Land Registry Rules Are Changing: Here’s the Big Update You Can't Ignore:

Buying or selling property has always been a complicated process, often involving stacks of paperwork and a constant worry about fraud. To tackle these issues, governments across the country have been introducing new rules to make land registry more secure, transparent, and streamlined. If you're planning any property transactions, you need to be aware of these major changes.

What is the Core New Rule?

The most significant change being rolled out across many states is the move towards making property and land registration more digitally secure. The core of this new system involves:

Mandatory Aadhaar-Based Verification: The old system often had loopholes that allowed for fraudulent registrations using fake identities. The new rule now increasingly requires mandatory Aadhaar verification for both the buyer and the seller.
Biometric Authentication: This goes hand-in-hand with Aadhaar linking. During the registration process at the sub-registrar's office, all parties involved (buyer, seller, and witnesses) must now undergo biometric authentication (fingerprint scanning) to prove their identity in person.

Why is This Change Being Made?

The government's goal is to address some of the biggest problems in real estate:

To Curb Fraud and Forgery: By using biometrics, it becomes nearly impossible for someone to impersonate a property owner and sell a property without the real owner's knowledge and physical presence.
To Eliminate Benami Transactions: It helps ensure that the person whose name is on the documents is the actual person conducting the transaction, making it harder to hide property under someone else's name.
To Increase Transparency: It creates a clear, verifiable digital trail of who bought and sold the property, reducing future disputes over ownership.

What Does This Mean for You?

If you are buying or selling a property, this new rule will directly affect you. Here's what you need to be prepared for:

Your Aadhaar Must Be Up-to-Date: Ensure your name, address, and mobile number on your Aadhaar card are current. Most importantly, make sure your biometrics are not locked or outdated.
Physical Presence is a Must: You can no longer rely solely on a Power of Attorney (PoA) for registration in many cases, especially if you are the seller. Your physical presence at the registrar’s office for biometric scanning will be required.
Potential for a Smoother Process: While it adds an extra verification step, this new rule is part of a larger push to digitize all land records. In the long run, this will make the entire process of searching for titles and registering property much faster and more reliable.

Other Related Rule Changes to Watch Out For

Alongside Aadhaar linking, some states are also tightening rules around:

Power of Attorney (PoA): There are stricter regulations on who can be granted a PoA and for what purposes, to prevent its misuse in fraudulent sales.
Digital Land Records: Many states are working to digitize all old land records and link them with a unique ID number, which will eventually make property history easily searchable online.

In short, these new rules are a major step towards making property transactions in India safer. While it may require a little more preparation on your part, it provides a much-needed layer of security for your most valuable asset.