If you own a flat in a Maharashtra city, your name is probably not on the government's land record for your building. The property card (मिळकत पत्रिका) or 7/12 extract usually shows the housing society, the builder or the original landowner. A vertical property card would change that. It would record each flat owner, floor by floor, together with their share of the land under the building.
The idea has been discussed since at least 2019, but it is still not in force. This page separates what is officially confirmed from what has only been reported.
What a vertical property card is
A normal property card describes a plot of land "horizontally": its survey or CTS number, area and holder. A building with 40 flats sits on one plot, so the card lists one holder for all of it.
A vertical property card adds the floors above the plot. Each flat would get its own entry, linked to the parent survey or CTS number. News reports describe these likely contents:
- owner's name, flat number and floor
- carpet or built-up area of the flat
- the owner's share of the land, as a fraction or in square feet
- the parent CTS, survey or group number
- bank loans and other charges on the flat
- a digital signature and QR code for verification
These details come from news reports, not from published rules. How common areas such as the compound, parking and amenity space will be shown is one of the questions the government committee was asked to decide.
What is officially confirmed
The committee GR (30 October 2025). The Revenue and Forest Department issued a Government Resolution setting up a committee on "Vertical Property Rules". Its main points:
- Why: Rights are entered on the property card under sections 149–151 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966, but there is no uniform practice for entering apartments. In most multi-storey buildings only the co-operative society is entered.
- Who: The Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) chairs it. Members include the secretaries of Co-operation, Urban Development and Rural Development, the Law and Judiciary Department, the Settlement Commissioner and Director of Land Records, and the Inspector General of Registration.
- What:
- study how other states record flat owners
- draft rules or a law to enter flat owners on the 7/12 or property card under the Apartment Act
- decide how the land under the building and the common areas will be recorded
- When: The committee had one month. We have not seen any public report that it submitted its recommendations.
The minister's statement (9 September 2026). Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Maharashtra will bring a Land Titling Act by December 2026. Under it:
- property cards would show location, measurements, value and ownership, with a QR code
- vertical property cards would record each flat owner's share of the land
- land measurement would be done within 15 days of applying
No bill has been tabled yet.
What is reported but not confirmed
Treat these with caution:
| Claim seen online | What we found |
|---|---|
| "The card has been launched" | No GR, notification or Mahabhumi service for it. As of October 2026, the land records portals offer only the 7/12, 8A and property card. |
| "Compulsory for new MahaRERA flats from 1 January 2026" | Reported in an April 2026 explainer that also said the final notification was pending. No official source. |
| "Fee of ₹500 per flat" | No official source. |
| "Existing owners must apply through the society by December 2027" | No official source. |
| "Cabinet approved it in 2019" | Reports differ: some say "approved in principle", some say "cleared by cabinet". No GR number is cited. |
A December 2024 report said the revised proposal treated the vertical card as a supplementary record, with the property card or 7/12 remaining the main record, and that it would start with MahaRERA-registered projects. Whether the Land Titling Act makes it a stronger title record is not yet known.
How it fits with the documents you already hold
A vertical property card would not replace these:
- Registered sale agreement or sale deed: Your main proof that you bought the flat.
- Conveyance or deemed conveyance: Transfers the land from the builder to the society (under MOFA, section 11) or to the apartment owners' association (under RERA, section 17). Until this is done, the land record still shows the builder or landowner.
- Society share certificate: In a co-operative housing society, the society owns the land and you hold shares plus the right to occupy your flat.
- Deed of apartment: In buildings under the Maharashtra Apartment Ownership Act, 1970, each owner holds the apartment plus an undivided share in the common areas. The GR specifically mentions recording flats "under the Apartment Act".
How a vertical card would work where the land was never conveyed is the biggest open question. Many older Mumbai, Thane and Pune buildings are in that position. If you are in one, completing deemed conveyance is still the step most likely to matter.
Why it matters for loans, resale and redevelopment
If it is implemented, the card could help in these ways:
- Home loans and loan against property: A lender could check ownership, land share and existing charges on one record, instead of piecing it together from the sale deed, society NOC and search report. This could cut down double sales and double mortgages of the same flat.
- Resale: A buyer could verify the seller's entry and loans before paying.
- Redevelopment: Recorded land shares could make it easier to agree members' entitlements with a developer, or to plan self-redevelopment.
- Inheritance: Heirs could be mutated on the flat's own entry.
Until the rules are notified, lenders will keep asking for the chain of title documents, society NOC, share certificate and a title search, and these are what get a loan sanctioned today.
What flat owners can do now
- Keep your documents in order: registered agreement, sale deed, index II, share certificate, and occupancy certificate.
- Check your building's land record on Mahabhumi to see whose name is on the property card or 7/12.
- Push for conveyance if the land is still in the builder's name. Deemed conveyance can be applied for through the District Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies.
- Don't pay anyone who offers to "register" a vertical property card. No such official service exists yet.
- When buying, check approvals first. Since October 2026, Sub-Registrars cannot register sale documents for flats in unauthorised buildings.
What is not yet clear
- whether the card will be compulsory or optional
- whether it will be conclusive title or only a supporting record
- the fee, and whether any stamp duty applies
- how unconveyed societies and unauthorised buildings will be handled
- who will measure each flat, and how soon City Survey offices can cover existing buildings
- which record prevails if the card conflicts with a sale deed or society register
We will update this page when the draft rules or the Land Titling Bill are published.
How Biz Corp Solutions helps
We help home buyers and property owners arrange home loans and loans against property through banks and NBFCs, including the title and document checks lenders run before sanction. See our home loan and loan against property services, or call us before you buy or borrow.
This article is based on the Government Resolution of 30 October 2025 and news reports up to 15 October 2026. The vertical property card has not been notified. Check with the City Survey office or the Land Records Department before acting on it.