What Does A Sale Deed Consist Of?

During your research before settling on a property, you may have come across something called the sale deed. It is the most valuable legal document that you shall possess upon purchasing a home. Based on the purchase deed, you shall be allowed to proceed with registration and mutation of the property. The sale deed or purchase deed is drawn upon a non-judicial stamp paper by legal draftsmen according to the value prescribed by the stamp duty act of a state.  

When you buy or sell property, the transaction is not legally valid without the buyer and seller signing the sale deed in the presence of at least two witnesses. Governed by the Registration Act, 1908, sale deed is the most important document for while selling or purchasing property in India.

Also Read: List of Documents Required for Buying Property 

Needless to say, a sales deed must begin with the details of the parties involved with the transaction. It should bear the name, age and addresses of the parties (buyer and seller) involved in the transaction, in order to make it valid. Both parties must sign and execute the deed with bona fide intention.  

The sales deed must have a proper description of the property you intend to buy. For instance, if you are buying a 3BHK in Bandra, the sales deed should have the total plot area, identification number, details of construction, the exact location and surroundings. The property schedule must be incorporated in the sale deed to define the accurate location of the property.

This document is drawn up when you pay a booking amount for your new apartment in Mumbai. This agreement states that both seller as well as the buyer shall mutually settle the conditions and terms of the agreement so that it won't affect the rights of either party. Usually, the sales agreement is drawn up before the sale deed.  

The amount agreed between the buyer and seller must be included in the sale consideration clause. This is the amount that the buyer agrees to pay to the seller during the sale deed execution. The sale amount should be stated clearly on the deed, as it was agreed upon.

If you have paid anything in advance to the builder or seller for booking the flat, then this should be mentioned in the sale deed clearly. The remaining amount payable must also be written in the document.   

The mode by which you will be paying the amount—cheque, cash or DD must be mentioned along with the consent of the seller to accept it in the form.

The sale deed should mention when the property title shall be passed to the buyer. The seller must be given a time limit for the title transfer. Once the title has been transferred, all related rights shall pass onto the buyer.

A clause in the sale deed must bear the information that the possession of the property shall be transferred to the buyer by the seller after completion of the registration process. The sale deed should state the actual date of delivery of possession.

This is mostly applicable in case of a resale property. The clause states that the seller should clear all statutory charges such as electricity bill, property tax, water bills, maintenance charges and society charges and all other dues prior to the sales deed execution. In case a home loan was taken to purchase the property by the original buyer, then the seller must repay the loan and get the papers back from the bank. As a conscious buyer, you should scrutinize the status of encumbrance from the sub registrar or registrar's office.  

Sales agreements should ideally bear a clause that if there is any default on the part of the buyer or seller then the party defaulting shall have to pay a penalty to the non-offending party so that the execution of the sale deed is not affected.

Once the sale deed has been prepared, it must be ratified by two witnesses from both sides. The witnesses shall have to provide their full addresses, signatures and names. The signatures of the buyer and seller must be present in every page.