Property papers: what to check before you lend against them

Sale agreements, Index-II, 7/12 extracts and title chains: the common problems and how to catch them.

Property8 Nov 20266 min read

For home loans and loans against property, the property is the lender's security. A problem in the papers can leave the lender with no real security at all.

Common problems

  • The owner on the land record or property card is not the applicant or seller.
  • The registration details on the sale agreement do not match the state registration records.
  • Gaps in the title chain, or a link in the chain that cannot be traced.
  • The same property already mortgaged to another lender.
  • A valuation far above recent registered sales in the same area.

Checks that help

DocumentWhat to verifyWhere
Sale agreement and Index-IIRegistration number, parties, dateState registration search
7/12 extract or property cardCurrent owner, area, encumbrancesState land records
Existing chargesAny prior mortgage on the propertyCERSAI search
Valuation reportValuer empanelled, value in rangeLender panel and registered sales

Many states now offer online search of registration and land records, so a large part of this can be checked at the desk, before anyone travels.

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