TL;DR
- Developer legal teams should complete 30+ structured checks before signing any binding commitment on land in India.
- The checks span four pillars: ownership, land records, encumbrances, and litigation — the same four pillars as a Title Search Report.
- Completing all checks before the MoU gives the legal team maximum leverage to negotiate cure conditions or walk away cleanly.
- Most of these checks are automatable — platforms like Deedwise handle the research; the legal team handles the judgement calls.
Who this checklist is for and how to use it
This checklist is for real estate developer legal teams, in-house counsel at developers, and law firms advising on land acquisitions in India (with a focus on Karnataka). It is not designed for individual homebuyers.
Use it in order: the checklist is sequenced by the natural flow of due diligence. Items earlier in the list tend to block later items — if you cannot confirm the survey number is valid (Check 1), nothing else can proceed. Complete the checklist before signing an MoU. After the MoU, your leverage to exit drops significantly.
For each check, the table shows: what you are verifying, the source portal, and what a "bad" finding looks like.
See our companion article on Title Search Reports for the full workflow context in which this checklist sits.
Ownership Checks
1. Confirm the survey number and hissa are valid
Verify that the survey number + hissa combination exists in Bhoomi and resolves to a single parcel. An invalid survey number is sometimes a sign of an aggregated parcel that was never formally subdivided, or a transcription error in the broker's description.
Source: Bhoomi portal. Bad finding: No record found; survey number resolves to a cancelled parcel; multiple hissa entries that do not add up to a coherent parcel.
2. Confirm the current owner name in Bhoomi Column 4
Extract the Bhoomi RTC and note the registered owner name in Column 4. This is the person you are expecting to execute the sale deed.
Source: Bhoomi RTC. Bad finding: Column 4 is blank; the name is a company or government entity when you expected a private individual; multiple names that require all co-owners to participate in the sale.
3. Verify the last registered sale deed on Kaveri matches Column 4
Cross-reference the Column 4 owner name with the most recent sale deed on the Kaveri EC. If the names do not match, the mutation after the last sale has not been completed.
Source: Kaveri EC + Bhoomi Column 4. Bad finding: Column 4 shows the seller but the Kaveri EC shows the property was sold to someone else; the last Kaveri instrument is a gift deed or partition deed rather than a sale deed.
4. Trace the 30-year chain of title
Read the Kaveri EC from the current owner back 30 years. Every transfer must be accounted for by a registered instrument. The chain of sellers and buyers must be unbroken: each buyer in one deed must appear as the seller in the next.
Source: Kaveri EC. Bad finding: A gap in the chain where a parcel changed hands without a registered instrument; a period where the EC shows no instruments and no explanation for why the property was not transacted.
5. Verify any inherited or gifted ownership
If the chain includes inheritance, partition, or gift, confirm the relevant instruments are registered and mutation entries are present.
Source: Kaveri instruments + Bhoomi mutation register. Bad finding: Inheritance claimed verbally by the seller with no probated will, succession certificate, or registered partition deed; mutation entry missing for a gift deed.
6. Check for co-owners and confirm all will execute
If Column 7 of the RTC shows fractional ownership, or if the Kaveri EC shows multiple co-buyers in any prior instrument, confirm the identity and availability of all co-owners.
Source: Bhoomi Column 7 + Kaveri instruments. Bad finding: A co-owner who is deceased with no succession document; a co-owner who is a minor (requires court approval to sell); a co-owner who has gone overseas with no reachable address.
7. Verify seller's identity documents
Confirm the seller's name in government ID matches the name in the Kaveri instrument exactly. Name mismatches on title documents are a common source of registration delays and disputes.
Source: Seller-provided documents. Bad finding: Name in Aadhaar does not match name in sale deed; seller is an NRI requiring FEMA compliance documentation.
Land Records Checks
8. Confirm land classification in Bhoomi Column 3
Verify the Patta type. Only Raiyatwari (private) land can be freely alienated. Government granted land has transfer restrictions.
Source: Bhoomi Column 3. Bad finding: Land is classified as government land, granted land, Inam land, or has a "B" kharab (wasteland) notation indicating government ownership of a portion.
9. Check Column 11 for revenue encumbrances
Read Column 11 of the Bhoomi RTC carefully. Any notation here indicates a charge that has been noted in the revenue records.
Source: Bhoomi Column 11. Bad finding: Any active encumbrance entry without a corresponding release or discharge in the Kaveri EC.
10. Check Column 13 remarks for acquisition notices or orders
Column 13 is free-form and often contains critical notifications in Kannada shorthand: BDA acquisition notices, court orders, conversion application status, and taluk office notes.
Source: Bhoomi Column 13. Bad finding: A BDA or NHAI acquisition notification; a court restraint order; a notation that the conversion application has been rejected.
11. Verify land conversion status (agricultural to NA)
If the land is classified as agricultural and the developer intends residential or commercial use, a conversion order from agricultural to Non-Agricultural (NA) use must be obtained. Verify the status.
Source: DC office records + Column 13 remarks. Bad finding: Conversion application pending or rejected; property is in a green zone where conversion is not permissible.
12. Verify the extent matches across sources
Cross-reference the area in Bhoomi Column 2, the area in the Kaveri sale deed, and the K-GIS measured area. Minor discrepancies are common due to measurement methodology differences; large discrepancies need investigation.
Source: Bhoomi Column 2 + Kaveri instruments + K-GIS. Bad finding: Discrepancy of more than 5% between Bhoomi and K-GIS; Kaveri sale deed area does not match Bhoomi area.
13. Verify K-GIS boundary and spatial location
Confirm the parcel boundary on K-GIS matches the physical description. Check for road widening lines, BDA/BBMP reservations, or high-tension line setback zones that encumber part of the parcel.
Source: K-GIS / KSRSAC. Bad finding: The parcel is partially inside a road reservation; a government acquisition line bisects the parcel; the parcel abuts a notified forest or waterbody with buffer zone restrictions.
14. Verify BDA/BBMP zoning classification
For urban and peri-urban parcels, confirm the zoning classification in the applicable Master Plan. Agricultural zones, green zones, and government-reserved zones cannot be developed without specific approvals.
Source: BDA CDP / BBMP Master Plan (via K-GIS). Bad finding: Land is in a green zone or agricultural zone with no approved CDP amendment; land is reserved for public use in the Master Plan.
15. Check for any ULPIN vs. survey number mismatch
If the K-GIS ULPIN and the revenue survey number do not resolve to the same parcel, the spatial and revenue records are not aligned — a condition that can complicate both the title search and the eventual conversion/approval process.
Source: K-GIS vs. Bhoomi. Bad finding: ULPIN resolves to a different hissa than expected; ULPIN is assigned to an aggregated parcel that has not been formally subdivided in the revenue records.
Encumbrance Checks
16. Pull a 30-year Kaveri Encumbrance Certificate
The EC is the baseline encumbrance check. Pull it for the maximum available period (30 years or the full digitised history, whichever is longer).
Source: Kaveri. Bad finding: Any mortgage deed without a corresponding release deed; instruments from unknown parties.
17. Run the full 59-document-type Kaveri sweep
Do not rely only on the standard EC query. A full instrument-type sweep catches DTD memoranda, attachment orders, and other instruments that may not surface in the default EC view.
Source: Kaveri instrument sweep. Bad finding: A DTD (Deposit of Title Deed) memorandum indicating an equitable mortgage that was not in the standard EC.
18. Search CERSAI for equitable mortgages
Run a CERSAI search on the property and the seller's name to check for equitable mortgages and hypothecation registered by banks and NBFCs.
Source: CERSAI. Bad finding: An active equitable mortgage or hypothecation with no corresponding release in CERSAI; a SARFAESI action (lender enforcement) listed against the property.
19. Confirm all identified mortgages have release deeds
For every mortgage or charge entry in the Kaveri EC or CERSAI, confirm a valid release deed or NOC from the lender exists, and that the release has been filed with the SRO (for Kaveri) or removed from CERSAI (for equitable mortgages).
Source: Kaveri + CERSAI. Bad finding: A lender confirms the loan is repaid but no release deed has been registered.
20. Check for government dues and land revenue arrears
Column 12 of the Bhoomi RTC records outstanding land revenue. Separately, verify there are no outstanding property taxes or cess.
Source: Bhoomi Column 12 + taluk office records. Bad finding: Outstanding land revenue; property tax arrears with the urban local body.
21. Verify no BBMP or CMC property tax default
For urban properties, confirm there are no outstanding property tax dues with BBMP or the relevant CMC. Unpaid dues create a charge on the property.
Source: BBMP e-Aasthi / CMC records. Bad finding: Multiple years of unpaid property tax; a demand notice from BBMP outstanding.
Litigation Checks
22. Search eCourts for the property survey number
Query the eCourts portal for any active or recent civil or criminal cases referencing the survey number.
Source: eCourts. Bad finding: An active injunction order restraining transfer; a partition suit involving the property; a criminal case related to fraudulent transfer.
23. Search eCourts for the seller's name
Run name-based searches for each current and recent previous owner on eCourts. Title disputes often run under the owner's name, not the property number.
Source: eCourts. Bad finding: An active property dispute case where the current seller is a defendant; a court decree against the seller that may have led to a property attachment.
24. Search Karnataka High Court e-services
High Court cases — appeals, writs, letters patent appeals — may not be visible on eCourts. Run a separate HC portal search.
Source: Karnataka HC e-services. Bad finding: A writ petition challenging the title or the conversion order; an appeal against a lower court order involving the property.
25. Run NCLT search for corporate sellers
If the seller is a company or LLP, check NCLT for any insolvency resolution proceedings or liquidation orders.
Source: NCLT + MCA Company Master. Bad finding: Company under CIRP (Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process) with moratorium in effect; company in liquidation — sale deed would be void.
26. Verify no attachment orders are registered
Court attachment orders are sometimes noted in the Bhoomi RTC or in the Kaveri EC. Cross-check both for any attachment or receiver orders.
Source: Bhoomi Column 13 + Kaveri EC. Bad finding: A court receiver order on the property; an attachment for non-payment of a decree.
Compliance and Regulatory Checks
27. Confirm land is outside forest / eco-sensitive zone
Use K-GIS overlays to confirm the parcel is not within a notified forest area, eco-sensitive zone, or heritage buffer zone.
Source: K-GIS / Forest Department GIS. Bad finding: Parcel falls within a wildlife sanctuary buffer zone; intersection with a reserved forest boundary.
28. Confirm the parcel is outside RERA-notified project areas
If the land is intended for a new project, check RERA Karnataka (rera.karnataka.gov.in) to confirm no existing RERA-registered project claims the same survey numbers.
Source: RERA Karnataka. Bad finding: The survey number is already registered under another developer's RERA project.
29. Verify no NHAI / state highway acquisition notification
Check NHAI and Karnataka PWD records for any pending highway widening or road acquisition notifications affecting the parcel.
Source: NHAI / KRDCL / Column 13 Bhoomi. Bad finding: A pending land acquisition notification under the LARR Act that would require compulsory purchase.
30. Verify seller's tax residency and FEMA status
If any seller is an NRI, PIO, or foreign national, confirm FEMA compliance for the acquisition. NRIs can sell agricultural land only to resident Indians; non-agricultural land sales by NRIs require RBI permission in some categories.
Source: Seller declarations + FEMA regulations. Bad finding: Seller is an NRI selling agricultural land to another NRI; no RBI permission obtained for a category that requires it.
From the field — observations from building Deedwise
From running this checklist programmatically across Karnataka properties, the three checks that fail most often — in order of frequency — are:
Check 18 (CERSAI equitable mortgage) comes up as a finding more than any other single item. The pattern is consistent: seller has a clean Kaveri EC, Bhoomi Column 11 is blank, but a live CERSAI security interest exists from a bank or NBFC. In many of these cases, the seller is genuinely unaware — they took a loan against the property years earlier, made partial repayments, and assumed the matter was settled without getting a formal CERSAI release. It is not settled. The charge is still live.
Check 3 (Kaveri vs. Column 4 mismatch) is the most common administrative finding. Mutation lag in Karnataka can run 6 to 18 months behind the Kaveri registration. A developer who only reads the Kaveri EC without checking the Bhoomi RTC mutation status — or vice versa — will miss this mismatch and potentially execute a sale deed without confirming the seller is the registered revenue owner.
Check 10 (Column 13 BDA/acquisition entry) is the most consequential when it fails. A BDA acquisition notification sitting in Column 13 can be easy to overlook if you are not reading the column carefully, and in some taluks it will be in Kannada shorthand without an obvious English keyword. We have seen properties with active acquisition proceedings that passed an initial review because the Column 13 entry was not flagged.
The one check missing from this list: verifying that the seller's PAN and Aadhaar are linked, especially for high-value transactions. Unlinked PAN creates complications at the point of TDS deduction and registration, which have surfaced as unexpected closing delays on otherwise clean properties.
How Deedwise automates this checklist
Deedwise automates checks 1–26 above — every check that depends on government portal data. The automated pipeline submits the property to Bhoomi, Kaveri (full 59-type sweep), K-GIS, CERSAI, eCourts, Karnataka HC, and NCLT, collects all relevant documents, extracts structured data, and runs each check programmatically.
Checks 27–30 (compliance and regulatory) involve a mix of GIS overlay data (automated) and seller-provided documents (not automatable). K-GIS checks for forest and eco-sensitive zones are automated; FEMA status verification requires seller declarations.
The result is a four-pillar Title Search Report where each check has a pass/flag/pending status, backed by the underlying portal evidence. The lawyer reviews the flagged items and delivers a signed opinion.
See our guide on what a Title Search Report covers for how these checks map to the four TSR pillars.
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