Property Documents in Pune — Explained - Advocate Ketan Palshikar

By Advocate Ketan Palshikar | Property Lawyer in Pune

Buying property in Pune means dealing with a set of documents that most people have never encountered before. Index II, Property Card, 7/12, Encumbrance Certificate, NA Order — these terms appear in conversations with sellers, brokers, and banks, and most buyers nod along without fully understanding what each document is or why it matters.

This page gives you a plain-language introduction to every significant property document you will encounter in a Pune property transaction. Not a legal textbook — a practical guide that helps you understand what you are looking at and why each document exists.

1. Index II

What It Is

Every time a property document is registered at the Sub-Registrar’s office — a Sale Deed, Gift Deed, Mortgage, Agreement to Sale — the Sub-Registrar generates a document called Index II. It is the government’s official record that a particular document was registered on a particular date.

Think of Index II as the registration receipt. The Sale Deed is the agreement between buyer and seller. Index II is the government’s acknowledgement that it saw, recorded, and filed that agreement.

What It Contains

Names of both parties (seller and buyer)
Nature of the document (Sale Deed, Gift Deed, Mortgage, etc.)
Date of registration
Property description — address, CTS or Survey Number, area
Consideration amount — the price paid
Document registration number

Why It Matters

Index II is an independent government record. If someone gives you a Sale Deed claiming they bought a property, the Index II confirms that registration actually happened — and that the document is not fabricated. It is a public document, searchable on the IGR Maharashtra portal (igrmaharashtra.gov.in).

A deed without a corresponding Index II is a serious red flag.

2. Property Card (City Survey Record)

What It Is

The Property Card — also called the City Survey Record or CTS Record — is the official government record of land ownership in urban areas. In Pune, it is maintained by the City Survey Office under the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code.

If your name is on the Property Card, the government recognises you as the owner of that urban plot.

What It Contains

Owner’s name
CTS Number (the plot’s unique identity number)
Area of the plot
Land use classification — residential, commercial, etc.
Mutation history — how ownership changed over time
Any encumbrances or government notes recorded

Why It Matters

The Property Card is the government’s version of ownership. A registered Sale Deed proves you bought the property. The Property Card proves the government has recorded you as the owner. Both are necessary — one without the other is incomplete.

If the Property Card still shows a deceased person’s name or a previous owner — even though the current seller has a registered Sale Deed — it means mutation was never completed. This must be corrected before purchase.

Property Cards for Pune can be accessed on the Maharashtra Bhulekh portal (mahabhulekh.maharashtra.gov.in).

3. 7/12 Extract (Satbara Utara)

What It Is

The 7/12 Extract — called Satbara Utara in Marathi — is the rural equivalent of the Property Card. It is the government land record for plots in villages, Gram Panchayat areas, and agricultural land outside PMC/PCMC limits. It is maintained by the Talathi (village revenue officer).

The name comes from the two revenue registers it combines — Register 7 (ownership and rights) and Register 12 (cultivation and use details).

What It Contains

Survey Number of the land
Owner’s name in the rights column
Area of the plot
Land classification — agricultural (jirayat/bagayat), NA (non-agricultural), pot kharaba, etc.
Cultivation details
Encumbrances — loans, mortgages, government notes
Other rights — tenancy, easements, government reservations

Why It Matters

For properties outside Pune city limits — Talegaon, Lonavala, Maval, Mulshi — the 7/12 is the primary ownership document. It also tells you the land classification, which is critical: agricultural land cannot be used for construction without an NA Order. If a seller is offering you a “residential plot” in a rural area, the 7/12 must show an NA classification — or an NA Order must exist.

If multiple names appear in the rights column, every co-owner must sign the Sale Deed. Missing one co-owner invalidates the transaction.

4. Difference Between Property Card and 7/12

A question that comes up constantly for properties on Pune’s outskirts:

	Property Card	7/12 Extract
Where it applies	Urban — PMC, PCMC limits	Rural — villages, Gram Panchayat areas
Maintained by	City Survey Office	Talathi
Plot identifier	CTS Number	Survey Number
Shows cultivation details	No	Yes
Which to ask for	Property inside Pune city	Plots and agricultural land outside city

For properties in transition zones — areas recently merged into PMC or undergoing urbanisation — both may exist simultaneously, or one may be in the process of replacing the other.

5. Mutation Entry

What It Is

Mutation is the process of updating government land records — Property Card or 7/12 — to reflect a new owner’s name after a property transaction. When a Sale Deed is registered, the revenue records do not update automatically. The new owner must separately apply for mutation.

In simple terms: registration proves you bought the property. Mutation records you as the owner in government records.

Why It Matters

Without mutation, a buyer’s name does not appear in government records even after a valid purchase. This creates problems when:

Applying for a home loan (banks check the Property Card)
Paying property tax in the new owner’s name
Getting the housing society to transfer the flat
Selling the property in the future

Mutation entries are recorded chronologically on the Property Card or 7/12, each showing the date, the parties involved, and the basis of the transfer (sale, inheritance, gift, court order).

What to check: The most recent mutation entry must show the seller’s name. Any pending or objected mutation entries are a red flag requiring investigation.

6. Encumbrance Certificate (EC)

What It Is

The Encumbrance Certificate is an official record issued by the Sub-Registrar’s office listing every registered transaction affecting a property over a specified period. It is essentially the property’s financial history.

What It Shows

Every registered Sale Deed
Mortgages and home loans registered against the property
Release of mortgage when loans are cleared
Court attachments or decrees registered against the property
Gift Deeds, Release Deeds, Partition Deeds relating to the property

Why It Matters

The EC answers a simple but critical question: is this property mortgaged, attached, or legally encumbered? If a seller has an outstanding home loan, the bank holds a charge over the property. If you buy without checking — and without insisting the loan is cleared first — you inherit that problem.

Obtain the EC for a minimum of 30 years.

Important Limitation

The EC only records registered transactions. It will not show unregistered agreements, oral arrangements, family disputes, or government acquisition proceedings that were not registered. This is why the EC is necessary but not sufficient — it must be read alongside the full title document chain.

7. CTS Number and Survey Number

CTS Number

CTS stands for City Survey Number — the unique identification number assigned to every urban plot in Maharashtra under the City Survey system. Every legal document relating to an urban property — Sale Deed, Agreement to Sale, Property Card, EC — references the same CTS Number.

Think of it as the property’s permanent government identity. If the CTS Number is inconsistent across documents, something is wrong — the documents may refer to different plots, or there is an error that must be corrected before purchase.

Survey Number

Survey Number is the rural equivalent of the CTS Number — the unique identifier for agricultural and rural plots, referenced in the 7/12 Extract and all registered documents for that land.

In some areas, Gat Number is used — this is a consolidated number assigned when multiple old survey numbers are merged during resurvey. Both old and new numbers may appear in documents during a transition period.

The rule: CTS Number or Survey Number must be identical across every document in the title chain. Any mismatch is a question that must be answered before you proceed.

8. NA Order (Non-Agricultural Order)

What It Is

In Maharashtra, all land is presumed to be agricultural unless officially converted. An NA Order is a government permission — issued by the Collector or competent authority — converting agricultural land to non-agricultural use, authorising it for residential, commercial, or industrial construction.

Why It Matters

You cannot legally construct a building on agricultural land without an NA Order. A seller offering a “residential plot” in a rural area without an NA Order is selling agricultural land — which cannot legally be used for the purpose being marketed.

Construction on such land has no legal sanction, can be demolished by authorities, and carries no legal protection for the buyer.

What to Check

The NA Order must be issued by the competent authority and reference the correct Survey Number
The 7/12 must reflect the NA classification after the order is granted
Some NA Orders come with conditions — time limits for construction, specific use restrictions — which must be complied with
Confirm the NA is for the specific use you intend — residential NA does not permit commercial construction

9. Approved Building Plan

What It Is

Before any construction begins in Pune, the builder must submit architectural drawings to the local authority — PMC, PCMC, or Gram Panchayat — and obtain building plan approval. This sanctioned plan specifies exactly what can be built — number of floors, floor layouts, setbacks, FSI utilisation, parking, and amenities.

Why It Matters

Any construction that deviates from the approved plan — an extra floor, enclosed balconies not in the plan, layout changes — is unauthorised construction. Unauthorised portions can attract demolition notices, cannot be regularised in many cases, and create title problems for every future buyer.

What to Check

The approved plan must carry the local authority’s stamp and approval reference number
Compare the plan with the actual building — same number of floors, same layout configuration
The FSI (Floor Space Index) used must not exceed what was approved
For resale flats, the approved plan can be verified at the PMC or PCMC building permission department

10. Commencement Certificate (CC)

What It Is

The Commencement Certificate is issued by PMC or PCMC permitting the builder to begin physical construction after the building plan is approved.

The sequence is: Approved Building Plan → Commencement Certificate → Construction Begins.

Why It Matters

A building constructed without a Commencement Certificate has no legal sanction from its very first brick — regardless of how the finished building looks or how many people live in it. Banks typically refuse home loans for such properties. Future sale becomes complicated.

What to Check

The CC must predate the start of construction
It must reference the same plot and building plan as the property you are buying
For multi-phase or multi-wing projects, confirm the CC covers your specific wing

11. Completion Certificate

What It Is

The Completion Certificate is issued by the local authority after construction is finished, certifying that the building has been constructed in accordance with the approved building plan.

The builder applies for it after construction is complete and the local authority inspects the building to verify compliance.

Why It Matters

The Completion Certificate confirms the building is what it was approved to be. Without it, there is no official confirmation that the building matches the sanctioned plan — meaning any number of deviations may exist undetected.

What to Check

The CC must cover the specific wing, floor, and building you are buying
A CC issued for only lower floors while upper floors exist indicates unauthorised construction above the certified level

12. Occupancy Certificate (OC)

What It Is

The Occupancy Certificate is the final government authorisation before residents can legally move into a building. Issued by PMC or PCMC, it certifies that the completed building is safe for occupation — that construction is as per the approved plan and that essential services like water supply, drainage, and fire safety compliance are in place.

Why It Matters — and Why It Is Frequently Missing

The OC is the most commonly missing document in Pune’s property market — including in many reputed projects. Buildings are sold, fully occupied, and resold multiple times without the builder ever obtaining it. Most buyers never realise it is missing until they try to take a home loan, sell the flat, or face a legal issue.

Consequences of a missing OC:

Technically, living in the building is unauthorised occupation
Banks are increasingly refusing home loans for flats without OC
Future buyers and their banks will ask for it — resale becomes complicated
Water and electricity connections may be on a temporary or illegal basis
The building may face compounding penalties from the local authority

What to Check

Ask the builder or seller for the original OC
Verify through the PMC or PCMC building permission department
For older buildings, ask the housing society — they typically hold a copy
If the OC is missing, find out why and whether regularisation is possible before you commit

13. RERA Registration and Verification

What It Is

RERA — the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 — requires every residential project above 8 units and every commercial project to be registered with MahaRERA (Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority) before the developer can advertise or collect any money from buyers.

What MahaRERA Registration Means

RERA registration means the developer has publicly declared and submitted — under legal accountability — the project’s land title, approved plan, financial details, list of approvals obtained, and declared possession date. All of this is publicly accessible on the MahaRERA portal.

How to Verify on MahaRERA

Visit maharera.mahaonline.gov.in and search by the project’s RERA number (which must appear on all advertisements and agreements):

Registration status — is it currently valid or lapsed?
Declared possession date — compare with what the developer tells you verbally
Quarterly progress reports — is the developer filing them? What do they say?
Complaints filed — any complaints against this project or developer are visible here
Approved plan uploads — the sanctioned plan should be on the portal

Important

RERA applies to under-construction projects. Completed buildings with OC issued before RERA was notified are not required to register. For resale of completed flats, the other documents in this guide take precedence over RERA.

How All These Documents Connect

Each document answers a specific question. Together they form a complete picture:

Document	Question It Answers
Index II	Was this transaction actually registered?
Property Card / 7/12	Who does the government recognise as the owner?
Mutation Entry	Have all ownership changes been recorded in revenue records?
CTS / Survey Number	Is the same plot referenced across all documents?
Encumbrance Certificate	Is the property mortgaged or legally encumbered?
NA Order	Is this land legally authorised for construction?
Approved Building Plan	Is the construction sanctioned by the local authority?
Commencement Certificate	Did construction begin with legal permission?
Completion Certificate	Was the building completed as per the approved plan?
Occupancy Certificate	Is the building legally approved for people to live in?
RERA Registration	Is the developer registered and accountable under law?

A safe property purchase requires satisfactory answers to every one of these questions — not most of them.

A Note on Independent Verification

Every document described on this page can be independently verified through government records — without relying solely on what the seller provides. The IGR Maharashtra portal, Bhulekh portal, MahaRERA portal, and PMC/PCMC records are all accessible to a property lawyer conducting a title search.

This independent verification is what separates a legally safe purchase from one that looks safe on the surface but carries hidden risk.

Our Services

At Advocate Ketan Palshikar Pune, we verify every document described on this page independently through government records before you sign anything. We identify defects, explain what they mean for your transaction, and advise you on how to proceed — or whether to proceed at all.

📍 14, Eiffel Square, 1530, Sadashiv Peth, Off. Tilak Road, Pune – 411030
📞 +91 9325624069
✉️ palshikar.ketan@gmail.com