Buying a flat in Chennai is not complicated, but it is sequential: each step depends on the one before it. Here is the order, with the documents to ask for at each stage and the official portals where you can check them yourself.

Before you pay anything

  • 1. Check the TNRERA registration on rera.tn.gov.in and compare the promoter, address, completion date and unit count with the brochure.
  • 2. Check the planning approval: CMDA planning permission inside the Chennai Metropolitan Area (DTCP outside it) and the building permit from the local body. For a ready flat, ask for the completion certificate.
  • 3. Check the land record and title: the patta (or the TSLR in most of urban Chennai) and an encumbrance certificate, searchable on tnreginet.gov.in. A property lawyer should review the chain of title. Documents explained: Patta, Chitta, DTCP & CMDA: Chennai Property Documents Explained

Booking and agreement

  • 4. Pay the booking amount only against a written cost sheet and a receipt naming the unit. Under RERA, a developer cannot take more than 10% of the cost before a registered agreement for sale.
  • 5. Sign the agreement for sale (for a new flat, often a construction agreement alongside it). It should state the carpet area, the payment schedule tied to construction stages, the possession date and the penalty for delay.
  • 6. Arrange the home loan, if any: the bank's legal team runs its own title check, which is a useful second opinion. Chennai home loans: Home Loan Guide In Chennai

Registration and after

  • 7. Pay stamp duty and register the sale deed at the jurisdictional Sub-Registrar office, with an appointment booked on tnreginet.gov.in. On a resale flat that is 7% stamp and transfer duty plus 2% registration; on a new flat bought on a composite deed it is 4%, 5% or 7% by value, plus 2% registration. Calculator: Chennai stamp duty calculator
  • 8. Take possession against the completion certificate and a handover letter; note any snags in writing.
  • 9. Transfer the patta, the property tax assessment and the electricity connection into your name.

If you are buying from abroad

NRIs follow the same steps; the agreement and the sale deed can be signed through a registered power of attorney. What to watch: Power of Attorney for NRI Property Buyers: A Safe-Use Guide and The NRI Guide to Buying Property in Chennai