Title-search guide
Property title-search document checklist
A complete and ordered document set makes it easier to identify breaks in the chain of title, missing registrations and encumbrance questions before a transaction or loan decision.
Start with the current title deed
Collect the latest sale deed, gift deed, partition deed, release deed or other instrument by which the current owner claims title. Capture the registration number, date, parties, consideration, property schedule, boundaries and the Sub-Registrar Office.
Trace the parent and antecedent deeds
Work backwards through the chain far enough to establish how title moved to the present owner. Missing parent deeds, unregistered transfers, inconsistent names or changes in survey/plot identifiers should be recorded as review questions rather than silently filled in.
Add independent record checks
- Encumbrance certificate for an appropriate search period.
- Mutation, khata, RTC/Pahani or other applicable revenue records.
- Latest property-tax receipts and approved layout or land-use records where relevant.
- Existing mortgage, release, court-order or lender documents.
Check identifiers across every document
Compare owner names, parent names, survey or plot numbers, area, boundaries, village, taluk, district and registration details. Transliteration and legacy place names can create apparent mismatches that need human confirmation.
When the online record is incomplete
A no-result or unavailable portal response is not the same as a clean title. Consider a manual SRO or government-office search when the record is not available online, the bank requires certified copies, or the document chain contains a material gap.