Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Registration Department has directed that an encumbrance certificate (EC) must be attached when registering property deeds without visiting a sub-registrar office.
The state has rolled out a facility that allows sale deeds for houses and plots to be filed and registered online. As per an order issued by Registration Department head Arun Sundar Dayalan, sub-registrars must communicate any need for corrections or additional details on the same day.
If a document is rejected instead of being taken up for registration, officials have been instructed to clearly state the reason. When a returned document is resubmitted after corrections, the previously paid fee details must be accepted, and deeds should not be rejected citing unnecessary reasons.
The order also says registered deeds and receipts must carry the sub-registrar’s digital signature. Uploading the EC is mandatory during online submission, and sub-registrars have been asked to strictly follow procedures to prevent the creation of forged documents.
Members of the public welcomed the move, saying the online facility makes registration easier. They also suggested enabling an automated EC attachment based on the property details entered, to avoid delays caused by separately paying for and obtaining the certificate.
