THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Property registrations in the state are set to become more customer-friendly in the near future. The registration department has developed an IT-enabled system to help customers register their title deeds without the help of document writers. The pilot phase of the new system was launched at the sub-registrar office in Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram, on Wednesday amid opposition from document writers.
Included in the state government’s 100-Day Programme, the digital registration system will initially cover only settlement deeds, that is property deals between family members. From now, settlement deeds at the Pattom office are to be mandatorily submitted through the new system. In subsequent phases, the system will be expanded to cover all types of deeds at all sub-registrar offices, said a source with the registration department.
In the new system, customers involved in a property deal — seller or buyer — should create an account on the registration department website. Then, relevant details are to be given, including the area, measurements and the boundaries of the property. While there is a standard format available, the user is free to edit the text or incorporate specific conditions. The user can then generate the document in PDF format. The registration fees too can be paid online.
Currently, physical stamp papers have to be bought to print the deed for submission at the sub-registrar office. In the future, users can get e-stamps through digital payment. The department will collect fingerprints and photographs of parties in electronic format to ensure more safety in transactions. This is the department’s second attempt to make property registrations more user-friendly and corruption-free. In 2013, the department had published model documents or templates for different types of property registrations.
The aim was to support people who want to conduct registration without the help of a professional document writer. It failed to elicit much response because people were reluctant to move out of the conventional practice. Also, some complaints were raised that officers were not supportive of people who approached them directly. Only about 5,000 deeds have been registered using these templates so far.
While the same templates are used in the new system as well, the aim is to bring some sort of standardisation in language because the terms used varies in different parts of the state, the source said.