Property lawyer for buyers, owners and heirs
A property lawyer checks that what you are buying is really the seller's to sell, drafts and registers the papers, and fights for you when a builder, a co-owner or an occupant will not do what the law requires. At VIVS Legal this is the core of our practice since 2010, from our office in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai, with clients across India served online.
Last updated 24 August 2026 · VIVS Legal, Sanpada, Navi Mumbai
- What we cover
- Title search, drafting and registration, RERA, partition, possession, tenancy, SARFAESI
- Main laws
- Transfer of Property Act 1882, Registration Act 1908, RERA 2016, Specific Relief Act 1963
- Where cases go
- Civil courts, RERA authorities, Co-operative Courts, DRT, depending on the problem
- Office
- Sanpada, Navi Mumbai; online for other cities and NRIs
- First step
- Send us the papers you have; we tell you what is missing
On this page
- What does a property lawyer actually do?
- Property legal services we handle
- Property lawyers by city
- Which law and which forum decides a property dispute?
- How we approach a property matter
- When should you call a property advocate?
- Where we work: Sanpada office and online
- What decides the cost of a property lawyer?
What does a property lawyer actually do?
Most people call a property lawyer at one of two moments. Before a purchase, when they want to be sure the flat or plot is clean. Or after something has gone wrong, when a builder has stopped work, a brother has sold the family house, or a tenant will not leave.
In the first case the work is checking and drafting: a title search over the last 30 years of records, the agreement for sale, the sale deed, stamp duty and registration. In the second it is advice and, if needed, litigation: a notice, a suit, a RERA complaint or a police complaint where there is forgery. A good real estate lawyer will tell you early which of these your matter actually needs, and which steps would only cost you money.
Property legal services we handle
Each service below has its own page with the procedure, documents and timelines. Pick the one closest to your situation.
Before you buy: title search and due diligence
We read the chain of title, the 7/12 extract or property card, society records, encumbrances and pending cases, and give you a written report. See title search.
Drafting and registration
Agreement for sale, sale deed, gift deed, release deed, leave and licence, lease and power of attorney, with stamp duty worked out and registration handled. Our fixed-fee sale deed drafting includes a title check.
Builder delays and RERA
Complaints for delayed possession, refund with interest, defects and changed plans before the RERA authority. See RERA complaints.
Family property and partition
Division of ancestral or jointly owned property, by agreement where possible and by a partition suit where not.
Possession, tenants and occupants
Recovering a flat from an occupant or a licensee who has overstayed, and eviction under the rent law. See landlord and tenant disputes.
Property tied to a loan
SARFAESI notices, DRT proceedings and asset tracing for lenders, handled by our debt resolution practice.
Property lawyers by city
Land records, stamp duty and the authorities that approve buildings change from state to state, so each city page explains what is local. Mumbai and Navi Mumbai clients can meet us at the Sanpada office. For the other cities we work online and say so plainly.
Which law and which forum decides a property dispute?
Picking the wrong forum wastes a year. This is the short version of where each kind of property problem usually goes.
| Problem | Main law | Where it is decided |
|---|---|---|
| Builder delays possession or changes the plan | Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 | State RERA authority, then the Appellate Tribunal |
| Co-owners cannot agree on division | Partition Act, 1893 and the personal succession law | Civil court |
| Someone took possession without right | Specific Relief Act, 1963 | Civil court; Section 6 suit within six months of dispossession |
| Forged deed or impersonation at registration | Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and the Specific Relief Act | Police and magistrate, plus a civil suit for cancellation |
| Licensee or tenant will not vacate in Maharashtra | Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999 | Competent Authority or Small Causes Court |
| Bank takes symbolic possession of a mortgaged flat | SARFAESI Act, 2002 | Debts Recovery Tribunal |
| Society refuses a transfer or NOC in Maharashtra | Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 | Registrar or Co-operative Court |
How we approach a property matter
Every file starts with the papers, not with a promise. We read what you have, tell you what is missing and give you an honest view of your position before anything is filed or signed.
- First call. You tell us what happened or what you plan to buy. We say whether it is something we handle and what we need to see.
- Document review. Sale deeds, agreements, the index of registered documents, tax receipts, society papers, notices received.
- Written opinion. Your legal position, the options, the likely time each takes and the cost, in writing.
- Action. Drafting and registration, a legal notice, negotiation, or filing before the right court or authority.
- Follow-through. Hearings, compliance, mutation in the revenue or municipal records, and closure.
When should you call a property advocate?
Earlier than most people do. The cheapest property dispute is the one that never starts because the problem was found before the money was paid.
- Before paying any token amount on a resale flat or a plot
- When a builder misses the possession date in the agreement
- When a parent has died and the house is in the parent's name
- When you receive a notice from a bank, a society, a co-owner or a court
- When someone else's name appears in the property records without your knowledge
- When you live abroad and someone in India is managing or occupying your property
Where we work: Sanpada office and online
We have one office, at Haware Intelligentia Park in Sanpada, Navi Mumbai. Clients from Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane often prefer to meet there with their papers.
For property in other cities we work online: consultation by phone or video, documents by email, drafting, and filings that can be made remotely. If a matter needs a hearing in another state, we tell you at the first consultation how the appearance will be handled and what it will cost. NRIs can act through a registered power of attorney; our NRI property page explains how.
What decides the cost of a property lawyer?
The fee depends on what the matter needs, so we quote it in writing after reading the papers. What moves it: the number of documents in the title chain, whether a court case is already pending, how many hearings a dispute is likely to take, and whether the property is in Maharashtra or elsewhere.
Simple drafting work has fixed fees, listed on our drafting services page. Stamp duty and registration charges are paid to the government separately and are not part of our fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have a question?
Speak with our legal team about your matter with clarity and confidence.
In practice none: both describe an advocate who handles property work. Some people use 'legal advisor' for checking and drafting and 'property dispute lawyer' for court work. At VIVS Legal the same advocates do both, which helps, because a dispute often turns on how the original documents were drafted.
The law does not require one, but buying without a title check is the most common reason for later disputes. A property lawyer verifies ownership, encumbrances and approvals, drafts the agreement and the deed, and checks the stamp duty. For a resale flat the title search alone often saves far more than it costs.
It depends on the forum. A RERA complaint is usually decided in months, while a civil suit for partition or possession can take several years. Many family disputes settle earlier through negotiation or court mediation, and we always look at that route first when it protects your position.
Yes. The route depends on whether there is a will, the religion of the person who died and the type of property. It may involve a succession certificate, probate, a release deed among heirs, and mutation in the municipal or revenue records. Our page on inheritance without a will explains the rules.
Yes, online. Title review, drafting, opinions and many filings can be done remotely from our Navi Mumbai office. Where a hearing is needed in another state, we explain at the first consultation how it will be handled and what it will cost before you decide.
Whatever you have: the agreement or sale deed, the index of registered documents, the 7/12 extract or property card, society share certificate, tax receipts, the loan sanction letter if there is a loan, and any notice you have received. Phone photographs are enough for the first discussion.
Conveyancing is the legal work of transferring property from one person to another: checking title, drafting the agreement and the conveyance deed, paying stamp duty, registering the deed and updating the records. In India the conveyance deed is usually a sale deed, gift deed or release deed, registered at the sub-registrar's office.
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