Seller's guide · Gate Properties, Andagalur Gate · Updated Sept 2026
Documents you need to sell land or a house in Tamil Nadu – and how to fix the gaps first
Serious buyers – and every bank – ask for the same file. Sellers who have it ready close in weeks; sellers who start collecting after the buyer appears lose the buyer. Use this checklist before you list.
A. Title documents
- Your sale deed (original) – the document by which you got the property
- Parent documents – earlier deeds for at least 30 years (certified copies from the sub-registrar if originals are lost)
- Patta / chitta in your name with the correct extent; adangal for agricultural land
- FMB sketch and, for plots, the approved layout plan with your plot marked
- Encumbrance Certificate – 13 years minimum, 30 years recommended, up to the current month
B. If the property was inherited
- Death certificate of the previous owner
- Legal heir certificate from the tahsildar listing all heirs
- Registered partition / settlement / release deed if only some heirs are selling – or all heirs sign the sale deed
- Patta transferred to the heirs' names (buyers and banks insist on this before sale)
C. For a house or building
- Approved building plan and completion / assessment order
- Property-tax receipts up to date (municipality / town panchayat / village panchayat)
- EB card / service connection in your name with no arrears; water connection receipt
- If a bank loan was taken: loan closure letter, NOC and the original documents returned by the bank
D. Identity and authority
- Aadhaar and PAN of every seller (PAN is mandatory above the threshold value; TDS applies on higher-value sales)
- If selling through an agent: a registered power of attorney; for NRIs, a POA attested at the Indian consulate and adjudicated in Tamil Nadu
- Passport-size photos and two witnesses with ID on registration day
The five gaps we fix most often
- Patta still in a parent's name – legal heir certificate → patta transfer (a few weeks). Start this before listing.
- Old mortgage without release in the EC – obtain the bank's closure letter and register a release deed.
- Extent mismatch between deed, patta and ground – government sub-division survey and patta correction.
- Name spelling differences across documents – an affidavit / name-correction in the deed recitals.
- Lost original deed – police non-traceable certificate, newspaper notice and certified copy; buyers accept it with a proper indemnity.
Frequently asked
Can I sell before the patta is transferred to my name?
Legally a registered deed conveys title even without patta, but in practice buyers' lawyers and banks insist on patta in the seller's name. Transfer it first – it also raises your price.
One heir is abroad and cannot come for registration. What are the options?
A power of attorney executed before the Indian consulate, sent to India and adjudicated / stamped here within the time limit, lets a family member sign on their behalf. Alternatively the heir can release their share by a registered release deed executed the same way.
How much advance should I accept?
Typically 10 % under a written sale agreement with a clear time limit (60 – 90 days) and a forfeiture / refund clause. Never hand over original documents against an advance – only copies.