The property documents lenders ask for

Updated September 2026 2 min read

The core set

Registered sale deed. Your title to the property, with the original available for inspection.

Previous sale deeds — the title chain. Every transfer for the last thirteen years or more: sale, gift, partition, inheritance. Lenders trace ownership back to satisfy themselves nobody else has a claim.

Encumbrance certificate. From the sub-registrar, showing registered transactions and charges over a stated period — usually thirteen to thirty years. It confirms the property is not already mortgaged.

Approved building plan. Sanctioned by the local authority. The lender compares it against what is actually built.

Latest property tax receipt. Paid up to date, in the name on the deed.

Occupancy certificate. For completed apartments and buildings, where applicable.

Lease deed, if the property is let out.

Start with the title chain

This is the long pole. If the property has changed hands more than once, or came through inheritance or a family partition, obtaining certified copies of old deeds from the sub-registrar can take two to four weeks each — and it is entirely within your control to start now rather than three weeks into a loan application.

A single missing link is the most common reason a property loan stalls.

Deviations from the approved plan

An extra floor, an enclosed balcony, a covered setback. Very common, and it reduces the fundable value — sometimes substantially. It does not automatically stop the loan, but you should know about it before the valuer does, so the file goes to a lender who can accommodate it.

If the property is in someone else’s name

Every owner joins the loan as a co-applicant. A property in a parent’s name, or jointly held with a sibling, is entirely workable — but it needs agreeing at the start. A property loan cannot proceed without every owner on board, and discovering this in week four is a painful conversation.

Handing over originals

The lender holds the original title documents until the loan is cleared. Get a written acknowledgement listing every document handed over, keep it safe, and check the list again when they are returned.

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