Supreme Court clears the air on registration of properties

THE Supreme Court’s ruling that merely getting a property registered does not automatically grant ownership is aimed at curbing fraud and reducing litigation in the fast-growing real estate sector. The rationale is simple: a property might be registered in your name, but if someone else has physical possession or there are disputes regarding the title, ownership could be challenged. Property sellers/buyers and realtors need to ensure that there is no compromise on exhaustive documentation. Exercising due diligence today can save stakeholders a lot of hassle tomorrow.

The ruling assumes greater significance as the Central Government has put the draft Registration Bill 2025 in the public domain for feedback. The Bill has proposed online property registration and expanded the list of documents that require mandatory registration. The overarching aim is to provide greater convenience, transparency and accessibility to buyers in property transactions, making the middleman redundant. Developers are expected to benefit from potentially faster project approvals and streamlined documentation.

The importance of clear and legal titles for homebuyers cannot be overemphasised. They spend a major portion of their life savings on purchasing property, and get the shock of their lives when something goes wrong. They should be wary of realtors who prefer to cut corners during the verification process in order to save time, effort and money. Most buyers don’t understand or are unaware of the intricacies of the real estate ecosystem. It’s worthwhile for them to take legal guidance to check not only the registration of documents but also the actual possession of the property and anticipate possible complications that might affect ownership. All this will no doubt raise the costs, but at the end of the day, it’s money well spent if no property dispute crops up to bleed you financially.

Editorials