The papers to check before you pay a token

Buyers in West Delhi worry, rightly, about getting stuck in a disputed property. Nearly every bad deal traces back to documents nobody looked at closely. These are the checks we run before a floor goes live on this site, and the ones you should insist on before any token changes hands.

1. Title chain

Trace the property back through every registered sale deed. Each owner should have bought from the one before, by a registered document. Gaps, missing deeds or unregistered transfers need a lawyer's explanation before you go further.

2. GPA and agreement-to-sell history

Older properties in Delhi sometimes changed hands through a General Power of Attorney and agreement to sell instead of a registered sale deed. Know whether that happened anywhere in the chain and how it was regularised.

3. Freehold conversion

Many DDA-allotted plots in West Delhi started as leasehold. Confirm the conversion to freehold has been done and the conveyance deed is in place.

4. Sanctioned plan and completion

Check that the building matches its sanctioned plan, so extra floors or extra coverage won't invite notices later. For a new floor, ask for the completion or occupancy documents.

5. Loans and liens

Make sure no bank loan or other claim sits on the property, or that any loan will be closed and the original documents released at the time of sale.

6. Taxes and dues

Ask for MCD property tax receipts and clear electricity and water bills.

7. Floor-specific rights

Your sale deed should state your floor, your parking slot, your share in the land, lift and staircase use, and who owns the roof. Verbal promises don't count.

A token should change hands only once these are clear. If anyone pushes you to pay before the papers are checked, slow down.