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Kharid Se Pehle — check these before you buy a flat, house, plot or land (India)
Pick what you are buying — a builder flat, a resale flat / house, a colony plot, agricultural land or a bank-auction property — and tick off a practical checklist (RERA, title chain, encumbrance / loan, co-owners and heirs, approvals, land records, dues). Mark any warning signs you have noticed. You get a clear stop / almost / ready signal, the first 3 steps, documents to collect, where to verify, a checklist to copy or send on WhatsApp, and a Status card. Runs in your browser. Educational facilitation only — not legal advice.
🚦 6 golden rules for every buyer
- Papers first, money later — never the other way round
- Only a registered sale deed makes you owner — not notary, POA or stamp paper
- Pay by bank only, to the owner's own account
- Every co-owner and legal heir must sign
- Visit the site, measure it, meet the neighbours
- After registry, apply for mutation in your name
What are you buying?
All property types at a glance
Rules, portals and stamp duty differ by State — verify with the official office.
New / under-construction flat from a builder
Check RERA registration, the approved plan and the land title — and never pay more than 10% before a registered agreement.
- ★ Project is registered on the State RERA website and the number matches the brochure
- ★ Sanctioned building plan covers your tower, floor and unit
- ★ Builder's right over the land is clear (title deed / registered development agreement)
- ★ Not paying more than 10% before a registered agreement for sale
🚫 Don't pay big 'booking amounts' in cash or before the agreement
Resale flat / house
Trace the title chain, confirm no loan is running, get every owner and heir to sign, and check approvals.
- ★ Full chain of earlier sale deeds up to the seller is seen in original
- ★ Encumbrance certificate shows no loan / mortgage — or the bank's closure letter is in hand
- ★ All co-owners / legal heirs agree and will sign the sale deed
- ★ Building has an approved plan / completion certificate; no illegal extra floor
🚫 Don't buy on a notary agreement, GPA or 'stamp paper sale' — it doesn't make you owner
Residential / colony plot
Confirm approved layout and residential land use, the seller's name in land records, and that it isn't government or acquired land.
- ★ Colony layout is approved and land use is residential (converted / CLU where needed)
- ★ Land record (khatauni / jamabandi / 7/12 / RoR) shows the seller's name and the same khasra number
- ★ Not government, acquired, green-belt or road-widening land
- ★ No mortgage / loan / charge on the land
🚫 Don't buy a plot in an 'unapproved colony' on the promise it will be regularised
Agricultural land
First check whether you can buy farmland in that State, then the land record, co-sharers, and whether it's restricted land.
- ★ You are allowed to buy agricultural land in this State (some States restrict non-farmers / outsiders)
- ★ Land record shows the seller and all co-sharers; their share adds up to what is being sold
- ★ Not ceiling-surplus, government-allotted (patta / assigned), tribal or other land that needs permission to sell
🚫 Don't buy one co-sharer's 'whole field' — he can sell only his share
Bank auction property (SARFAESI)
Auction sales are usually 'as is where is' — you must find out possession, dues and litigation yourself before you bid.
- ★ Read the whole sale notice: reserve price, EMD, dates, 'as is where is' terms
- ★ Know whether the bank has physical possession or only 'symbolic' possession
- ★ Pending property tax, society, electricity and other dues found out (buyer often bears them)
- ★ Balance payment timeline is clear and the money is arranged (EMD can be forfeited)
🚫 Don't bid without inspecting the property
Forward this tool
Someone in the family about to buy a flat or land? Forward this on WhatsApp before they pay the token.
📤 Forward this tool on WhatsApphttps://www.adhiwakta.com/tools/kharid-se-pehle
FAQs
- What is Kharid Se Pehle?
- A bilingual checklist tool for people buying property in India. Pick a builder flat, resale flat / house, colony plot, agricultural land or bank-auction property, tick the checks you have done, mark any warning signs, and get a stop / almost / ready signal, the first 3 steps, documents to collect, where to verify, a copyable checklist and a WhatsApp Status card. Educational facilitation only — not legal advice.
- Does a notary agreement or power of attorney make me the owner?
- No. A sale of immovable property worth ₹100 or more is made by a registered sale deed (Transfer of Property Act s.54, Registration Act s.17). In Suraj Lamps & Industries v. State of Haryana (2011) the Supreme Court held that GPA / agreement to sell / will 'sales' do not transfer ownership.
- Does mutation (dakhil-kharij) prove ownership?
- Mutation entries are revenue and tax records. Courts have repeatedly said they do not by themselves create or prove title — the registered deed and the title chain matter. Still apply for mutation after registry so records show your name.
- How much can a builder take before the agreement?
- Under section 13 of RERA, 2016 a promoter cannot accept more than 10% of the cost of the apartment, plot or building as advance or application fee without first executing a registered agreement for sale.
- Is anything I tick saved or sent?
- No. The checklist runs only in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or saved. You choose whether to copy it or send it on WhatsApp.
- Will Adhiwakta verify my property papers?
- No. Adhiwakta is a citizen legal-help facilitation platform, not a law firm. It does not verify documents or issue title reports and does not guarantee any outcome. You can ask a general question on WhatsApp, and government legal aid (15100) is available to eligible people.
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