Encumbrance Certificate (EC)

An EC is a statement from the sub-registrar’s office. You ask for a property and a range of years, and it lists every document registered against that property in that time: sales, gift deeds, mortgages, releases and so on. If nothing was registered, you get a “nil” certificate. In Karnataka these are commonly called Form 16 (nil) and Form 15 (with entries).

An EC helps you follow the property’s history and spot a loan that was never closed. If the land was mortgaged to a bank and no release deed appears, that is a question for the seller before you pay anything. Banks ask for an EC before they lend, and your lawyer will read it alongside the title deeds.

A clean EC is reassuring, but it has limits. It only shows registered documents. An unregistered agreement, a family dispute or a pending court case will not appear. It also depends on the search being done on the right survey number and village name, so a spelling slip can hide entries.

• The period covers enough years. Your lawyer will say how far back to go; many ask for several decades.
• The survey number, village and hobli match the sale deed and the RERA registration.
• Every mortgage listed has a matching release, or the builder’s lender has issued a NOC for your flat.
• For a new flat, the builder’s project loan is shown, and you know how your unit will be released from it.

You can apply online through Karnataka’s registration portal or at the sub-registrar’s office. Order a fresh one close to registration, not months before.