Is Land Registry Proof of Ownership?

If you ask me, is land registry proof of ownership, I will say, No. The notion of land registry, or registration of a property deed, is often misconstrued as absolute proof of ownership, but in fact, it is not proof of ownership. To prove legal ownership, it is a procedural requirement that needs to be backed up by additional proof.

Is Land Registry Legal Proof Of Ownership?

No. When you register an immovable property under the Registration Act, 1908, you are recording the transaction (such as a sale deed) in the public records. This registration gives public notice that a deed has been executed and makes the document admissible in court.

However, registration itself does not guarantee that the seller had a valid title, or that there are no disputes, encumbrances, or competing claims on the property. In other words, registration is part of the procedural compliance, but does not substitute for a clean and unbroken chain of legal title.

The registered deed shows that the parties executed a transfer, but it does not, by itself, verify that the seller was the rightful owner or had the right to transfer. I hope you found the information helpful.

Property-related documents are very important so acquiring them on time is very crucial. My husband bought a property last year but due to COVID, he thought of registering it a bit late. When my father-in-law came to visit us recently, he asked whether the property has been registered or not and my husband casually said no. My father-in-law got quite furious so I asked him-

Is land registry proof of ownership in India? What will happen if we don’t do it? He looked at me and said you will simply lose it. Both of us realised that we had been taking things very casually. Let me share why registering a property is important.

Property registration is a process by which a buyer registers the property in his/her name to prove his/her ownership over the property. Suppose you have bought a property but haven’t done its registration, in government records the property still belongs to the former owner. Now if there is a dispute over it, the government will sit with the former owner and not you as according to their records the property still belongs to the person who sold you the property. So once you buy a property you must get it registered in your name. 

How do you prove ownership of land in India?

In India, the ownership of property is established via a registered sale deed. other documents you can site to prove your ownership of land are

• Record of rights (documents having the details of your property like land registry proof)

• Property tax receipts

• Survey documents

I hope this answers your question: Is land registry proof of ownership in India and why getting it registered is important.