A land purchase should be treated as a legal investigation, not merely a registration appointment. The buyer should complete title verification, survey inspection, litigation searches, mortgage checks and a properly registered agreement before paying a substantial advance.
The final deed should be executed only after the seller’s authority, documents, possession and statutory eligibility to transfer have been verified.
Stage 1: Identify the exact property
Obtain the complete description:
- District
- Upazila or thana
- Mouza
- Jurisdiction list number
- Khatian numbers
- Old and current dag numbers
- Land classification
- Total area
- Area proposed to be sold
- Four boundaries
- Access road
- Current possession
Do not rely only on a marketing plan or hand-drawn sketch.
A licensed surveyor should locate the land using the current mouza map and connect old dag numbers with revised dag numbers.
Stage 2: Verify the seller
Check the seller’s:
- National Identity Card or passport
- Photograph
- Permanent and present address
- Tax identification records where legally required
- Marital or succession status where relevant
- Authority to act for a company, minor, estate or another owner
If the seller acts through a power of attorney, verify the original power, registration, continuing validity and exact authority.
A broker’s assurance that the seller is “known locally” is not legal verification.
Stage 3: Trace the title
Obtain certified copies of the seller’s deed and earlier deeds forming the title chain.
Search the registration indexes under section 57 of the Registration Act for competing transactions.
Review at least the legally relevant historical period and extend the search further where the title arose through inheritance, partition, old settlement or disputed survey records.
The review should explain every transfer in chronological order.
Stage 4: Compare land records
Obtain and compare:
- CS record, where relevant
- SA record
- RS record
- BS or BRS record
- Mutation khatian
- Mutation order
- Mouza map
- Land development tax record
Section 144A gives a rebuttable presumption to a finally published record of rights. It does not make the latest record immune from challenge.
An unexplained change in owner, area or land classification should be investigated.
Stage 5: Verify eligibility to transfer
Section 53C restricts sale unless the relevant name appears in the latest khatian in the manner required by that section.
Check whether:
- The seller owns the entire land or only a share
- Every necessary heir is participating
- A minor’s property is involved
- Court permission is required
- The land is subject to statutory transfer restrictions
- The seller exceeded a lawful landholding limit
- The land is government, khas, vested or abandoned property
- The property belongs to a trust, company or institution
- A lease requires lessor permission
Special classes of land may not be transferable through an ordinary private deed.
Stage 6: Check mortgages and encumbrances
Inspect the registration records for registered mortgages, charges, leases, agreements and prior transfers.
Section 53D prohibits sale or re-mortgage of property under a registered mortgage without the mortgagee’s written consent.
Where a bank loan exists:
- Obtain the mortgage deed
- Confirm outstanding liability directly with the bank
- Obtain a redemption statement
- Arrange payment and release through a controlled closing
- Register the release or redemption where required
- Obtain original title documents from the mortgagee
Do not pay the seller and hope the seller will later repay the bank.
Stage 7: Search for litigation and acquisition
Search relevant:
- Civil courts
- Land Survey Tribunal
- Revenue cases
- Certificate cases
- Artha Rin proceedings where applicable
- Bankruptcy or company proceedings
- Acquisition records
- Administrative orders
- Criminal land-fraud cases
Section 52 protects rights in property that is directly in issue in pending litigation. A purchaser during the case may become bound by its outcome.
Ask neighbouring owners whether any boundary or possession case exists.
Stage 8: Inspect possession
The buyer should visit the land and confirm:
- Who occupies it
- Whether tenants or sharecroppers exist
- Whether another buyer has taken possession
- Whether boundaries match the deed
- Whether the land has road access
- Whether any structure crosses the boundary
- Whether government signs or acquisition marks exist
- Whether the land is submerged, filled or physically altered
Possession by a stranger should not be dismissed as a minor issue.
Stage 9: Use a registered agreement for sale
Section 54A of the Transfer of Property Act and section 17A of the Registration Act require the contract for sale to be written and registered.
Following the 2026 amendment, the statutory presentation period in section 17A(2) is sixty days.
The agreement should state:
- Exact property
- Price and payment schedule
- Advance payment
- Deadline for final deed
- Required documents
- Mortgage-release arrangements
- Vacant possession
- Consequences of default
- Refund and compensation
- Responsibility for taxes and charges
- Dispute-resolution forum
- Seller’s warranties
- Whether the agreement binds heirs and representatives
The buyer should use traceable payment methods.
Stage 10: Prepare and register the sale deed
The deed must accurately describe the title chain and land.
Section 52A of the Registration Act requires specified particulars and supporting information before a registering officer may register a sale instrument. The 2026 amendment extended section 52A to gifts and declarations of heba or gift under the personal laws identified by the amendment.
The buyer should verify the current fee, tax, duty and service-charge requirements immediately before registration. These can change through fiscal legislation and notifications.
The 2026 amendment also introduced section 77A, permitting digital registration in the prescribed manner through government-approved software. This is an enabling provision. It should not be interpreted as proof that every Sub-Registry Office currently supports every transaction entirely online.
Stage 11: Complete post-registration steps
After registration:
- Obtain the registered deed
- Confirm indexing and scanning
- Take lawful possession
- Preserve the possession-delivery record
- Apply for mutation
- Update land development tax
- Secure original title documents
- Mark boundaries
- Update utility and local records
- Store certified digital and physical copies
Registration is not the final administrative step.
Non-resident buyer precautions
A non-resident buyer should require independent verification through video, geotagged inspection, certified documents and direct communication with government offices where possible.
The advocate, surveyor and representative should have separate, clearly defined responsibilities.
Do not give an unrestricted power of attorney to a broker who is also negotiating the price.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes include paying a large cash advance before title review, accepting an unregistered sale agreement and failing to verify possession.
Another mistake is assuming the Sub-Registrar will protect the buyer from a defective title.
Law updated as of 13 July 2026.
Primary sources: Transfer of Property Act, 1882, sections 52, 53C, 53D, 54A and 55; Registration Act, 1908, sections 17, 17A, 52A, 57 and 77A; State Acquisition and Tenancy Act, 1950, section 144A; Registration (Amendment) Act, 2026.
Legal-information disclaimer: This checklist is general legal information, not a substitute for property-specific due diligence. Engage a licensed advocate and qualified surveyor before making payment.