The encumbrance certificate: what it is and how to pull one
Free, quick, and almost nobody does it before paying a token.
An encumbrance certificate lists the registered transactions affecting a property over a stated period, sales, mortgages, liens and other charges. It answers a question a sale deed cannot: is anything else attached to this property?
What it catches
An existing mortgage the seller has not mentioned. A prior agreement to sell. A lien from a lender. A charge arising from litigation. All of these can sit behind a deed that looks entirely clean on its face.
What it does not catch
Unregistered transactions, oral arrangements, disputes not yet reflected in registered documents, and anything falling outside the period you requested. It is a necessary check, not a sufficient one, which is why it belongs alongside a title chain review and a litigation scan rather than instead of them.
How to get one
Apply through the state's registration department portal or at the sub-registrar's office, with the property details and the period you want covered. Most states now offer this online. The fee is nominal and the turnaround is short.
Request thirty years where you can. A shorter window is cheaper and faster and misses precisely the older complications that matter most.
When to do it
Before the token, not after. Once money has changed hands the dynamic shifts entirely, and the pressure to proceed despite a finding becomes considerable. The whole value of this check is that it is cheap enough and fast enough to do while you can still walk away for nothing.