How to click your way to property services 

Real estate transactions are complicated and involve long process and delays. But with many Government agencies going digital, getting information such as circle rates, submitting forms, making payments or filing complaints has moved online. In general, registration, transfers and mutations, duty payments, record modifications, verifications and reporting can now be done online.

While property is a State subject with varying rules and fees, one portal to get started is services.india.gov.in; you will find “Housing and Property” under “Electricity, Water and Local Services”. This lists links to State and City departments and their various online services such as obtaining building permits and paying property tax. You can also look at State Government websites such as eservices.tn.gov.in in Tamil Nadu for a comprehensive list of their online services. 

Finding information

You can access public property records online, helping to understand the legal and other issues around ownership. Often, some data can be seen without providing any reference information (such as survey number). For example, Uttarakhand’s devbhoomi.uk.gov.in website provides the size of land for urban and rural areas. In Rajasthan, you can view and print Jamabandhi document for any piece of land from the apnakhata.raj.nic.in site (which is in Hindi).

Some data, such as verification, requires providing specific details or fees. For instance, in Kerala you can search for property details including owner information and any dues to be paid at their Sanchaya website by giving the property ID. In Maharashtra, the Mahabhulekh website (bhulekh.mahabhumi.gov.in) provides 7/12 or Satbara Utara (land record) and property card which gives the record of land ownership history, on giving survey number or owner details. Karnataka.gov.in shows various property related data such as Record of Rights, Tenancy and Crops (for agriculture land), mutation register and status, once you provide reference information such as survey number. Tamil Nadu lets you view Patta Copy, A-Register Extract and the extract from the Town Survey Land Register (TSLR) document for a given survey number and location including taluk and block.

Beyond records, you can also find other useful data. For instance, Greater Hyderabad’s website (ghmc1.ghmc.gov.in/Tax/calculationofpropertytax.asp) features online calculator for property tax. Likewise, kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in offers a dashboard giving annual, monthly and daily data on approval timelines and number of pending applications and Haryana lets you check available slots for property registration appointment and book it upto 60 days in advance.

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Verification and valuation

Some States also offer additional property information for verification. For instance, in West Bengal you can check land records to know if a given land is owned privately or by the government. In Haryana, you can check litigations and search for court records on the status of the case. 

When buying apartments, it also helps to check the RERA portal for your State that lists registered projects and agents. You will find data such as RERA complaints filed and the current status including questions raised and judgement - handy when you have an issue with a developer or to understand problem areas and avoid it.

You can also get valuation information based on circle rates and registered value of transactions for free. One example is igreval.maharashtra.gov.in/valuation; you need to register with your mobile number but can the data is free.

There are also private websites that provide valuation insights. The market value estimator from housing.com which takes information such as city, project (large, popular projects can be accessed from a list), size and details of amenities to provide a price. Another, that goes beyond apartments to also value homes and plots in 60 cities, is Property Science from Liases Foras. You can get basic valuation for free (sign-up needed) and a detailed valuation for a small fee. 

Property services

States such as Tamil Nadu let you get encumbrance certificate (EC), which gives information on monetary and legal liability of the property and is required by banks for a loan, by filling an online form with property specifics such as survey number in tnreginet.gov.in website.

Government permissions such as for mutation (change of ownership) and land-use conversion (say agriculture to residential) are online in West Bengal. The wbregistration.gov.in site also certifies documents and offers few other services.

In Punjab, pbindustries.gov.in website (which requires registration) lets you apply for building plan approval, completion and occupancy certificates. In Karnataka, you will also be able to notify any alterations to the property (such as change in area, tenancy change).

RERA complaints can be filed online by providing detailed information including supporting documents and paying a fee. When you get a judgement, you can also file for an appeal. Delhi’s online property registration website also has a section to register grievances. In Haryana, lost property details can be reported at haryanapolice.gov.in, with user registration.

The author is an independent financial consultant

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