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Land & Property Records

Title Search Report: How Buyers Verify Land Ownership

A title search report is a lawyer's check of a property's ownership chain and charges, usually over 12 to 30 years, from registry, revenue and court records.

AI

Written by Ananya Iyer

Published 23 October 2026·6 min read

On this page10 sections
Credsir Land & Property Records guide cover with a land plot icon

A title search report is a lawyer’s written opinion on whether the seller owns the property and can transfer it free of claims. The lawyer traces every transfer, mortgage and dispute in the sub-registrar, revenue and court records, usually for 12 to 30 years. Banks ask for one before a home loan, and you should get one before paying an advance on land.

Key facts

Item Detail
Who prepares it An advocate, usually one who practises property law in that district
Usual period searched 12 to 30 years, as a matter of practice; no statute fixes it
Why at least 12 years A suit for possession based on title has a 12-year limit (Article 65, Limitation Act, 1963)
Right to inspect registers Section 57, Registration Act, 1908, on payment of fees
Online registry search (Maharashtra) IGR e-Search: property transaction data from 2002 for most offices
Mortgage check CERSAI public search, ₹10 plus GST per search (as listed by Kotak Mahindra Bank)
Output Report listing documents, the chain of title, encumbrances, and a clear or not-clear opinion

What a title search covers

The report answers four questions:

ItemDetails
Ownershipdoes the seller hold title, and how did it pass to them?
Chainis every transfer in the chain valid, registered and properly stamped?
Chargesis the property mortgaged, attached or subject to any lien?
Disputes and restrictionsis there litigation, an acquisition notice, a tenancy or a legal bar on transfer?

For a housing project, the builder’s approvals and RERA registration are checked separately. Our guide on how to verify a builder covers that side; this page is about the land and its owner.

Records checked

Record Where What it shows
Registered deeds and index registers Sub-registrar office, or the state’s online search Sales, gifts, mortgages, partitions and leases registered on the property
Encumbrance certificate Sub-registrar, often online Registered transactions for the years you ask for
Record of rights (7/12, RTC, khatauni, patta) Tahsil or state land records portal Recorded holder, land class, loans noted by the revenue office
Mutation register Tahsil How the revenue record changed hands
Property tax receipts and khata Municipality or panchayat Assessed owner and dues
Court case records eCourts services and local courts Suits, injunctions and attachments
CERSAI register cersai.org.in public search Security interests created by banks and lenders
Land use and conversion orders Revenue and planning offices Whether the land can be built on

In Maharashtra, the IGR e-Search portal lets anyone search transactions by property details or document number and download scanned copies. The department says downloads are for information only and are not certified copies or proof of ownership. Certified copies come from the sub-registrar office.

The encumbrance certificate guide explains how to apply for an EC in each state.

Period and chain of title

No law fixes the search period. Lawyers commonly cover 12 to 30 years. The 12-year floor comes from Article 65 of the Limitation Act, 1963: a suit for possession based on title must be filed within 12 years of the defendant’s possession becoming adverse. Many banks and lawyers go back 30 years or to the original grant, especially for farmland and ancestral property.

A clean chain has no gaps. Each document should name the previous owner as seller, describe the same survey number and boundaries, and be registered. A typical chain for inherited land might run: original allotment or purchase, then succession on death (with a mutation entry), then a family partition deed, then a sale to the current seller.

How to get a title search done

  1. Collect copies from the seller: all title deeds for the period, record of rights, mutation entries, tax receipts, conversion order and approved layout.
  2. Engage an advocate who practises in that district, and agree the period to be searched in writing.
  3. The advocate inspects the sub-registrar’s registers under Section 57 of the Registration Act, or runs the state’s online search, and obtains an encumbrance certificate.
  4. The advocate checks revenue records, mutation entries and court records, and runs a CERSAI search for lender charges.
  5. Publish a public notice in local newspapers inviting objections, if your lawyer advises it.
  6. Receive the report: documents examined, chain of title, encumbrances found, and an opinion on whether title is clear and marketable.
  7. Resolve every point the report raises before you sign the sale deed.

Red flags

  • A gap in the chain, or a transfer by unregistered agreement or power of attorney alone
  • A mismatch in survey number, area or boundaries between deeds and the revenue record
  • The seller’s name not yet mutated in revenue records (see our guide to land mutation)
  • Inherited land sold without all legal heirs signing or releasing their share
  • A mortgage in the EC or CERSAI with no registered release
  • Pending suits, injunctions or attachment orders
  • Land classed as government, forest, assigned or restricted-tenure land
  • Farmland with no conversion order where a house or plot is being sold
  • A land acquisition notification covering the survey number

Who prepares it and the fees

The report is prepared by an advocate. Banks use their own empanelled lawyers and usually charge the borrower a legal fee for it, so check your sanction letter. A report from the bank’s lawyer protects the bank’s security; your own lawyer works for you and can raise issues the bank may accept.

Fees vary with the city, the period searched and the number of documents. Add government charges for the encumbrance certificate, certified copies and search fees, which each state sets. Ask for a written quote that lists what is included.

Title search vs encumbrance certificate

Point Title search report Encumbrance certificate
Issued by Advocate Sub-registrar
Covers Registry, revenue, court, CERSAI and planning records Registered transactions only
Includes an opinion Yes, on whether title is clear No, it lists entries
Misses Only what is not on record anywhere Unregistered deals, court cases, revenue entries, inheritance claims

An EC is one input to a title search, not a replacement. For the full list of papers to collect before buying, see the property legal due diligence checklist. If the report flags a problem you do not understand, get your advocate to explain the fix before any money changes hands.

Frequently asked questions

How many years should a title search cover?

No law fixes it. Twelve years is the usual minimum because of the limitation period for possession suits, and 30 years is common for land and ancestral property.

Broadly, yes. Banks often call it a legal scrutiny report or title opinion. It combines the search findings with the advocate’s opinion on title.

Can I do a land title search online?

Partly. Many states offer online deed search, encumbrance certificates and land records, and CERSAI and eCourts are online. Older records and interpretation still need a lawyer.

Does a clear encumbrance certificate mean the title is clear?

No. It shows only registered transactions. Unregistered claims, heirs’ shares, court cases and revenue issues do not appear on it.

Is the IGR Maharashtra e-Search copy valid proof?

No. The department says e-Search downloads are for information only. Get certified copies from the sub-registrar office.

The buyer usually pays. On a home loan, the bank’s legal fee covers its own lawyer’s report.

Sources

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