The Pune property due-diligence checklist

Section 01

Registration & approvals

Everything here is public. If a sales team will not put it in writing, that is the answer.

• MahaRERA registration number obtained in writing, for the exact phase and wing you are buying.
• Registration verified on maharerait.maharashtra.gov.in — status live, completion date noted.
• Commencement Certificate issued for the floor your flat sits on, not just the podium.
• Sanctioned building plan and layout match the floor plan you were shown in the lounge.
• Environmental clearance in place for projects above the applicable plot threshold.
• Fire NOC and lift/electrical approvals on file for towers nearing possession.

Section 02

Title & land record

The single most expensive thing to get wrong, and the least likely to be discussed.

• Advocate's Title Report (Form 1) read in full, including the 'observations' paragraph.
• 7/12 extract or Property Card checked for the current owner and any 'other rights' entries.
• Search report covering at least the last 30 years of the chain of title.
• Mortgage on the land identified, with a written commitment on release before your registration.
• Development Agreement and Power of Attorney verified where the builder is not the landowner.
• Non-Agricultural (NA) order in place; no pending land-ceiling or tenancy claim on the survey number.

Section 03

Litigation & builder history

MahaRERA is only one of five places a dispute can be sitting.

• MahaRERA complaint and order search run twice — by project number and by promoter name.
• Each order PDF actually read: interim, complied, withdrawn or a possession-delay direction.
• eCourts search on the promoter's registered company name for civil and criminal matters.
• NCDRC / consumer forum record checked for delay and deficiency complaints.
• NCLT and IBBI listings checked for any insolvency proceeding against the promoter.
• Delivery record of the last five completed projects: promised date versus actual possession.

Section 04

Price, area & payment

Negotiate against registered numbers, not the rate card.

• Registered sale agreements from the last six months inside the project pulled and compared.
• Carpet area confirmed as RERA carpet area in writing — not built-up, not super built-up.
• Rate per sq ft on carpet computed yourself from the total, including all one-time charges.
• Full cost sheet obtained: floor rise, parking, club, infra, MSEB, water and legal charges.
• GST position confirmed (under-construction versus ready with Occupancy Certificate).
• Stamp duty, registration and any metro cess budgeted at current Maharashtra rates.
• Payment schedule is construction-linked and matches Section 19(4) of the RERA rules.

Section 05

Agreement & possession

Read the clauses that only matter when something goes wrong.

• Draft Agreement for Sale reviewed before paying more than 10% of the consideration.
• Possession date written as a date, with the delay-compensation clause quantified.
• Penalty on the builder for delay is symmetric to the interest you pay on late instalments.
• Specification annexure lists brands and grades, not 'or equivalent' throughout.
• Defect-liability period of five years from possession stated explicitly.
• Common areas, amenities and their handover to the society scheduled in the agreement.
• Formation of the society and conveyance of land timeline recorded in writing.

Section 06

Location & everyday livability

The part a site visit on a Sunday morning will never show you.

• Sanctioned Development Plan checked for road widening, reservations or a DP road on the plot.
• Jurisdiction confirmed — PMC, PCMC or gram panchayat — and its effect on tax and water supply.
• Water source verified: municipal line, borewell or tanker dependency in summer.
• Commute driven at 9am on a weekday, not measured on a map.
• Metro, ring road or highway work nearby checked for both upside and years of dust.
• Adjacent open plots checked for what is sanctioned to be built there next.
• Existing residents in an occupied phase asked about water, lifts, maintenance and handover.

Questions buyers ask

What should I check before booking a flat in Pune?

Registration and approvals, the title record, litigation against the project and the promoter, the real carpet-area price against registered sale agreements, the agreement clauses, and the location's Development Plan. The checklist below walks each one in order.

Is the due-diligence checklist really free?

Yes. The PDF costs nothing and there is no payment step. We ask for a mobile number so an advisor can call once and offer to run the checks on your shortlist — also free.

How long does proper due diligence take on a Pune project?

A careful buyer working alone needs roughly a full day: about twenty minutes on the MahaRERA portal, a few hours on title and search documents with an advocate, and a weekday visit to the location and commute.

Can I use this checklist for a resale flat?

Most of it, yes. Skip the RERA registration section for an older completed building and add the society's no-dues certificate, share certificate transfer, the Occupancy Certificate and the previous owner's paid property-tax and maintenance receipts.