Govt office Hack for you: Tips and Tricks to get through property registration easily. A novel in the making….!

So you have booked a flat/plot and have received the delightful green signal from the builder/seller.  You handover the required amount for stamp duty + registration fees and give no more thought to the procedure, after all what could go wrong right? Not to take the  wind right out of your sails but there are still things to consider and calls to make. Things which would ensure that you ease in and dance out of the registration procedure? keep reading:

1. Snub the builder/seller

No not literally, what I mean is once the builder/seller requests you for the stamp duty +  registration fee amount, ask him for contact details of the person who will handle the procedure. Most of the time they tend to outsource the registration work, if you are lucky the work would be handled by a lawyer or by an experienced employee of builder him/herself, if you are not however then the friendly neighbourhood agent would be responsible for the procedure. I’ll write another article on why this could be a bad thing but right now let’s go back to the point. Every time you ask for update from the builder/seller, he will forward the query to the person who manages this procedure. Then this person would inform the builder and then the builder would contact you with the status. To bypass this tedious procedure and to hear updates from the horse’s mouth itself you need a direct contact, not to mention this will prove real handy as explained in further points. Besides the registration manager would know of your  timing preferences and availability and so could make a better arrangement.

2. Day and Time of registration

Rahu kaal and all is very cool and your adherence to it would have been admirable and helpful if our government offices would have shared the same inclinations, however they don’t. The registration offices depend on the whims of the Sub-Registrar as does your registration. If you have listened to me and have managed to receive the number of the person managing your registration call him and ask for his opinion. He is well aware of the workings and nuances of the office and will guide you likewise. Avoid Monday if possible, being first day of the week the office sees a lot of rush, avoid Friday too, being last day of actual working makes people swarm. Also avoid a day immediately preceding or succeeding a public holiday. Follow this and you will be cool.

3. Witnesses and documents

Ask your registration manager if he has received all the documents from the builder/seller  like your and your witnesses I.D. copies and your photos. Also confirm if he/she has the correct address, age and ID number of your witnesses mentioned in the document (For the uninitiated let me inform you that two witnesses are required for registration, unless you have a lawyer on your side, then he alone is enough as a witness). Often people fail to check these and end up scrambling at the last minute to make things right.

4. Entertainment, entertainment and entertainment

“Government Office.” Two words daunting enough to put a shiver up the most rigid of spines. There is a system in place which enables registration by token number and order and some offices do follow rules, some being the keyword. Just because you arrive at the office at 11.am sharp does not mean you will be out by 12 or 1 or 4, honestly speaking there are offices where only an enterprising and well connected registration manager could save you. It is only with his goodwill and presence that he could begin your registration on time on atleast as reasonably on time as possible. It is always a good idea to expect a long waiting time. Carry your IPods, Tabs, Laptops, Aquariums whatever will keep you from being  bored to death. Maybe your registration will be done within half an hour of your arrival but if it doesnt, atleast you will be prepared. You are welcome by the way.

5.  Delivery of registered documents

Quick question for you, instead of relying on your builder/seller for updates of your  
registered document, whom will you call?

A) Sub-Registrar
B) Registration Manager
c) Arvind Kejriwal.

For those who have guessed it correct congrats, for those who haven’t begin reading from start. The builder/seller could only hand over the documents to you if he/she/them have received them from the registration manager. So it would be quite prudent to ask him directly if he has delivered to the builder/seller and later collect it from the latter.

This basically sums up the article but I do have a request on the topic, if you have to wait a long time indeed on the registration day due to some technical snag at the government office and you are about to snap at the registration manager, think again. The situation is beyond his control and in the first place the responsibility of the government. Most probably he would have been waiting in the office since before you have arrived.  It’s not their fault so let’s be cool about it and save our curses for the
government, as usual.

There are also tricks for stamp duty payment and legal documents but that we will cover some other day. Not to forget this article is brought to you by legalcounter.com. Lastly, free consultation for rodinhooders only, you may send in any property queries you have and they will be addressed as soon as I could manage.

Sarvesh R
sarvesh@legalcounter.com
www.legalcounter.com