Circular No. 33, Market Guideline Value and Registration Procedure for Property Below 20 Cents, 2018
The Tamil Nadu Registration Department, through the Inspector General of Registration, issued Circular No. 33, file number 10021/L1/2018, dated 11 April 2018, to clarify how registration officers must classify and value small properties described as agricultural land. It requires site inspection in specified cases, sets out the valuation approach for house sites and agricultural land, and gives document holders a right to appeal a house site classification.
What the circular governs
Circular No. 33 of the Tamil Nadu Registration Department applies when property presented for registration is described as agricultural land and the market guideline register also gives it an agricultural value. Its purpose is to determine whether the property is actually agricultural land or a house site, and which guideline value should be used.
The inspection requirement applies where the property within one set of four boundaries is:
- Below 10 cents in a village area.
- Below 20 cents in an urban area.
- Spread across several survey numbers but contained within the same four boundaries, if the total property falls below the applicable limit.
The property's current use must be considered when deciding its character.
Valuation and inspection procedure
Circular No. 33 requires the registration officer to inspect qualifying property and record whether it is a house site or agricultural land.
- If classified as a house site, the Sub-Registrar may apply the highest house site value found in the relevant survey number and surrounding survey numbers.
- If classified as agricultural land, the agricultural value shown for the relevant survey number in the guideline register may be followed.
- For property within an urban boundary where a street value applies within its four boundaries, that street value must be followed.
- Property previously sold as a house site must continue to be classified as a house site if it is later presented as agricultural land with the same extent.
The inspection report must describe the use of the property and surrounding land, registration details appearing in the encumbrance certificate, and any other available evidence.
Decision and appeal
Circular No. 33 requires the registration officer to give the document holder a written proceeding together with the inspection report after deciding whether the property is a house site or agricultural land.
A document holder who objects to a house site classification may appeal to the relevant District Registrar. The District Registrar must inspect the property and decide within one week whether it is a house site or agricultural land. The resulting order must record the nature and use of the property and surrounding places, and a copy must be sent to the document holder.
Protection against unsupported reclassification
Circular No. 33 directs audit officers not to treat property as a house site without appropriate evidence where there are no earlier house site registrations. Agricultural land above 10 cents in village areas or above 20 cents in urban areas must not be reclassified as a house site without supporting evidence when the guideline register contains an agricultural value.
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Common questions
Will a property below 20 cents always be valued as a house site?
No. In qualifying cases, the registration officer must inspect the property and decide from its current use and supporting information whether it is a house site or agricultural land.
What value applies if the property is found to be agricultural land?
The agricultural guideline value shown for the relevant survey number may be followed.
Can I challenge the Sub-Registrar's decision that my land is a house site?
Yes. The document holder may appeal to the relevant District Registrar, who must inspect the property and decide within one week. A copy of the decision must be sent to the document holder.
What happens if the property was previously sold as a house site?
If the same extent was previously sold as a house site, it must be classified as a house site even when the current document describes it as agricultural land and the guideline register contains an agricultural value.
