khata in Bengaluru) to confirm the Khata and its type.
• RERA — the state RERA authority's website to validate the project registration number.
• Property tax — the municipal tax portal to confirm dues are clear.

Related guides: Documents checklist → · Check the EC → · A-Khata vs B-Khata → · Red flags → · All guides →