Guide · 8 min read

How to check a deed before you buy

Most property disasters in Sri Lanka aren't bad luck — they're skipped checks. This is the checklist that protects your money, and it costs a fraction of what it saves.

Rule zero: hire your own lawyer

Not the seller's lawyer, not a shared one — yours. An attorney-at-law (usually also a notary public) who answers only to you runs these checks professionally. Everything below is what you should expect them to do, so you can tell diligence from rubber-stamping.

1. The 30-year title search

Your lawyer traces the chain of ownership at the Land Registry, customarily going back at least 30 years. Every link matters: each past transfer, gift, or inheritance must connect cleanly to the next. Red flags include gaps in the chain, transfers by people whose own ownership is unclear, and undischarged co-ownership (one sibling selling what five inherited).

2. Encumbrances — is the land actually free?

The registry extracts show whether the property is mortgaged, leased, subject to a court case (lis pendens), or seized. A mortgaged property can still be sold — but only with the bank's discharge arranged at the deed signing, never on a promise.

3. The survey plan

The deed describes the land; the survey plan by a licensed surveyor draws it. Check that the plan matches what you walked on: boundaries, extent (in perches), access road. If the plan is decades old or boundaries look disputed, commission a fresh survey — a boundary dispute discovered after purchase is a years-long problem.

4. Local-authority certificates

• Street line & building line certificates — confirms no part of the land is earmarked for road widening.
• Non-vesting certificate — confirms the local authority hasn't taken over the property for unpaid rates.
• Certificate of conformity (COC) — for a built house, confirms the structure was approved as built.

These matter most in urban councils (Colombo especially); your lawyer will know which apply.

5. The people check

Match the seller's NIC to the name on the deed. If someone sells "on behalf of" the owner, demand the power of attorney and have your lawyer verify it's valid and unrevoked. If the owner is deceased, the estate must be settled first — no exceptions, however friendly the family.

What this costs, and what it saves

A proper title search plus certificates typically costs a few tens of thousands of rupees and one to three weeks. Skipping it risks the entire purchase price. There is no version of this trade that favors skipping.

Where Vikkaa fits

Every listing on Vikkaa is verified by our team — real property, real photos, real price, reachable seller. That filters out the fakes; it does not replace the legal checks above. The badge gets you to a genuine negotiation; your lawyer gets you safely through it.