Buying a house or apartment: what to check

General information, not legal advice. Rules, fees and procedures change and differ between municipalities and provinces. Confirm with the Land Revenue Office, your municipality or a lawyer before you pay an advance.

A house or apartment is two purchases in one: the land and the building on it. Check both.

1. Papers for the land

Everything in Checks before buying land applies to a house too: the lalpurja in the seller's name, the trace map, mortgages and freezes at the Land Revenue Office, road access, and Guthi or public land.

2. Papers for the building

• Building permit and approved drawings. Ask to see them and compare them with the house: the number of floors, the footprint, and any rooms or floors added later.
• Completion certificate. Under DUDBC's Building Construction Guidance 2082, a municipality does not recommend electricity or water connections, a sale or a mortgage for a building without a completion (or partial completion) certificate, and banks must check these papers before lending.
• Is the house recorded? Ask whether the building has been recorded with the land at the Land Revenue Office and registered with the municipality for property tax.

Floors added without approval are common. They can be ordered removed, banks may not count them, and they add load the structure was not designed for.

3. The structure

Have a qualified engineer inspect the house before you commit. Look yourself for:

• cracks: diagonal cracks near doors and windows, or any crack in a column or beam, are more serious than fine cracks in plaster;
• when and how it was built: a recent house, built to the building code under an engineer's supervision, is a safer bet; ask for the drawings and any photos taken during construction;
• columns: very slender columns (such as 9 × 12 inches) point to an older design that wasn't engineered (see Building an earthquake-safer house);
• damp and leaks: stains on ceilings under the roof and bathrooms, peeling paint, a musty smell;
• water: the source (municipal line, boring or tanker), the tank, and how supply holds up in the dry season;
• wiring and plumbing: their age, earthing, the meter, and the sewer or septic tank.

4. The price

• Compare with similar homes nearby. On GharKhoj, listing pages show how a price compares with similar listings.
• The land, the road in front and the building's age matter as much as the finishes.
• Banks lend on their own valuation, which is often lower than the asking price. Talk to your bank early. See Home loan basics.

5. Apartments: what the law says

Apartments are governed by the Apartment Ownership Act 2054 (1997).

• Approval. A developer may not build an apartment building without approval from the authorised government office, and the municipality may not pass its drawings without that approval (sections 3–7). DUDBC handles apartment approvals. Ask to see the approval and the building permit for the exact block and number of floors.
• A written agreement is compulsory (sections 8 and 15). It must state the parties; the land's location, ownership, area and kitta number; the unit number, area, rooms and facilities; the price and how it is paid; the common areas and facilities you share; the rules for using the unit; the shared maintenance costs; both sides' rights and duties; your unit's percentage share of the building; and the insurance payment. Also get in writing which area the price per square foot covers (carpet, built-up or super built-up), a payment schedule tied to construction progress, the handover date and the penalty for delay, your parking space, and what happens if the project stops.
• Certificate and ownership. The developer must give each buyer a certificate in the prescribed form (section 8). You become the full owner once you have paid the full price (section 9); until then you may use the unit but cannot transfer it (section 12). Ask when and how the unit will be registered in your name at the Land Revenue Office.
• Resale. The land office will not register the sale of a unit without written consent from the developer or the owners' committee confirming that no dues are outstanding (sections 13–14). If you buy a resale flat, ask for this letter.
• Insurance. The developer or the owners' committee must insure the building against natural disasters, with the owners sharing the cost (section 21).
• The developer: company registration, PAN and VAT, and the projects they have finished. Visit an older project and talk to the residents. Membership of a developers' association is not a licence.
• Running costs: the monthly maintenance fee, what it covers (lift, generator, water treatment, security), and how the owners' committee is run.
• Safety: fire exits and equipment, lift maintenance, and a structural design for the building's full height.
• Complaints about breaches of the Act must be made within three months of finding out, and within a year of the breach (section 31).

6. Paying and transferring

• Pay an advance only with a written agreement that covers a refund if the seller can't transfer the property.
• Pay the balance at registration at the Land Revenue Office, through a bank. See Property registration and taxes and How property transfer (registration) works.
• News reports in April 2026 said deals above Rs 3 crore in metropolitan and sub-metropolitan cities must now go through licensed real estate companies. Ask the Land Revenue Office whether this applies to you.
• After registration, transfer the electricity meter, the water connection and the property tax account into your name.

Before you pay anything, read Avoiding property scams.