44 guides

• RegistrationSale deed registration in Kerala, start to finishEvery step of registering a sale deed (aadharam) in Kerala, from the first title check to mutation, with what each step costs and how long it takes.
• Costs & taxStamp duty and registration charges in Kerala (2026), with examplesKerala charges 8% stamp duty and 2% registration fee on the higher of price or fair value. Rates by deed type, with worked examples.
• Title & documentsWhat is an encumbrance certificate, and why check 30 years, not 13An EC lists every registered deal on a plot. Why a 13-year search can miss a mortgage or an earlier sale, and why 30 years costs about ₹150 more.
• Title & documentsHow to apply for an EC online in Kerala, step by stepGet a digitally signed encumbrance certificate from the Kerala Registration Department's PEARL portal: what you need, what it costs, and the mistakes that cause a wrong EC.
• Land recordsThandaper explained: what it is and how to get it in your nameYour thandaper is your land tax account at the Village Office. Why a registered deed isn't enough without it, and how to get it moved to your name.
• Land recordsPokkuvaravu (mutation) after buying land in Kerala: full guideKerala now has three mutation routes: auto-mutation, mutation before registration, and the old manual way. Which applies to your land, and what to do in each.
• Costs & taxFair value vs sale price: why your stamp duty went upKerala charges stamp duty on the higher of your price or the government's fair value. How fair value works, where to check it, and why under-reporting the price backfires.
• Land & approvalsPaddy and wetland data bank: check before you pay an advanceLand in Kerala's paddy and wetland data bank can be bought but usually not built on. How to check, what a Form 5 removal involves, and why the seller's word isn't enough.
• Title & documents12 documents to check before buying land in KochiThe 12 papers to see before you pay an advance on land in Kochi, what each one proves, and the red flag to look for in each.
• Flats & buildersBuying a flat in Kochi: occupancy certificate, K-RERA and undivided shareA flat in Kochi is really two things: a share of land and a unit in a building. The checks for each, and why Maradu still matters.
• NRIHow NRIs can buy or sell property in Kerala without flying homeYou don't need to be at the Sub-Registrar Office to buy or sell in Kerala. What NRIs can buy, how a power of attorney works, and the tax trap when an NRI sells.
• NRIPower of attorney for NRIs: attestation abroad and stamping in KeralaA POA signed abroad must be attested properly and stamped in Kerala within three months of arriving. Miss that and the SRO can refuse it. How to get it right first time.
• Gift & familyGift deed vs settlement deed: transferring property within the familyPassing land to a child or sibling in Kerala costs a fraction of a sale. When to use a gift deed, a settlement deed or a will, and the one clause parents forget.
• InheritanceSelling inherited property in Kerala: heirship papers and every heir's consentBefore inherited land can be sold, the heirs have to be proven, the records moved into their names, and every one of them has to sign. The order that works.
• Costs & taxTDS on property purchase: who deducts, how much and whenBuying property worth ₹50 lakh or more? You must deduct 1% TDS and deposit it. What changed under the new Income-tax Act in April 2026, and the mistakes buyers make.
• Land recordsOld survey number vs re-survey number: fixing mismatchesKerala's land is being remeasured village by village, and survey numbers are changing. How to match old and new numbers, and what to do when the extent shrinks.
• RegistrationWhat happens at the Sub-Registrar Office on registration dayWhat to bring, who must be there, and what happens at the counter on the day your deed is registered in Kerala, so nothing sends you home empty-handed.
• Loans & sellingBuying property with a home loan: registration and bank paperworkWith a home loan, the bank checks the title too, pays the seller directly and keeps your original deed. How to line up the bank and the registration so neither waits on the other.
• Land & approvalsCRZ rules for backwater properties in KochiCoastal Regulation Zone rules decide what you can build near Kochi's sea, backwaters and islands. What changed with Kerala's 2019-based plan, and how to check a plot before you buy.
• Costs & taxTotal cost of registering a ₹50 lakh plot in ErnakulamA ₹50 lakh plot in Ernakulam costs about ₹55 lakh to buy once government charges, certificates and fees are added. Line by line, with what changes if the fair value is higher.
• BengaluruE-Khata in Bangalore: what Malayali buyers need to knowBuying in Bengaluru? Without a final e-Khata the sale won't register. What e-Khata is, A-Khata vs B-Khata, and how it differs from the thandaper you know from Kerala.
• Flats & buildersJoint development agreements with builders: what landowners must get in writingGiving your land to a builder for a share of flats? The clauses that protect the landowner, the power of attorney trap, and the tax most landowners don't see coming.
• InheritanceWhen one heir won't sign: your optionsFive siblings agree to sell, one refuses. What the others can and can't do, from buying the share out to a partition suit, and what each costs in time.
• InheritanceParent died without a will: who inherits, by communityIn Kerala, who inherits land when there's no will depends on religion. Hindu, Christian and Muslim rules side by side, with the Kerala-specific twists.
• InheritancePartition deed vs partition suit: dividing family landDividing family land by agreement costs little and takes weeks. Dividing it through court takes years. How a partition deed works in Kerala, and what happens when it can't be agreed.
• InheritanceTharavad and old joint-family property: who owns it nowKerala abolished joint-family ownership in 1976, but tharavad land is still being untangled. Who owns a share today, why the list of owners is longer than you think, and the 2025 ruling on daughters.
• Land recordsBoundary disputes with neighbours: survey, demarcation, and when to go to courtYour neighbour's wall is on your land, or so you think. How to get the boundary officially measured under Kerala's survey law, what the survey can and can't settle, and when it becomes a court case.
• Costs & taxCapital gains tax on selling land in KeralaSelling land or a house in Kerala? How long-term capital gains are taxed in 2026, the 12.5% vs 20% choice for property bought before July 2024, and the exemptions that cut the bill.
• Costs & taxGot an undervaluation notice? What it means under the Kerala Stamp ActYears after registration, the District Registrar says you paid too little stamp duty. Why these notices come, how to respond, and when a one-time settlement helps.
• Title & documentsMother deed (munnadharam) and title verification: reading the chainThe seller's deed proves only the last link. Mother deeds (munnadharam) prove the rest. How to read a title chain back 30 years and the gaps that should stop a sale.
• Title & documentsPossession certificate and location sketch: what they prove and how to get themBanks, buyers and SROs ask for a possession certificate and a location sketch from the Village Office. What each one proves, how to apply, and why they get delayed.
• Land recordsPaying land tax online in KeralaKerala land tax (basic tax) is paid to the Revenue Department, separately from building tax. How to pay it online, what to do if the receipt is in someone else's name, and why arrears hurt a sale.
• Land recordsBuilding tax transfer after buying a house: doing it on K-SMARTAfter buying a house or flat in Kerala, the building tax has to move to your name at the local body. How ownership change works on K-SMART, and what happens if you skip it.
• InheritanceLegal heir certificate vs succession certificate: which one you needThe Tahsildar's legal heirship (anantharavakasa) certificate and the civil court's succession certificate do different jobs. Which one you need for land, bank deposits and shares.
• InheritanceRegistering a will in Kerala: optional, cheap, and worth itA will doesn't have to be registered in Kerala, and there's no stamp duty on it. Why registering it is still worth the small fee, what makes a will valid, and how to keep it safe.
• InheritanceRelease deed (ozhimuri): giving up your share in family propertyA release deed (ozhimuri) lets one co-owner give up their share to the others. When to use one, what it costs within the family, and why it can't be undone easily.
• Gift & familyTransferring property between spouses: gift, settlement or joint namesAdding your wife's name to the house, or gifting it to your husband: the deed to use in Kerala, what it costs, and the income tax rule most couples don't know.
• Gift & familyCan a gift deed be cancelled?A registered gift deed is hard to undo, but not impossible. The narrow legal grounds, the route for senior citizens who aren't being cared for, and what the Supreme Court said in 2025.
• NRIRepatriating property sale proceeds as an NRISold property in Kerala and want the money abroad? How much you can send, from which account, the CA certificate the bank needs, and the order to do it in.
• Land & approvalsConverting nilam: Form 6 and the 10% conversion feeLand recorded as paddy (nilam) but not in the data bank can be converted with a Form 6 application and a fee of 10% of fair value. Who qualifies, what it costs, and the 25-cent rule the Supreme Court settled in 2025.
• Land & approvalsBuilding permit and occupancy certificate in KeralaA house in Kerala needs a building permit before it's built and an occupancy certificate after. What each proves, how K-SMART changed the process, and what to check before buying a built house.
• Flats & buildersSelling a flat in Kochi: the apartment association NOC and no-dues letterSelling your flat? Buyers and banks will ask the apartment association for a no-dues letter. What the association can and can't demand, and how to keep it from holding up the sale.
• Loans & sellingSelling property that still has a loan, and loan takeoverYour bank holds the original deed, so you can't just sell. How a sale with an outstanding home loan works, how the buyer's bank pays yours, and how a loan takeover differs.
• Loans & sellingAgreement for sale (advance agreement) in Kerala: what to put in writingThe advance agreement is where most Kerala property disputes start. The clauses that protect buyer and seller, what happens to the advance if the deal falls through, and how long you have to sue.