I own a flat in an apartment complex of 60 flats. I am in the process of disposing my flat and negotiations are going on with the buyer. The buyer is insisting on submission of patta for the flat. I am given to understand that patta is issued only for vacant land and not for a building with flats. I am not sure if it is so. I checked further with the tahsildar office, and understand that patta can be issued to the entire extent of the land, not for undivided share in the land. The buyer has requested that I get copies of title documents from all the owners. A few have agreed to give copies, but some have refused. Kindly tell me whether I should get the patta to sell my flat. If so, how do I do it?
Mani Vijayaraghavan, Chennai
Normally, patta is not issued for undivided share of land. Please check if the patta for the entire land in the name of the previous owner was handed over to you at the time of your flat purchase. If such a patta is available, the same will be sufficient for the buyer to be satisfied about the character of land. A joint patta in the names of all the 60 owners may be required only when the entire building is sought to be redeveloped. That exercise is not normally done for sale of a single flat in the building.