What should I check before taking possession of a flat?

Check the occupation certificate, compare the final demand with your agreement, inspect the flat in daylight with a written snag list, measure the carpet area, read the maintenance agreement and IFMS terms, and check common areas such as lifts, fire fighting, parking and power backup.

Is it safe to take possession without an occupation certificate?

Take advice from your lawyer first. Under Section 11(4)(b) of the RERA Act the promoter is responsible for obtaining the occupancy or completion certificate and making it available to buyers, and the buyer's two-month window to take possession under Section 19(10) runs from the occupancy certificate.

How long does a builder have to fix defects after possession?

Under Section 14(3) of the RERA Act, structural defects or defects in workmanship, quality or services reported within five years of possession must be fixed by the promoter free of charge within 30 days. If not, the buyer is entitled to compensation.

What is IFMS in a flat?

IFMS stands for interest-free maintenance security. It is a one-time deposit collected for the building's maintenance, usually charged per sq.ft. Opus One and The Pinnacle, for example, both charge ₹75 per sq.ft. Ask how it will be held and when it will be handed over to the residents' association.

When should the conveyance deed be registered?

Section 17(1) of the RERA Act asks the promoter to execute a registered conveyance deed in the buyer's favour within the period set by local law, or, where there is none, within three months of the occupancy certificate.

Flat Possession Checklist: What to Inspect and Collect Before You Take the Keys

Property1313 Team · October 10, 2026 · 11 min read

The offer of possession letter usually arrives with a final demand, a date for handover and a lot of excitement. Slow down for a week. A good flat possession checklist protects you from paying for things you were not supposed to pay for, and from moving into problems that are much harder to get fixed once you have signed. This guide covers the paperwork, the money and the physical inspection, in the order you will meet them.

It is written for buyers in new projects across Mohali, Zirakpur, Kharar and New Chandigarh, but the same steps apply almost anywhere in India, because the core rules come from the RERA Act, 2016.

The checklist in brief, for buyers who are reading this on the way to the site office:

Ask for the occupation certificate (OC) or completion certificate before you pay the possession instalment.
Check the final demand line by line against your agreement and the price list you booked on.
Inspect the flat in daylight with a written snag list, and get the developer to acknowledge it.
Measure the carpet area and compare it with the agreement.
Read the maintenance agreement and the IFMS terms before signing them.
Keep every paper. Defects reported within five years of possession must be fixed free under the Act.

Offer of possession, physical possession and the deed

Three things often get mixed up. The offer of possession is the developer telling you the flat is ready and asking for the last payment. Physical possession is the day you get the keys. The conveyance deed (or sale deed) is the registered document that makes the flat legally yours. You need all three, in that order.

The Act sets clocks on both sides. Section 19(10) asks you, as the buyer, to take physical possession within two months of the occupancy certificate being issued for your flat. Section 17(1) asks the promoter to execute a registered conveyance deed in your favour, and, where no local law sets a period, to do it within three months of the occupancy certificate. Section 19(11) asks you to take part in that registration. So the OC is the starting gun for everything else.

Documents to collect before you pay the last instalment

Ask for copies of these papers, and keep them all in one folder together with your payment receipts:

The occupation or occupancy certificate (OC) and, where issued, the completion certificate from the competent authority that approved the building plans. Section 11(4)(b) makes the promoter responsible for obtaining these and making them available to buyers.
The approved building plans, layout and specifications. Section 19(5) gives you the right to the necessary documents and plans, including those of the common areas, once you take possession.
Your allotment letter, the registered agreement for sale, and every payment receipt and demand letter.
The final statement of account, showing what you have paid, what is due, and how each figure was worked out.
The possession letter itself, stating the date and the flat's parking allotment.
The maintenance agreement, with the monthly rate and the date from which it is charged.
Warranty cards and manuals for anything the developer has fitted, such as air conditioners, kitchen appliances or the DG backup equipment in your flat.

If the developer offers possession without an OC, take advice from your lawyer before you pay or move in. Banks also usually want to see these papers before releasing the last part of a loan.

For the wider document checks, from the land title to the building approvals, see our document guide.

Check the final demand line by line

The final demand is where small surprises add up. Put your agreement and the price list you booked on next to it and tick each line.

Basic price: does the area used match the agreement? If the super area has changed, ask for the revised calculation, and check that the carpet area has not shrunk.
PLC, parking and power backup: are they what you chose at booking, and nothing more?
IFMS: check the rate per sq.ft. Two price lists we hold show how it works: Opus One in New Chandigarh and The Pinnacle in Mohali both charge IFMS at ₹75 per sq.ft., so a 3,000 sq.ft. home would carry ₹2,25,000.
Club membership: Opus One's is ₹15,00,000 and The Pinnacle's ₹9,00,000. Was it already paid, or is it in this demand?
Advance maintenance: how many months, at what rate, and from which date?
GST: is it charged only on the parts that attract it, at the right rate?
Interest: if any late-payment interest is added, check the dates. Under the Punjab RERA rules, interest either way is the SBI highest marginal cost of lending rate plus two per cent.

If possession is late against the date in your agreement, Section 18 entitles you to interest for every month of delay until possession, if you choose to stay in the project. Raise it in writing before you pay the final demand, and take your lawyer's view on how to claim it.

Unsure about a line in your final demand? Call or WhatsApp Property1313 on 89100 01313. We are happy to go through the sheet with you against your agreement, whether or not you bought through us.

Flat possession checklist for the inspection: the snag list, room by room

Go in daylight and allow at least two hours. Take a torch, a socket tester, a measuring tape, a spirit level or a marble, a bucket, masking tape and your phone for photos. Mark each problem with tape, photograph it, and write it on a numbered list.

Walls and ceilings: look for cracks, uneven plaster, and damp patches or stains, especially below bathrooms, near windows and on the ceiling of a top-floor flat.
Floors: tap tiles and marble with a coin. A hollow sound can mean poor bedding underneath.
Floors: check that tiles are level and joints are filled. Roll a marble on the floor to spot slopes.
Doors and windows: open and close every door, window and shutter. Check locks, handles, hinges and stoppers.
Windows: look at the seals and glass on aluminium windows, and pour water near the frames to check for leaks.
Balconies: check the railings for firmness and pour a bucket of water to see that the floor drains properly.
Kitchen and bathrooms: run every tap and shower, hot and cold, for a few minutes. Check the water pressure and look under basins for leaks.
Bathrooms: flush every toilet. Pour water on the bathroom floor and watch whether it runs towards the drain.
Fittings: check the taps, fittings and chinaware against the brands promised in your agreement or brochure.
Electricals: test every socket with the tester and every switch, light point and fan point.
Electricals: open the distribution board. Check that the MCBs are labelled and that there is an earth connection.
Points: check the AC points, the geyser points, the TV and data points and the video door phone if one was promised.

Hand the list to the developer's customer care team and ask for a signed or stamped acknowledgement with a date. Then agree a date to re-inspect. Ideally, the snags are closed before you sign the possession letter; if you take the keys first, make sure the letter records that the listed snags are pending.

Measure the carpet area

RERA defines carpet area as the net usable floor area inside the flat, excluding external walls, service shafts, the exclusive balcony or verandah and the exclusive open terrace, but including internal partition walls. Measure each room wall to wall and add them up. It will not be perfect, but a large shortfall against the carpet area in your agreement is worth raising before possession. Our guide to the different area terms explains what to measure.

Common areas, services and the residents' association

Your flat is only half of what you are taking over, so walk the rest of the building as well before you sign.

Lifts working and carrying a valid inspection certificate, the lift lobby finished.
Fire fighting in place: hydrants, sprinklers and alarms where the building needs them.
Your allotted parking space marked with your flat number.
Power backup working at the load you paid for, with the kVA figure written in your papers.
Water supply, the sewage treatment plant, the club and the amenities promised in the brochure, with a clear date for anything still unfinished.

Until the residents' association takes over, Section 11(4)(d) makes the promoter responsible for providing and maintaining essential services at reasonable charges, and Section 11(4)(e) asks the promoter to enable the association's formation. Under Section 17(2), once the OC is issued and possession is handed over, the promoter must hand the documents and plans, including those of the common areas, to the association. Join the association early; it is the body that will deal with the developer on the common areas.

IFMS and maintenance charges: what you are signing

IFMS, the interest-free maintenance security, is a deposit, not a fee. It is collected to cover major maintenance and is meant to be handed over to the association, so ask how it will be held and when it will be transferred. Keep its receipt separately.

Monthly maintenance is a different thing. Read the maintenance agreement for the rate per sq.ft., what it covers (security, housekeeping, common electricity, lifts, DG running), how it can be increased, and the date from which it starts. Some agreements start the charge from the offer of possession rather than the day you take the keys, so check yours.

After you take the keys

Possession is not the finish line. Register the conveyance or sale deed and pay the stamp duty; our Punjab registration and stamp duty guides explain the process and the charges.

Then transfer the electricity and water connections to your name, and start your own records for property tax.

Most important of all, know your defect window. Under Section 14(3) of the RERA Act, if you bring a structural defect, or a defect in workmanship, quality or services, to the promoter's notice within five years of possession, the promoter must fix it free of charge within 30 days. If it does not, you are entitled to compensation. Always report defects in writing, by e-mail as well as on paper, with photos and dates. If they are not fixed, you can file a complaint with RERA Punjab through the Complaint menu on rera.punjab.gov.in.

The documents in one view

Here are the main papers, who gives them to you, and why they matter, set out in one list you can print:

Document	Who gives it	Why it matters
Occupation / completion certificate	The competent authority, via the developer	Shows the building is approved for use; starts the RERA clocks
Approved plans and specifications	Developer	What you can hold the developer to
Final statement of account and receipts	Developer	Proves what you paid, for the deed and for your bank
Possession letter and snag acknowledgement	Developer	Records the date and any pending defects
Maintenance agreement and IFMS receipt	Developer or maintenance agency	Sets your monthly charges and deposit
Registered conveyance or sale deed	Sub-registrar	Makes the flat legally yours

Still choosing your home? Every listing on Property1313 shows the RERA number and the charges we hold, so you can see from the start what will come up at possession. Browse projects in Mohali or set a few side by side.

If your possession letter has arrived and you want a second opinion on the final demand or the documents, call or WhatsApp 89100 01313 or leave your details on the contact page. An advisor will talk you through it. For legal questions about your agreement, check with your lawyer.

Contact Property1313

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I check before taking possession of a flat?: Check the occupation certificate, compare the final demand with your agreement, inspect the flat in daylight with a written snag list, measure the carpet area, read the maintenance agreement and IFMS terms, and check common areas such as lifts, fire fighting, parking and power backup.
Is it safe to take possession without an occupation certificate?: Take advice from your lawyer first. Under Section 11(4)(b) of the RERA Act the promoter is responsible for obtaining the occupancy or completion certificate and making it available to buyers, and the buyer's two-month window to take possession under Section 19(10) runs from the occupancy certificate.
How long does a builder have to fix defects after possession?: Under Section 14(3) of the RERA Act, structural defects or defects in workmanship, quality or services reported within five years of possession must be fixed by the promoter free of charge within 30 days. If not, the buyer is entitled to compensation.
What is IFMS in a flat?: IFMS stands for interest-free maintenance security. It is a one-time deposit collected for the building's maintenance, usually charged per sq.ft. Opus One and The Pinnacle, for example, both charge ₹75 per sq.ft. Ask how it will be held and when it will be handed over to the residents' association.
Within how many days must I take possession after the OC?: Section 19(10) of the RERA Act asks the buyer to take physical possession within two months of the occupancy certificate being issued for the flat.
When should the conveyance deed be registered?: Section 17(1) of the RERA Act asks the promoter to execute a registered conveyance deed in the buyer's favour within the period set by local law, or, where there is none, within three months of the occupancy certificate.