Title, tenure and conversion — the basics

Three documents form the backbone of any land purchase in Maharashtra: the 7/12 extract (record of rights), the mutation entries (history of ownership transfers), and the encumbrance certificate (record of any loans, liens, or disputes against the property).

The 7/12 extract tells you who currently holds the land and under what tenure — occupant class I (freely transferable) or class II (transfer restricted, often requiring collector permission). Class II land looks identical to class I on the surface, but the restriction can materially affect both saleability and financing.

Mutation entries matter because they show the chain of ownership. A break, an unexplained gap, or a pending mutation is a signal to pause, not proceed.

Conversion — changing land use from agricultural to non-agricultural (NA) — is a separate legal process that must be completed before residential or commercial construction. Buying agricultural land with the expectation of building on it without securing NA conversion first is one of the most common and costly mistakes we see.