Documents to Check Before Buying a Ready-to-Move Luxury Apartment

A ready-to-move purchase removes construction risk but introduces a different diligence burden. The building exists, so the questions shift from will it be delivered to what exactly am I acquiring and what comes attached. For a high-value purchase such as a residence at Embassy ONE North Tower, the document set below is the minimum a buyer should see before executing anything.

Start with the occupancy certificate. This is the authority's confirmation that the building is fit for occupation and was completed in accordance with sanctioned plans. Ask to see the certificate itself rather than accepting a statement that it exists, and check that it covers the tower and floor containing your residence. Alongside it, review the sanctioned plan and confirm the residence as built corresponds to what was approved, particularly where an owner has customised the interior.

Next, title and encumbrance. Obtain the mother deed and trace the chain of conveyances through to the current seller. Commission an encumbrance certificate covering the relevant period to establish that the residence is free of mortgages, charges, liens and attachments. If the property has ever been mortgaged, obtain the release or no-objection certificate from the lender. Appoint your own advocate to conduct this exercise; relying on documentation supplied by the seller's side is not diligence.

Then the statutory and civic set: latest property tax paid receipts, khata certificate and extract, and up-to-date utility clearances for water and electricity. Arrears on any of these can transfer with the property or delay registration. Also confirm the RERA registration record for the project on the state portal. For this project the registration is PRM/KA/RERA/1251/309/PR/171014/000619, and the record should be checked directly rather than taken from marketing material.

For a branded or managed residence, three further documents matter and are frequently omitted. Request the residential management agreement, which governs the service platform and the obligations attaching to ownership. Request the current service charge schedule in writing, expressed per square foot per month. And obtain written confirmation from the management that the seller's service charge account is current, so that no arrears pass to you on transfer.

Finally, the seller-side items. Confirm the seller's identity and capacity, including a valid power of attorney where someone is signing on their behalf. Establish the seller's residential status early: where the seller is a non-resident, the buyer carries tax deduction at source obligations that are commonly missed and cannot be corrected easily after funds move. Where the seller is a company, obtain the board resolution authorising the sale. None of this is unusual, and a credible counterparty will produce it without resistance.

Related reading: Buying Resale at Embassy ONE North Tower: The Process Step by Step.

FAQs

1. What is the single most important document for a ready-to-move purchase?
   The occupancy certificate, which confirms the building is fit for occupation and was completed per sanctioned plans. Ask to see the certificate itself rather than accepting an assurance, and check it covers the tower and floor containing your residence.

2. Which documents are specific to a branded or managed residence?
   The residential management agreement governing the service platform and ownership obligations, the current service charge schedule in writing, and written confirmation from the management that the seller's service charge account is current so no arrears transfer to you.

3. What seller-side checks are commonly missed?
   Establishing the seller's residential status. Where the seller is a non-resident, the buyer carries tax deduction at source obligations that are difficult to correct once funds have moved. A valid power of attorney and, for corporate sellers, a board resolution authorising the sale are also essential.