Most buyer regret starts with a form signed in a hurry. A flat is likely the biggest purchase of your life, and the sales desk is paid to close quickly. The antidote is a short, fixed list of documents that you ask for every time. Each one answers a specific question.
1. RERA registration certificate and project page
Answers: is this project legally allowed to be sold, and until when?
Ask for the registration number and confirm it yourself on the regulator’s website, matching promoter, phase and validity date. Our step-by-step guide shows how to verify a RERA registration in Punjab.
2. Sanctioned building plans and approvals
Answers: is what I am being sold the same as what the authority approved?
Ask for the approved layout and building plans, the licence or permission from the competent authority, and any change-of-land-use order. Compare the tower, floor count and unit sizes with the sanctioned plan, not just the brochure.
3. Title and revenue records
Answers: does the developer actually own the land, free of disputes?
Ask for the title deeds showing how the developer acquired the land, and the current revenue records for the land (in Punjab, commonly the jamabandi and fard). Have a lawyer check for litigation, joint owners or old agreements that could cloud the title.
4. Draft agreement for sale
Answers: what exactly am I promised, and what happens if the developer breaks it?
Ask for the draft before you pay beyond the booking amount. Read the carpet and built-up area, the price and what it includes, the possession date, the interest the developer pays on delay, and the defect-liability clause. The RERA Act caps advance payments at 10% of the price until the agreement is signed and registered.
5. Allotment letter and payment schedule
Answers: which unit is mine, and when is each payment due?
The letter should name the unit, the area and the payment plan. Make sure the plan is linked to construction milestones, not just dates, and that taxes and other charges are listed separately. Get a receipt for every payment, issued by the promoter named on the RERA page.
6. Lender or bank clearance
Answers: is the land or building mortgaged to someone else?
If the developer has borrowed against the project, you need the lender’s written permission to sell and a way to release the mortgage on your flat. If you are taking a home loan, also check the project is on your bank’s approved list, which is a useful second opinion on its paperwork.
7. Possession, completion and occupancy papers
Answers: when do I get the keys, and is the building legally fit to live in?
For an under-construction flat, ask for the committed possession date in writing. For a ready flat, ask for the completion or occupancy certificate and the utility approvals. A building without them can face trouble with connections and resale.
A simple way to use this list
- Send the list on WhatsApp or email and ask for scans of each item. Note what is missing and by when it arrives.
- Verify what you can yourself: the RERA page, the plan and the registration number.
- Give the title documents and draft agreement to an independent lawyer.
- Only then pay beyond the booking amount, to the developer’s account named in the agreement.
Our Property Check follows this same list for a project you are considering and gives you a plain-language report. For the legal background, see our RERA & legal guide.
