Read an encumbrance certificate in plain English
Upload one encumbrance certificate and get an eight-part reading of it in English: the property and the period searched, the extent, the present owner, every registered document in a table, the mortgages and whether each was discharged, the chain of owners, and the points a buyer should verify.
Sign in with your phone to run it. You see the price and approve it before anything runs.
- The property as the certificate describes it: survey, village, office and the period searched
- The present owner, and the chain of owners from the oldest entry to the latest
- Every registered document in one table: date, number, nature, from, to, consideration and extent
- Mortgages and other charges, with whether a discharge was registered
- The points to verify before you pay, written for a buyer
1 creditCharged only when the analysis is written. A file that cannot be read, or an analysis that does not complete, costs nothing.
What we need
One thing at a time. Fill it in and press Run.
The answer
Read from the certificate you uploaded. Nothing here is searched afresh.
Nothing run yet. The answer appears here with everything this mini adds:
- The property as the certificate describes it: survey, village, office and the period searched
- The present owner, and the chain of owners from the oldest entry to the latest
- Every registered document in one table: date, number, nature, from, to, consideration and extent
- Mortgages and other charges, with whether a discharge was registered
- The points to verify before you pay, written for a buyer
What the analysis covers
The registration department's statement of every document registered on a property over a chosen period: sales, gifts, settlements, partitions, mortgages and their discharges. Called villangam certificate (வில்லங்கச் சான்றிதழ்) in Tamil.
- Owner and chain
- Every document, one table
Who holds the property now, and how it passed from owner to owner: each document with its date, number and year, nature, from (executant), to (claimant), consideration and extent, in the order the certificate lists them.
- Charges
- Mortgage and discharge
Each mortgage or other charge, and whether a receipt or discharge was registered after it. A charge with no discharge is called out as open.
- What to verify
- Buyer checklist
Gaps in the period, names that change between entries, extents that do not add up, and what to ask the seller or a lawyer.
How to read an encumbrance certificate with the EC analyzer
- 1
Upload the certificate
The EC PDF downloaded from the registration department's website reads best. A scan or a clear phone photo of a paper EC also works.
- 2
Approve the price
The price is on the button before anything runs. A file that cannot be read is not charged.
- 3
Read the analysis
The owner and the chain of owners first, then every document in a table, the charges, and the points to verify.
Analyzing an EC you hold, or searching for a new one
Both read the same registration department records. The difference is whether you already have the certificate.
| EC analyzer | EC search | |
|---|---|---|
| You give | A certificate you already have | The village and survey number, a plot, or a document number |
| You get | That certificate read out in English | A fresh certificate from the registration department, with its transactions |
| Period | Only what your certificate covers | Any period the office holds |
When it helps with land
Before you buy
The seller sends an EC on WhatsApp. Upload it and see the owner, the open mortgages and the gaps before you visit the land.
A Tamil certificate
Most certificates are in Tamil and in the department's shorthand. The analysis writes it out in English, with the Tamil names kept as printed.
Before a loan
Check that every earlier mortgage on the property has a discharge registered after it, before the bank asks.
The analysis reads only the certificate you upload, over only the period it covers. It is not a legal opinion and it cannot say whether a document is genuine: a lawyer reads the deeds themselves, and only a certified copy from the office settles that.
Questions people ask
What does an encumbrance certificate show?
Every document registered on a property over the period searched: sales, gifts, settlements, partitions, mortgages and their discharges, each with its date, document number, parties and consideration. The EC analyzer reads it out in English.
What does nil encumbrance mean?
A nil encumbrance certificate (Form 16) means no document was registered on the property during the period searched. It says nothing about the years outside that period, so check the period on the certificate.
What does the EC analyzer tell me?
The property and the period searched, the extent, the present owner, every registered document in a table, the mortgages and whether each was discharged, the chain of owners, and the points to verify before buying.
Can it read an EC in Tamil?
Yes. Most certificates are in Tamil, and the analysis is written in English with the Tamil names kept as the certificate prints them.
How long is an EC valid?
An EC has no expiry date, but it only speaks for the period it was searched for. Banks and buyers ask for one searched up to a recent date, so that nothing registered since is missed.
What does it cost?
The price is on the button before you upload anything: one price reads the certificate and writes the analysis. A file that cannot be read, or an analysis that fails, is not charged.
Does it search the registers again?
No. It reads only the certificate you upload. To search the registration department for a survey and get a fresh certificate, use the EC search.
Is my certificate kept private?
The file is stored on your account only, read to write your analysis, and never shown to anyone else.