Buying your first home is an emotional as well as investment intensive decision. When a potential homebuyer wishes to invest his/her hard-earned money in buying his dream home, being doubly sure of the essential documents, approvals and checklists are of key importance.
If a person is buying his first home in the State of Maharashtra, he must check and verify the following documents diligently- Firstly the concerned project must be Real Estate regulatory Authority (RERA) registered. In addition to this-
RERA Registered
Developer and project should be RERA registered and Company should be part of well known Government recognized Real Estate Association.
Title
Title Deed is one of the most important documents to check and verify before buying a home in Maharashtra. This document establishes the real ownership of the ‘Title’ of the property in question. The homebuyer must confirm that the land parcel on which the property is built is in the name of the real estate developer. In the case of a Joint Venture (JV) or Development Agreement, the name and share of all the landowners (Joint developers) must be enumerated in the Title deed unambiguously. The homebuyer has to register the Agreement to Sale in the Government Sub-registrar’s office so that it gets enumerated in the government records and no dispute of the Title/ownership arises in future.
Sanction
Before proceeding to buy a property, a homebuyer must enquire and ensure that the building plan is duly sanctioned & a Commencement Certificate issued by the competent Government body. The sanctions are issued after thorough inspections of the site, proposed amenities and required permissions. This will ensure that the construction is done legally and according to the prevailing building rules.
Ownership
An ownership certificate is a legal document that ensures the ownership of the property. It is also called a Mother Deed. It acts as the primary document for further sale of the concerned property by the homebuyers. The mother deed also encompasses conveyance deeds. If the mentioned documents are not available in original, certified copies of the same must be obtained before finalising the purchase. It is always better to be doubly sure of the key documents in the matter of property investment.
Amenities
The real estate builder must ensure that the social amenities such as play area, Children Park, community area and water collection mechanism are built after following the due process. The civic authorities issue a fire license for the premises. These documents must be verified before making up the mind to buy that property. Moreover, it must be ensured that the safety and security quotient of the area is well enough so that safe living conditions can be ensured.
Safety
The purchaser must ensure that the premises where he/she has shortlisted the property is safe and secure to reside. The presence of police stations close by, gated security, guards and frequent vigilance is a must for a safe habitation. In addition to this, the property owner must enquire about installation of CCTV cameras on the premises and other safety measures in place.
Community
A man is a social animal. The potential homebuyers must ensure that the there is a solid presence of a thriving community nearby. It will be better to live with the neighbors and other occupants than living alone in a building. In addition to this, facilities such as common playing area and clubhouse facilities promote community interactions. If the building is adequately occupied, the ambience would remain social and will definitely add to the quality of life of the occupants.
No-objection Certificate (NOCs)
The real estate developer of a project has to obtain various permissions and No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from various statutory bodies such as fire NOC, building plan approval, sewage plan approval and forest approval, among others. Before investing in the property, the homebuyer must ask the developer to provide a certified copy of all the necessary approvals as unauthorized development might result in an eviction or disputes at a later stage.
Conclusively, before investing the hard-earned money, the investor must be doubly sure of the essential documents so as to avoid any legal tussle at a later stage.
Authored By – Atul Goel, MD, Goel Ganga Group & President (elect.), NAREDCO – Pune