DOCUMENTS TO CHECK WHILE BUYING A PROPERTY IN BENGALURU

Property investments are highly capital intensive and any mistake made during the process, can
cause a great deal of trouble for the buyer. This makes it crucial for a buyer to exercise due
caution while examining the property documents. Buying a home can be a complex procedure
particularly when the topic of documentation is involved. Thus, it is extremely significant to confirm
all the documents are in place before purchasing property in Bangalore. This article will illustrate the
documentation required to be checked before purchasing property:

• BUILDING PLAN SANCTION

In case of apartments and individual houses, you need to have a Building Plan Sanction issued by the
BBMP, BDA, or the village panchayat for properties under their jurisdiction. For vacant sites in
layouts, you need to check for the layout plan sanction, issued by the plan-sanctioning authority. For
builder-developed independent homes, apart from the layout plan sanction, you need to have
building plan sanction from the BBMP or village Panchayat, under whose jurisdiction the property
falls.

•    KHATA

The Khata certificate is issued by the BBMP, the BDA, or a village panchayat in the name of the
present owner or owners. There is no specific mention of the term Khata in the Karnataka Municipal
Corporation Act of 1976; this is only an assessment register which compiles all the details of each
property in the city. Each property will have a Khata. Each Khata has two parts: the Khata certificate
and the Khata extract.

•    ENCUMBRANCE CERTIFICATE

The Encumbrance certificate (EC) is a record that shows all the registered transactions pertaining to
a property in a particular time period. It is issued by the sub-registrar’s office under whose
jurisdiction the property falls. ECs are issued via Form 15 or Form 16. If mortgage, sale, or any other
deeds with respect to a property are registered in the specified period of time, then Form No. 15 is
issued with the details of each transaction.

•    COMMENCEMENT CERTIFICATE

The Commencement or Clearance Certificate (CC) is given by the engineering department of the
BBMP for the properties under construction in the city limits. Once the building licence is obtained
and the foundation and peripheral columns have been constructed, the builder must apply for the
CC. Only after a CC is issued can a builder legally proceed to construct the complete building.

•    OCCUPANCY CERTIFICATE

The Occupancy certificate (OC) is obtained at the end of the construction and is proof of plan
sanction compliance. Once the builder applies for the OC, BBMP is supposed to conduct an
inspection to confirm that the construction is compliant with the sanctioned plan.
•    CONVERSION CERTIFICATE

This Conversion certificate (popularly known as DC conversion certificate) is issued by the Deputy
Commissioner. It certifies that the property has been converted from agricultural land to a
residential property.

•    TAX PAID RECEIPTS

These are receipts issued by the BBMP, BDA, or village panchayat, recording the payment of taxes
for the property.

•    PTCL ENDORSEMENT

The buyer can ask the builder/seller to get a Prevention of Transfer of Certain Lands Act (PTCL)
endorsement. Either the Tehsildar or DC can issue this document. This is to ascertain that the
property is not on land granted to person/persons belonging to the SC/ST communities.

 SALE DEED/TITLE DEED

Apartment Deed is a Deed or agreement entered for sale/purchase of apartment. This Deed will be
prepared between Builder and the owner of the apartment before purchasing the said property.

 COPY OF POSSESSION LETTER FROM THE BUILDER

A possession letter or certificate is an important document at the time of purchase of a property or

apartment. A possession letter is given by the seller to the buyer stating the date of possession. A
possession letter assures that the possession is transferred from the seller/owner of the property to
the buyer successfully.

 COMPLETION CERTIFICATE

A Completion Certificate is a legal document given by the concerned authority that signifies that any
building/ complex is constructed by adhering to the approved plan and the set regulations of the
local development authority. This certificate validates the real estate project.