Title and the revenue record
Start with the record, not the advertisement. Pull the 7/12 extract, jamabandi, khatauni, patta or whatever your state calls it, and confirm the seller's name, the extent and the classification.
Trace the title chain back thirty years through registered deeds, and take an encumbrance certificate for the same period to see registered loans and charges.
Where the land came through inheritance or partition, get every legal heir to sign. A plot bought from one of four heirs is a lawsuit with a boundary wall.
Classification and permission to build
Agricultural land cannot be built on until it is converted to non-agricultural use through the process your state prescribes. Buying agricultural land on a promise that conversion is easy is the most expensive mistake in this category, and several states additionally restrict who may buy agricultural land at all.
For a plot inside a layout, confirm the layout is approved by the development authority or the planning body, and that this specific plot number appears on the approved layout plan.
Check the zoning and any reservation on the master plan — a road widening line, a green belt, a public utility reservation — because these do not show up on the site.
The site itself
Walk the boundary with the survey number and the dimensions in hand, and have it measured by a licensed surveyor. Encroachment of a few feet is common and is far cheaper to find now.
Check the access road: who owns it, how wide it is, and whether the right of way is recorded. A landlocked plot with an informal path is worth a fraction of one with a recorded approach.
Look at the level relative to the road, the drainage in the monsoon, and the availability of water, electricity and a sewer or septic solution.
Dues and clearances
Land revenue and property tax receipts up to date, and no dues to the layout or panchayat.
Where the land is near a coast, a forest boundary, a defence installation, a river or a heritage precinct, the relevant special clearance applies and should be checked before, not after.
Buying and holding it
Register the sale deed; a general power of attorney sale is not a transfer of title and is not accepted as one.
Mutate the revenue record into your name immediately after registration, and keep paying the tax in your name every year.
Fence the plot, mark the corners and visit it. An unfenced, unvisited plot is the easiest kind of property to lose.
Common questions
Can I build on agricultural land?
Not until it is converted to non-agricultural use under your state's process. Some states also restrict who may purchase agricultural land in the first place.
Is a general power of attorney sale valid for a plot?
It does not transfer ownership. Only a registered sale deed does.
How do I confirm the plot area?
From the revenue record and a licensed survey on the ground, converted to square feet. Local units such as bigha vary by state, so never rely on the unit alone.
Sources
- Transfer of Property Act, 1882 and the Registration Act, 1908
- Your state's land revenue code and the non-agricultural conversion procedure
- The approved layout plan and master plan published by your development authority
Last checked 2026-09-23.