Site visit vs desk due diligence for Tamil Nadu land

This post is for land teams and plot buyers in Tamil Nadu who are about to pay an advance, and for sellers getting ready for their checks. It compares what a records check and a site visit each catch, and it is not legal advice or a title opinion.

In short

• You need both. The desk check shows what the registration and revenue records say about a parcel. The site visit shows what is on the ground today.
• A records check cannot show who occupies the land or how it is reached. A visit cannot show title, registered charges or the revenue entry.
• Many problems only show up where the two disagree, so the useful output is one list of mismatches, not two reports.
• When the ground and the FMB sketch disagree, log it and have a qualified surveyor relate the record to the site. The public sketch alone does not identify the cause.
• Run the desk check, then the visit, then the desk again. Pay an advance only when every open row in the mismatch log has an owner and a plan.

What desk due diligence covers

Desk due diligence is the records check you can run from the office. In Tamil Nadu it rests on four records: the registered deed chain, the Encumbrance Certificate, the Patta-Chitta extract and the FMB sketch, with the A-Register for rural parcels. Each answers a different question, and none of them alone proves marketable title.

Record	What it shows	What it does not prove
Encumbrance Certificate	Registered and indexed entries for the property, Sub-Registrar Office and period searched	That the identifiers, period or jurisdiction were complete
Patta-Chitta	The revenue-record holder, survey number, subdivision, area and land classification	Marketable title on its own
FMB sketch	Recorded geometry, measurements, subdivision and adjoining survey references, where shown	Ownership, current occupation or the boundary on the ground
A-Register	Survey, subdivision, area, classification and related revenue details for a rural parcel	Title, without the deed chain and EC
Deed chain	How the interest passed from owner to owner	That no unregistered claim exists

The desk check is where you learn what the seller is entitled to sell. It is also where you collect the identifiers the site team will need: district, taluk, village, survey number and subdivision. Confirm the Encumbrance Certificate on TNREGINET, and the Patta-Chitta, FMB sketch and A-Register on Tamil Nadu eServices.

What a site visit covers

A site visit checks the parcel itself. It confirms that the land exists where the records place it, that it can be reached, and that nobody else is using it. The site visit checklist groups 25 checks into preparation, physical assessment, neighbourhood and access, utilities, and documentation on site.

The last group matters most. A visit that does not write down where the ground differs from the papers has produced photos, not evidence.

Side by side: what each one catches

Each check has blind spots that the other covers. The chart shows which one is more likely to surface each problem first.

The problems that need both are the ones to plan for. They need the records in hand at the site, and a second desk pass afterwards.

Test the FMB sketch against the ground

The FMB sketch is the record most often tested on site. It is parcel-level survey evidence, but it does not by itself prove the exact boundary on the ground. A mismatch can come from a wrong identifier, units, a subdivision, a later survey action, occupation, the measurement method or a record error, and the public sketch alone does not say which.

On-site observation	Desk record to compare	Next step
Frontage or depth differs from the sketch	FMB sketch measurements	Recheck the survey number and subdivision used
Boundary stones missing or moved	FMB sketch and adjoining references	Ask a qualified surveyor to relate record to site
Plot is split by a fence not shown on the sketch	FMB sketch, Patta-Chitta subdivision	Look for a later subdivision or resurvey
Adjoining parcel references differ	FMB sketch and deed schedule	Document the variance and seek survey advice

Pull the sketch through the FMB and TSLR sketch search before the visit (a rural or Natham FMB, or an urban TSLR sketch), and carry a printed copy. Use the exact survey number and subdivision from the deed or the current revenue record. Do not guess or silently translate an older identifier.

Move on when each difference from the sketch has a cause, a survey note or an open row in the mismatch log.

Access and approach road

Access is a site question first. Records may not settle whether the approach is a public road, a cart track across someone else’s land, or a path the seller uses by arrangement. The visit should measure the road, note its surface, and record where it joins a public road.

What to record on site	Why it matters at the desk
Road width and surface	The access the deed describes should match what you find
Whether the road crosses another parcel	A right of way may need to be documented in the deed chain
Where the road meets a public road	Shows whether the road physically joins a public road, to compare with the deed’s access description
Gates, chains or locked entries	Suggests the access is controlled by someone else

If the deed schedule describes access that you cannot find on the ground, treat it as an open item. Ask for the document that creates the right of way before the advance.

Encroachment, occupation and possession

Occupation is the clearest case where only a visit will tell you. An Encumbrance Certificate reports registered and indexed entries. It does not show a tenant, a relative farming the land, or a neighbour’s wall that crossed the line years ago. The visit is where these surface.

Sign seen on site	What to ask
Standing crop or cattle	Who is farming it, and under what arrangement
A house, shed or well	Who built it, and is it in the deed schedule
A neighbour’s fence inside the boundary	How long it has stood, and has anyone objected
Fresh earthwork or dumped debris	Who did it, and is someone preparing to claim use

Record each sign with a location-tagged photo and a note. Then take it back to the desk and to counsel. Possession does not settle ownership, so a clean visit does not replace the title check either.

The checklist also asks the team to talk to at least one neighbour about the plot’s history, disputes and reputation. What you hear is not evidence of title, but it tells you where to look:

• A family dispute over the land: check the deed chain, legal heirship and litigation searches.
• An earlier sale “that fell through”: check the Encumbrance Certificate and any registered agreement.
• A boundary quarrel: check the FMB sketch, adjoining references and a surveyor.
• A government notice in the village: check acquisition and planning records for the area.

Write down what was said, by whom in role terms, and the date. Then treat each point as a lead for the desk check, not as a finding.

Land classification and use on the ground

The revenue record carries the land classification, and the A-Register can flag land types that need extra care. The visit shows how the land is actually used. When the two differ, neither one is automatically right.

Record says	Ground shows	Treat as
Wetland (nanjai)	Dry, unirrigated land	Open item; ask the revenue office
Dry land	A tank bund or channel crossing the plot	Open item; check survey and revenue records
Private holding	A path, pond or common used by villagers	Possible poramboke; stop and check
Agricultural use	Buildings or a layout on the land	Check conversion and planning approvals

A poramboke entry is government land that cannot be sold or transferred for private ownership. If the visit suggests common use, check the A-Register and Patta-Chitta before anything else.

Keep one mismatch log when the two disagree

The most useful output of the pair is a single mismatch log. Each row ties one site observation to one record, says who owns the follow-up, and stays open until evidence closes it. This keeps a mismatch from being lost between the field team and the legal team.

Column	What goes in it
Parcel	District, taluk, village, survey number and subdivision
Observation	What the site showed, with photo reference
Record	Which record it conflicts with, and the retrieval date
Possible causes	Wrong identifier, later subdivision, occupation, record error
Owner	The person on the team responsible for the follow-up, by role
Status	Open, resolved with evidence, or escalated to counsel

Do not close a row on a verbal assurance from the seller. Close it on a document, a surveyor’s note or counsel’s opinion.

Run the desk check, then the visit, then the desk again

Run the desk check first, then the visit, then a second desk pass. The first pass gives the visit team the identifiers and sketch. The second pass chases every mismatch the visit raised.

1. Desk pass one. Pull the Patta-Chitta, FMB sketch, A-Register where it applies, and an Encumbrance Certificate for the period counsel defines. Use the Encumbrance Certificate search and keep the exact search inputs with the result.
2. Site visit. Carry the printed sketch and deed copy. Work through the site visit checklist and log every difference from the records.
3. Desk pass two. Recheck identifiers, look for later subdivisions or resurveys, and pull any record the visit pointed to.
4. Decision. Pay an advance only when every open row in the mismatch log has an owner and a plan.

Evidence to keep from each

For records, keep the exact inputs and the retrieval date. For the visit, keep photos that show what they claim to show, so that someone who was not there can follow your reasoning.

Desk evidence	Site evidence
Each record with its search inputs and retrieval date	Location-tagged photos of each boundary
The EC search offices and period, and who set them	Measurements of frontage, depth and approach road
The deed chain, with gaps marked	Notes on occupation, structures and use
The FMB sketch used on site	The same sketch, marked up with differences
Counsel’s notes on open items	Voice notes and the visit date and team, by role

The document readiness checker helps track which records are in hand. The land due diligence checklist tracks the wider title, zoning, survey, access and approval checks.

Who should do what on the team

Records work suits whoever handles documents and liaises with counsel. Site work suits someone who knows the area and can measure, photograph and talk to neighbours. The mismatch log is shared.

Role	Desk due diligence	Site visit
Land acquisition lead	Sets the record set and search scope	Decides when a visit is needed
Field executive	Supplies identifiers from the seller	Runs the checklist and logs mismatches
Documentation executive	Pulls and files records	Prints the sketch and deed for the team
Surveyor	Reads the sketch and survey history	Relates the record to the ground
Counsel	Reviews title and open items	Reviews possession and access findings

For the title side of this work, read the guide to verifying land ownership before buying and the warning signs in land records. For a parcel you have already bought, the guide to patta mutation after purchase covers the revenue-record update.

What this means for you

If you run land acquisition for a developer: pull the records first, send the field team to the site with the printed FMB sketch and deed copy, then run a second desk pass on every mismatch. Do not release an advance while a mismatch row has no owner.

If you are buying a single plot: a clean Encumbrance Certificate does not show who occupies the land, and a visit does not show title. Do both, and close each mismatch on a document, a surveyor’s note or counsel’s opinion, not on the seller’s word.

If you are selling land: have the survey number, subdivision, deed chain and sketch ready, and know how the approach road is documented. A buyer’s site team will compare the ground with them.