Project & Payment
What to Check at Possession: Your Last Moment of Leverage
Everything in this glossary has led here. This is the last day the builder needs something from you — and the last day you can ask for anything.
The short answer
The day you take possession is the LAST DAY you have any leverage.
Until you sign, you are a buyer who has not accepted the flat. The builder needs you to accept it.
After you sign, you are an owner complaining about your own flat.
So: check everything, raise everything, and get everything in writing — BEFORE you sign.
Before you go — the documents. Get these FIRST.
| Document | Why | If it's missing |
|---|---|---|
| OCCUPANCY CERTIFICATE | The authority certifying the building was built as approved and is fit to occupy. | DO NOT TAKE POSSESSION. Ask what the deviation is. 'It's in process' means it is not coming. |
| Completion Certificate | Built as sanctioned | Ask why |
| Fire NOC | The building has been certified safe to escape from | This is not a formality |
| Lift inspectorate approval | The lifts may lawfully be used | Ask |
| The sanctioned plan | Then count the floors on the building. Do they match? | A deviation |
| The RERA filing | The declared possession date, the carpet area schedule | Pull it yourself |
MEASURE THE CARPET AREA. Actually measure it.
If the carpet area delivered is LESS than the carpet area in your agreement, RERA entitles you to a REFUND OF THE EXCESS YOU PAID — WITH INTEREST.
On a flat at ₹9,000 per sq ft, being 20 sq ft short is ₹1.8 lakh.
Take a tape measure. Take a friend. Measure every room, wall to wall, to the inside face of the external walls. Include bathrooms, kitchen, utility, and the internal partition walls (length × thickness). Exclude balconies and the external walls.
Photograph the tape against the wall. Write it down.
And compare notes with the other allottees. If thirty flats are all short, that is not a measurement error — it is a systematic one, and it is worth a great deal across the project.
Inspect the flat — properly, and with a list
Structure and water
- Every wall and ceiling — cracks, damp, stains. A freshly painted single wall: ask why.
- Bathroom ceilings — leaks from above show here first.
- Turn on every tap. Pressure, colour, smell.
- Flush every toilet.
- Check under every sink for leaks.
- Pour water on the bathroom and balcony floors. Does it drain, or does it pool? Slope is a defect that is miserable to live with and hard to fix.
Electrical and fittings
- Switch on every light and every point. All of them.
- Count the power points against the specification.
- Is there an ELCB/RCCB?
- Check the sanctioned load. Enough for your ACs?
- Which points are on power backup?
- Open and close every door and window. Do they bind? Do they lock?
- Check the fittings against the SPECIFICATION in your agreement. Not against the sample flat. Against the written specification. Downgraded fittings are one of the commonest complaints, and the agreement is what governs.
The things people forget
- Tap the floor tiles. Hollow ones sound different, and they will crack.
- Check the flat is the one you bought. The right number, the right floor, the right facing. It happens.
- Your PARKING. Go and stand in it. Can you actually get a car into it? Is it blocked by a pillar? Is it the one allotted to you, in writing?
- The view. Is it what you were shown? Is anything being built in front of it?
Inspect the building — and the amenities you paid for
- The lifts. Do they work? Are they certified?
- The generator. Ask them to start it. What does it actually run?
- The STP. Working? Or is there a smell?
- Water. Municipal, borewell, or tankers? What happens in April?
- Fire safety. Extinguishers, hoses, a clear fire staircase. Could a fire engine actually reach the building?
- THE AMENITIES YOU PAID FOR. The clubhouse. The pool. The gym. Are they finished? Are they open? Or are they 'coming in phase two'? You paid for them in the price of your flat.
- The common areas. Lobby, corridors, staircase, basement.
What you're being asked to pay at possession
At possession you will be handed a demand — and it is frequently much larger than you expected, and contains things you never agreed to.
Check each item against your AGREEMENT:
• The final instalment
• Stamp duty and registration
• The corpus fund — was this in the agreement? At this figure?
• Advance maintenance — for how many months? Was that agreed?
• Electricity and water meter deposits
• Club membership — is this a fresh charge for something you already paid for?
• Legal charges. Documentation charges. 'Other charges'.
Anything not in your agreement, question in writing. A charge that appears for the first time at possession, when you are desperate for the keys, is a charge that was designed to appear then.
How to sign — and this is the whole page
You will be asked to sign a possession letter saying, in effect, that you have inspected the flat, it is in good condition, and you have no claims.
Do not sign that.
Instead:
1. Prepare a SNAG LIST — every defect, itemised, with photographs.
2. Give it to the builder, and get it acknowledged in writing, with dates for rectification.
3. Sign the possession letter “subject to the attached snag list dated ___”.
4. Keep a copy the builder has signed.
They will resist. They will say it is standard. It is standard because buyers accept it.
1. THE CARPET AREA. If it is short, RERA gives you a refund with interest. Measure it before you sign.
2. THE FIVE-YEAR STRUCTURAL DEFECT LIABILITY. Under RERA Section 14(3), any structural defect — or defect in workmanship, quality or services — notified to the promoter within FIVE YEARS of possession must be rectified free of charge, within 30 days.
Leaking walls. Cracked slabs. Failing plumbing. Seepage. Five years. Free.
Almost nobody invokes it. Write to the builder, in writing, citing Section 14(3), and keep the receipt.
Today is the last day the builder needs something from you.
Tomorrow, you are an owner. And an owner asking a builder to come back and fix something is asking a favour.
Ask today.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before taking possession of a flat?
The occupancy certificate first — if it hasn't been issued, do not take possession, and ask what the deviation is. Then MEASURE the carpet area with a tape measure, because if it's short, RERA entitles you to a refund with interest. Then inspect the flat properly — every tap, every switch, every door, the drainage slope, the fittings against the written specification. Then the building and the amenities you paid for. And read the demand letter line by line.
Why is possession day my last moment of leverage?
Because until you sign, you are a buyer who has not accepted the flat — and the builder needs you to accept it, since it triggers their final payment and ends their delay liability. After you sign, you are an owner complaining about your own flat, and an owner asking a builder to come back and fix something is asking a favour. Ask today.
Should I sign the possession letter?
Not a clean one. You will be asked to sign a letter saying you have inspected the flat, it is in good condition, and you have no claims. Instead: prepare a snag list of every defect with photographs, get it acknowledged in writing with dates for rectification, and sign the possession letter 'subject to the attached snag list dated ___'. Keep a copy the builder has signed. They will resist, and say it is standard. It is standard because buyers accept it.
What can I claim if the carpet area is short?
A refund of the excess you paid, with interest, under RERA. On a flat at Rs 9,000 per sq ft, being 20 sq ft short is Rs 1.8 lakh. Take a tape measure, measure every room wall to wall, include the internal partition walls, exclude the balcony — and photograph the tape against the wall. And compare notes with other allottees: if thirty flats are all short, that is a systematic error, not a measurement one.
What rights do I have after taking possession?
The five-year structural defect liability under RERA Section 14(3): any structural defect, or defect in workmanship, quality or services, notified to the promoter within FIVE YEARS of possession must be rectified free of charge within 30 days. Leaking walls, cracked slabs, failing plumbing, seepage. Almost nobody invokes it. Write to the builder, citing Section 14(3), and keep the receipt.