How to find a hidden leak in your bathroom?

Hidden water leaks in your bathroom not only waste water and money but also leads to mold or mildew growing.While most bathroom fixtures are susceptible to leaking at some point of other due to various reasons, there are a number of ways one can find out the cause of leakage to control any long term damages.

Usually most hidden leaks occur either in water pipe joint fixtures or under the toilet commode wax rings. Here are a few ways to find the cause of the leak in your bathroom and find the hidden leakage.

Check the Access Spots: One of the most useful ways to find the exact location of a hidden leak in a bathroom is to run your hands along the access spots. Anything that has an inlet or outlet must be a part of the aces spots to rule out any leaks. Access spots include water supply lines reaching to the sink, the commode, the sink trap as well as the wax ring which is located under the toilet commode seat. Check out the various plumbing connection or joints in these access points. A majority of leaks are found at such junctions that require replacement of a washer in the fixture to correct. If you are not sure of the type of washer to be used, you can take the fixture to your nearest hardware.

Focus on Wax Ring Leaks: Wax rings are located underneath the toilet commode and are quite prone to leaks. Because of their location under the commode, such wax ring leaks are not easily visible unless the commode is removed. If you have ruled out all other cause of leaks, the wax ring leaks could be the culprit.

Rule out Other Leaks: Before embarking on a journey to locate the cause of a hidden leak in a bathroom, one must make sure that the leak is related to the bathroom. In a number of cases especially in overhead bathrooms, people have confused rain induced leaks to bathroom leaks. If the dampness or wet spot in the roof appears only after a rain, the leakage could be probably due to a rubber boot sealing the roof vent. Moisture in the rainy season can easily travel down the vent pipe and leak under the bathroom making it appear as a bathroom leakage.

Check out Trap Leaks: Checking the drain trap under the drips can be an important way to rule out any trap leaks. Drain leaks can also be checked by physically checking the traps by turning on the water in the bathroom sink. Drainage pipe leaks can be hard to see at times because of the capillary effect of the water droplets on the drain pipe. Physical verification by rubbing the hand along the pipe is the best way to rule out drain trap leaks.

Physical Verification: Physical verification of the leaks is one of the best ways to shortlist the type of leak in the bathroom. Pipe leaks and joint leaks have various distinct characteristics and show up on the bathroom walls of floor in different ways. In case of an overhead bathroom, if the leak looks like a damp spot that dries and reappears, the leak is generally from a drain line. On the other hand, if the leak does not dry at all and remains constant with dropping of small drops on the floor, it may be due to a problem in the pressure water supply line of the bathroom.

How apartments can make money from garbage?

 

Proper solid waste management in apartments can be a source for making money.

Proper disposal of domestic waste has been a talking point for a long time. Projects on solid waste management have been initiated at various corporation levels but poor waste collection practices have halted its significant progress. As the governmental intervention in waste collection is poor, some companies have joined hands with residential societies for waste management and helping them to make money from garbage.

Poor waste management in India

 

Waste management is serious challenge in India. India has a large number of Rag pickers in each city and town owing to immense poverty and large scale population. Even with such a large quantum of Rag pickers, India dumps majority of its domestic waste without segregating it into types of waste.

All types of waste including paper, metals, plastics and other wet contaminants all have their own waste management yardsticks. The Indian paper industry alone imports more than 4.6 million tons of waste paper from Europe each year costing more than Rs 3750 crores. Considering the fact that over 7 million tons of waste paper in India is wasted due to poor waste disposal techniques underlines the importance of having a solid waste management program that can segregate the waste and send the same for recycling.

How to make money from garbage?

 

If you are an apartment owner, there is good news for you as you can make some money by selling your domestic waste while doing your bit for the environment. Various non governmental organizations (NGOs) and private sector companies like ITC Ltd have initiated various projects where apartment owners are who enroll for the project gets an opportunity to make money from apartment garbage.

They are given dedicated waste bags for different waste products. All paper waste goes into one bag while all metal and plastic waste into their dedicated bags. At the end of each month, the wet contamination bag with non recyclable waste is given to the municipal authorities while the companies purchase the recyclable waste like paper waste and metallic waste at various pre fixed prices.

Housewives are more than happy to sell the waste just by taking some effort to segregate the waste at their end. ITC backed wealth out of waste project (WOW) for example collects the recyclable waste after paying Rs 4 per kg of paper and Rs 2 per kg for plastics and metals.

Tips to start and make money from garbage

 

• A team of like minded: Discuss your idea with like minded neighbors and make a team of like minded people. Let your apartment owners associations informed or involved in it.
• Awareness: Create awareness about the waste segregation at source and the concept of ‘Reduce-Reuse-Recycle’. Train all the maids and cooks and do Door-to-Door campaigning.
• Case study of Successful apartments: Visit nearby apartments and study the working of their waste management and how they make money from garbage.
• Categorize waste: Categorize the waste into two -wet and dry waste and run the pilot project for a month.
• Start earning: While there are various NGOs and private firms to buy recycle or dry wastes, similarly there are many nurseries and farmers who are ready to pay for the compost manure generated from the wet waste compost. Once the project is successfully implemented and your apartment started making money from garbage, introduce incentive schemes for the housekeepers and residents.
• Blogged about it: Share your apartment success story of making money from garbage in blogs and even a dedicated page in facebook to generate the public interest.

RWA’s Initiate Self Segregation

Considering the successful model of private companies in the waste management business, various residential societies and RWA’s have joined hands to make a foray into the same thereby earning money as well as cleaning up the environment. The housing societies are now collecting waste from each resident and segregating the waste at their end and selling it directly to recycling agencies.

The wet non recyclable contaminants are sent to the municipal corporation waste disposal plants. On the other hand all recyclable waste like medical waste is collected and then sold to a company dealing in recycling of such medical waste. The RWA’s have made sure that they are earning good profits by smartly segregating the waste at their end as well as doing their bit for a cleaner world.
Along with the money they earn by selling the waste, RWA’s are spreading awareness for a greener world. Considering that each ton of recycled paper prevents 17 trees from being felled along with over 7,000 gallons of water, selling waste is not able a good for finances but the environment too.

Allotment Letter: An important tool for you to buy a property

What is an allotment letter?

If you are booking an under-construction property, you are required to receive an allotment letter from the builder. This letter includes all the details regarding the flat, the payment options and any extra charges that you may have to pay in case of maintenance or additional facilities. It also includes construction schedule, house plans, delivery date and builder’s liability in case of late completion or problems after possession. Generally, it is issued to you upon payment of the 15% of the property value to the developer.

An allotment letter is an important document for the buyer. Generally, while you will be pursuing bank loan to buy a certain property,the builder/housing society issues the allotment letter to the buyer which includes details pertaining the description of the subject property being sold/bought by the two parties.

The allotment letter also includes about the specifications of the project on the whole. You must discuss any preferences, such as choice of floor or view, of yours before receiving the allotment letter as the options can be included in the allotment letter.

What is the significance of the Allotment Letter?

 

Allotment letter is vital in availing loan from the bank, as the letter mentions the amount of money which you have to pay to the builder/housing society, so that remaining amount can be financed by the bank. On the basis of this letter, generally the bank finances the remaining amount.

Although the general impression is such that the sales agreement holds supreme importance in property deals, the allotment letter comes in when you are deprived of what you were being promised.

For example, if on one of the pertinent aspect which is mentioned in the allotment letter, builder refuses to give adequate documentary proof subsequently, as a buyer you can opt not to make subsequent payment and can demand that unless builder satisfies the disputed aspect, you will not make subsequent payment. It will legally bind the builder to refund the buyer all the money that has been paid.

How to fix a leak from the upstairs bathroom?

Leaks from a bathroom upstairs can be quite an eyesore and challenging to locate. In this day and age of high-rise apartments, it is common to have a second bathroom showing damp spots or some dripping on the ceiling of the lower floors. The best way to correct any such damp spots or leaks is to locate the exact cause of the problem and rectify the same before things get worse. The main problem in correcting such leaks in an overhead bathroom is the tedious process of locating the exact cause of the leak. Unless one is professionally equipped, it is better to hire the services of a plumber to find out the exact cause of dripping or leakage for a permanent solution.

Shortlist the type of leakage

Before discussing out the preventive measures as well as the apparent ways to fix any such leaks in the overhead bathroom, it is important to shortlist the exact type of leak. There are mainly two distinct possibilities for a leak in any bathroom. Since the chances of leak in any pipe is the maximum at its joints, water supply line and drain pipelines are both susceptible to leaks.

The best way to shortlist the kind of leak in the overhead bathroom is to take a look at the leak at the ceiling from the lower floor. If the leak looks like a damp spot that dries and reappears, the leak is generally from a drain line. Is on the other hand, the leak does not dry at all and remains constant with dropping of small drops on the floor, the leak is due to a problem in the pressure water supply line of the bathroom. Let us now take a look at ways to prevent and fix bathroom leaks for both water supply leaks as well as drain pipe leaks.

 

Correcting water supply leaks

Once you have shortlisted the exact cause of the water leakage in the overheard bathroom, the next step becomes quite simplistic. In case of a water supply leak the first step must be to check the fixtures or joints of water supply pipes. Usually it is the fixture and its washer that becomes old due to constant contact with water and pressure giving way to leaks and dripping.

Changing the washer of the fixture can help resolve the problem in a majority of cases. The beat way is to turn off the main water supply and remove the fitting. One can take the fitting to the hardware store in case it is difficult to find the exact washer required for the underlying console. Make sure that you have fixed the new washer properly in place before attaching the fixture to the pipe and opening up the main line.

 

Correcting the drain pipe leaks

Fixing a drain pipe leak is more time consuming and usually requires a greater effort. Before replacing the leaks in the drain pipe joint fittings, one needs to see the quality of drain pipe. Usually drain pipes are either PVC (poly vinyl chloride) based or ABS (acrylonitrile butadeine styrene) based. Both types of drain pipes will require specific glue and primer to fix the new fixtures replacing the one that is leaking. The use of a plumbing tape or cover the new fixture is recommended.

 

Other hidden leaks

Sometimes leaks can be because of various faucets like taps and showers installed in the bathroom. If both drain pipe and water pipe do not show any apparent leaks, the fixture drains need to be checked. Usually most modern day fixtures like showers have a back panel that allows easier access to the underlying drainpipe for such corrective measure. For older installations, one may need to drill a hole in the wall to reach the root cause of the leakage in such installations.

How to prevent water exploitation?

 

With the continuous increase in urban population, the people living in cities are facing the problem regarding fresh water supply. Underground water is one of the major sources of water in cities. But excess pumping of the groundwater and less recharging is causing imbalance in the water table. If the over-exploitation continues, the water of the reservoirs will get depleted, the wells will go dry and it will be difficult to get them replenished.

To prevent depletion of water reservoirs and reduce over-exploitation, it is very important to effectively recharge groundwater aquifers in large scale at residential, commercial and institutional buildings to percolate rainwater to water table.

Here are a few tips for recharging groundwater aquifers.

Recharging of bore wells: Bore wells can be recharged by directing filtered rainwater collected in filtration tank of the building to the wells. Rainwater is collected on the rooftop of the building and diverted to the filtration tank by drain pipes. In filtration tank water is filtered. First shower of the rain should be flushed out by separators.

Recharge pit:Recharge pits are small pits confined with brick or stone masonry walls with weep holes at regular intervals. These pits can be of any shape square, rectangular or circular. Filter materials should be filled at the bottom of the pit. The pit should be covered with perforated covers at the top. The capacity of the pit should be decided according to the catchment area, the intensity of rainfall and recharge rate of the soil.

Recharge dug wells: Dug wells are also used as recharge structure. Rainwater is diverted to these dug well from the catchment areas after passing it through a filtration bed. To enhance the recharge rate, it is very important to clean and desalt dug wells regularly.

Recharge trenches: Recharge trenches are suitable harvesting surface run-off. It is appropriate for small houses, gardens, playgrounds and roadsides, where the upper impenetrable layer of soil is shallow. The trench is dug in the ground and refilled with filter materials like pebbles, boulders or brickbats etc. The length of the trench depends on the expected run-off.

Percolation tanks: Percolation tanks are artificial recharge technique. In this method, a highly permeable land area is submerged to facilitate percolation to recharge the ground water. These can be built where land and topography are suitable.

Documents required for Home Loan Application

You see an advertisement of a beautiful lake view villa with all luxurious amenities and wish to own it; the price also looks ideal. As you feel it is the right abode for you and your family, the next step would be to approach a bank for a home loan.

However, there are certain documents that are required to know your loan eligibility and for the processing of your home loan. If you are aware of these documents, and carry these to the bank during your first visit, it can help you save a lot of your valuable time and effort. These documents can help you know your exact loan eligibility in the first visit itself; moreover, if finalized, these documents can  get your file logged, thus helping you to avoid a second walk to the branch.

Here’s a complete list of documents that are required while applying a home loan:

KYC Documents (Documents for ID proof and address proof): If you are providing a copy of passport, or copy of Aadhaar, it would serve as both ID and address proof. However, if you don’t have a passport or if your passport has expired, then you can present your PAN card copy as ID proof and a latest telephone bill as address proof. The problem with many working professionals is that they change locations often and do not have proof for their current residence. In such cases, a passport copy can be given along with a copy of lease/rent agreement of your current residence.

Income Documents: For salaried class, sealed / attested copy of latest 6 months salary slip or a salary certificate is necessary. Copy of Form 16 will also be required by the bank. In case of self employed / business class, copy of latest 3 year’s ITR’s clubbed with Balance Sheets, P & L Accounts of the respective years (audited and certified) is required. If you are having a service provider kind of job, copies of Form 16-A, which reflects TDS deductions by your vendors will do. In case of NRI’s, an embassy attested salary certificate is often asked by the bank, along with a valid job contract copy.

Statements: Some banks ask for updated six months bank statement, while some banks require updated One year bank statement. For self employed / business class, one year bank statement is compulsory. If you have any other loans or liabilities, statements of those loans are also required to submit. If you have a recently extinguished loan, statements / loan closure letters can be asked by banks.

These are the documents required for sanctioning a home loan. Once your loan is sanctioned for the requested / eligible amount, you need to submit the legal documents pertaining to the property. It includes the present title deed, prior title deeds, sale and construction agreements (in case of apartments / villas), encumbrance certificate, latest land tax receipt, possession and location certificate (in the name of the present owner) approved plan and a copy of building permit. In case of house / apartment purchase, sale agreement / receipts of down payment also will be asked.

Is your home prepared to face natural disaster?

Natural disasters can happen at any time and at any place. Even though man has made ample discoveries to keep him updated on the incoming natural disaster, sometimes natural disasters can strike without a notice. There is no real escape from nature’s fury but by preparing well for an emergency situation, one can minimize the damage and limit the loss of life and the property.

Here are some tips to check how ready your home is when it comes to preparing for a natural disaster.

Have an Emergency Kit: Having an emergency kit in your home is one of the best ways to prepare yourself from any untoward natural disaster. Various agencies including Red Cross and FEMA issue advisories as to what should constitute in the emergency kit according to the season and threat perception. As a basic rule the emergency kit must include all day to day necessities including food, ration, water supply and medication for at least a two week period. Other important things that must be a part of all emergency kits include flashlights, first aid kit, general purpose and specific medicines. Special care must be taken if you have an elderly or a person with some specific disability living in your home. Also one important thing to keep in mind while preparing an emergency kit is to allow for needs for your pets.

Keep a Plan Ready: Having an emergency plan prepared which is known to all family members can make a difference between life and death. One tip is to prepare a couple of evacuation plans considering the threat perception in your area or region. One plan should always cater to disasters like earthquakes, fires and floods. Plan a meeting point outside your house in case of an emergency situation. Rather than fending for other family members, the plan helps in securing that each family member is aware of the best way to reach safe shores. You can also have an emergency evacuation plan away from your area of region especially if you live near a river or beach. In case of a flood or a tsunami for example it would mean the family members know where to go to and wait for the other members.

Be Informed: Being aware of the potential natural disaster is one of the best ways to avoid the nature’s fury. Depending on the region and country of your residence some natural disasters are more likely to have an impact compared to others. Keeping yourself educated with news and weather updates is likely to make a difference in terms of getting prepared for the incoming natural disaster. Another important aspect is to keep yourself and your family members educated about each and every natural disaster. During the Tsunami that stuck in 2004, a lot of people especially tourists were unaware of the upcoming Tsunami. If they would have known that this was more serious than simply a high tide situation, a number of lives could have been saved.

Make Disaster Specific Preparation: Considering which natural disaster is more prone for your region, make emergency plans disaster specific. If you live in an area which is more prone to earthquakes, make sure that you have bolted everything to avoid any damage. Evacuation plans for earthquakes can be as simple as standing in a corner to taking cover under a table to avoid any serious threat from the falling debris. On the other hand if your region is more prone to hurricanes, it is essential to consider a shutter system that can withstand high velocity winds to avoid any damage.

Store Documents Carefully: Storing all important documents like passports, insurance policies and other financial documents that you may need in a safe store is preferred. The idea is to have easy access to all such important documents in case you need to evacuate the house. Rather than hunting for your documents in the emergency situation, it is important to keep everything stored in one place.

How to convert a regular home into a green, energy-efficient building?

 

Let’s first make the distinction, for the sake of convenience and clarity, between an ‘ecologically sustainable home’ and a ‘green home’. The former is something that you build with materials that make for the least use of exhaustible natural resources—a typical farmer’s house is the best example, with a combination of clay walls, cow dung surfaces, thatch roofs, limestone-coated walls. There have been homes in the urban context that have attempted to use some ‘traditional’ elements but not always with success on reducing use of natural resources.

What is labelled in current times as a ‘green home’ is what you create, architect and engineer as a regular urban home, taking in to account use of building materials for floors, walls and roofs and windows, the use of systems that reduce consumption of water and energy without compromising comfort or convenience. If you are willing to spend a little more as capital cost at the start, you can secure savings into the future that can help you recoup your additional capital cost over 5 to 10 years, depending on the feature that you are adding to your ‘green home’. These could be smarter household appliances, pumps, fans etc.

Green homes can help you save as much 30 to 50 per cent in your energy bills. With the right elements in place, you can rely less on fresh water and therefore increase water security. Beyond savings, green homes can help you generate a bit of wealth from waste, by managing its conversion into either manure or compost or even energy for your kitchen. The important thing is that a ‘green home’ in the urban context will help and enable you to reduce your dependence on government infrastructure for water, energy and waste.

First, green homes don’t cost more; they need a different approach to design and planning; they need your effort to find the right vendors for the right inputs that can offer your solutions that either cut energy and water bills; or increase life cycle of products you install at home.
It is a question of how you spend the money and not how much more or less you spend in building a green home as opposed to a regular home with conventional materials that we have known for the last 50 to 60 years.

The ‘cost’, like in any house, is to do with what you want in a house. Where a green home distinguishes itself is, in the way you have employed materials. For example, using soil blocks instead of bricks increases the duration of your building. It also helps you avoid plastering externally (and therefore cost) while adding to the aesthetic of the building.

Use of natural floors increases aesthetic appeal and even therapeutic value of your house. Ask anyone with arthritis or rheumatism, who walks barefoot at home on vitrified or ceramic tile floors, and then for some months on natural floors. Their pains dramatically ease with natural floors!
So green homes is not about price. It is a whole new order of the future. It is building technology that emerges from careful thought on design and on human needs.

In India, 10 years ago, when ‘green’ was the word for only the colour, the few green buildings that were created by pioneers like the IGBC itself, The Energy Resources Institute, ZED Group in the private sector, and a few others, witnessed a capital cost delta of about 16 to 18 per cent in going green. Today, that figure has come down to a cost differential of zero. This means that a green building costs the same as a regular building, although the mainstream building industry and Indian industry at large are not willing to concede this for their lack of understanding of the design solutions, and the dearth of professional architects and service consultants who have learnt the ropes on building such energy efficiency into their design approaches.

The sum and short of it is that clearly there is no cost difference. However, there is need for many thousands of professionals who can guide such approaches for promoters and managements of builder companies and industry at large.

What are the rights over property of female in HUF?

Transfer of property of minors by natural guardian, widows, managers of Hindu joint family, karta of Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) is legally valid, if such transfer is for genuine requirements of the minor or family respectively and the purchaser is aware and satisfied of such requirement. In “Mitakshara” law the Karta of joint family can sell joint family property for legal necessities and in justifying circumstances.

After the enactment of The Hindu Succession Act 1956, w.e.f.17th June 1956 the status of Hindu female and her capacity to deal with property has considerably improved. As per section 14 of the said act, any property possessed by a Female Hindu, whether acquired before or after the commencement of this Act, shall be held by her as full owner thereof and not as a limited owner.

What in case the family residential property is sold?

After enactment of Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the position and rights of widow, daughter, predeceased son’s wife and certain other female heirs of a Hindu family has changed considerably. Right of residence of such persons has to be considered in the light and context of section 23 of the said Act, which lays down a special provision in respect of family dwelling house, as given below:

(1) In an undivided Hindu family having two or more male members if one of them dies leaving behind a widow then she is entitled to reside in the family dwelling house, after death of her husband.
(2) If the house is sold by surviving coparcener or coparceners without necessity and justifying circumstances then by such sale she does not loose her right to stay in that house. The purchaser of the house cannot evict her until another suitable residence is arranged for her.
(3) If the purchaser buys the house with full knowledge that such widow is residing and is being maintained in that house then the purchaser cannot evict her even if the family possesses another property by which she can be maintained.
(4) If the sale is for family necessity, in justified circumstances and the purchaser was aware of such widow’s occupation of the house, she is liable to be evicted.

10 Safety tips for senior citizen living alone

Man is essentially a social animal and living alone is not an ideal case scenario. Sadly in today’s world there are not many ideal case scenarios and elderly people seldom need to live all alone. Here are top ten safety tips and recommendations that can be useful for the elderly and senior citizens living all alone in their house.

Avoid Cluttered Furniture: One of the best ways to enhance the personal safety of a senior citizen is to have a de cluttered house. All pieces of extra and unwanted furniture must be placed in the store room away from the living room and bedroom areas. Cluttered furniture can easily cause the elderly to trip and take a fall which may lead to a serious medical condition.

Don’t Use Rugs: Rugs are another trouble area when it comes to elderly walking with a support stick. The support stick can easily entangle in the rugs and can cause a serious fall. All rugs socially throw rugs must be stacked away to help the elderly walk without any failure of judgment that may lead to an eventual fall which might hurt them physically.

Brighten Up: One of the most important security mechanisms is to upgrade the lighting of the house. Any low wattage bulbs must be replaced with higher intensity bulbs and lamps to provide clear vision for the elderly. Also make sure that the home receives ample sunlight. Elderly people may not have the strength to walk outside the house to soak in the winter sunlight which is helpful for their bones and other ailments. If the house can be remodeled allowing then easier access to sunlight, it can have a positive effect on their mental, emotional and physical health.

Install Grab Bars: Install safety bars which the elderly can hold on to in case of any accidental fall. Shortlist the areas with a potential falling likelihood for the elderly like corners and bathrooms. Installing such garb bars can make a huge difference in case of any accidental fall.

Use Non Skid Bath Mats: Bathroom is one of the most significant places where special attention needs to be given. Using of anti skid bath mats is one of the best ways to avoid an accidental fall in the bathroom.

Install Security Systems: Upgrading or installation of a new internal security system with close circuit TV cameras for the visitors is a must have for every senior citizen house. It is essential to install the system that is easily operated by the elderly in case of an emergency and can report the matter to their neighbors, friends, family or the police.

Don’t Forget the Smoke Alarm: Install a smoke alarm not only in the kitchen but all other rooms of the household to avoid any untoward fire related incident. Elderly specially the ones on certain medication may not realize the extent of fire because of oversleeping. The installation of such smoke alarm systems cuts out the worst case scenario in case of a fire.

Get a Wheelchair Ramp Installed: Get a wheelchair ramp installed outside the home for an emergency situation is one of the best ways to prepare for any eventuality. Health is such an important aspect that one must be prepared for any eventuality all the time. Making the interiors of the house wheelchair friendly is also advised just in case any elderly gets too weak to walk on his or her own and require the assistance of a wheelchair.

Stay Connected: Ask the elderly to stay connected with the friends and family members socially or over the phone each day. If you are living in a different house, make sure you call them each day to keep an update on their health and security. Also make sure you have access to the neighbors and other people living closely in case of any emergencies.

Keep a Portable Mobile Phone: Senior citizens and elderly must be given a set of mobile phone that they can keep with them at all point of time. Make sure that the mobile has speed dialing function enabled and the same is explained to the elderly for quick calling in case of any medical or other emergency.

Patta: Why is it necessary?

What is Patta?

Patta is basically a revenue record. It is an extract issued from the Register of Land holdings maintained, usually at the office of the Tahsildar. This is issued in the name of the person or persons in whose name the records relating to the holdings are maintained.

Patta: A legal document

Patta is an instrument showcasing possession of property. Rights to property may arise in three ways:

(i) Through voluntary act of parties – The transactions which fall within this classification are those covered by the Transfer of Property Act.

(ii) Inheritance or bequest – Laws relating to succession covers this type of rights of properties.

(iii) By orders of courts, tribunals, State action, etc.

Similarly, there are three levels of documents supporting claims to the title – title documents, approvals or other municipal records and revenue records. Depending on the nature of the property and the nature of its possession, Patta can be obtained in respect of the above mentioned three transactions.

Why is it important to have a Patta?

• The issuance of Patta signifies that you have lawful possession over the property. It is issued in the name of owner or in the case of joint holdings, in the names of the joint owners.

• If there is any problem or title conflict with the Government or any third person regarding the land, then the Patta can be given in as useful evidence.

• Even if the Government wishes to acquire land, it has to pay compensation to the Patta holder, since the Patta holder has the first right to title over that property.

• If there is any sale of the property, the Patta will be the main determinant of the ownership of the property.

What is the procedure for obtaining Patta?

• You have to apply to the Tahsildar in the form of a simple requisition to issue the Patta

• Along with it, you have to provide necessary details and documents related to the property

• The concerned officer may hold an enquiry or conduct a survey of the land/property before granting the Patta.

Is it mandatory to have a Patta for every property?

In case of vacant plots of land, Patta is a must, as it is the main document for establishing lawful possession. Even in case of properties with buildings and structures, Patta is the primary document to establish lawful possession. It also includes other vital details including the extent of holdings and the measurements of the property.

Is Patta required for apartment owners?

Patta is primarily a document relating to land and not buildings. However, the Patta may include particulars relating to the buildings. In case of apartments, the land is usually owned by the co-owners in undivided shares and Patta is not issued for undivided shares of land. However, it may be possible to get the Patta in the names of all the co-owners jointly.

In what cases are Patta transferred?

• If an owner having a Patta on his name, dies without leaving a will, the legal heirs of the deceased person are entitled to have Patta for the property in their names.

• In the case of a person leaving a Will, Patta can be transferred to the beneficiary with the consent of others who will be the immediate heirs of the deceased person.

• In case of purchase/sale of properties, it is possible to have the Patta directly in the name of a purchaser or a transferee.

Checklist before Taking Possession of Your New House

Today property is one of the secured investments where you will get profit or good deal on your investment in short period. Increasing demand for property, cut down in interest rate and easy registration process has attracted more property buyers to invest on their dream home. Checklist for taking possession helps you to ensure that the property or apartment are build according to plan and there are no cracks or major repair works required after taking possession of your new flat.

Important checklist for possession of flat or home

• List of amenities: Some builders or developers offers or promise list of amenities for apartment you are buying such as playground, lift, swimming pool etc. After completion of construction, buyers or investors find that builder has not provided all amenities as per promised or agreed. Check your agreement to see the list of amenities and make sure each one is provided as per specification.

• Doors and windows: Ensure your apartment is provided with required doors and windows for proper ventilation in all rooms, including bathroom and kitchen. Improper ventilation can cause numerous problems in future. Ensure all the sliding door/windows work smoothly.

• Wall Painting: Wall painting need to be checked before taking possession of home or flat from the builder or developer. Some builders or developers provide single coat wall painting in some rooms instead of double coat. Check if all walls have double coat. Exterior painting should be complete along with window and balcony grills.

• Cracks on the wall: Look for cracks in the foundation, ceilings and walls, which indicate movement of the structure caused by settling, soil expansion. Check for cracks on the walls, especially between electrical sockets.

• Drainage outlets: This one of important thing you need to check before taking the possession of flat or home. Clogged outlets are a menace if not done before you move in. Water collects in bathrooms, kitchen and balconies and creates a mess. Check if all Drainage outlets such as balcony, bathroom, kitchen, utility, etc. are working and not clogged.

• Check for Leakages: Check for all bathroom fittings are as per specification. Check the working of taps and bathroom fittings. Ensure there is no leakage when opening or switch on taps. Make sure granite platform in kitchen is not leaking. Pour bucket of water on granite platform and observe for any leakage below it. Check hot and cold mixer. Also check for water flow from kitchen, bedrooms, and hall. Slope should be towards bathrooms or terrace. Make sure water is completely draining out and not accumulating at one place. Observe if any leakages are seen in your bathroom. These leakages can cause major headaches later.

• Check switches and plug-points: Make sure that all the sockets, plugs, bulb holder are connected to mail supply. Also check if main fuse in the house is controlling complete current supply. If you have an inverter, ensure the supply shift to the inverter if the main switch is switched off. Check if all switches and plug-points are working. Check if the extra electrical sockets/switches you had asked for are provided as per requirement.

• Measure size of room: Some builder or developer divert from sanction planned resulting reduction in size of room and bathroom. Ensure that all rooms are provided enough space by Measure hall, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom sizes.

• Safety measures: Ensure that your building is constructed according to safety rules provided by fire department and National building code. Check if your gas leak detector is working by burning a piece of paper and allowing the smoke to fill the kitchen.

• Possession letter: If your building or apartment is provided with all amenities, size of rooms as per approved and you have checked all things in your apartment, it is time for taking possession of your flat or home. While taking possession of flat or home, ensure that you have receive all documents from the builder. Possession letter, Blue print, No Objection Certificate, Development agreement, power of attorney, Commencement Certificate, Search Report of the Builder’s Advocate, Receipts of payments made to the builder, Letter of allotment etc are some of important documents required from builder or developer during possession of apartment.

Green Home Helps To Save Money and Environment

Green Home in India is not a new concept or a new thing to real estate in India. Today green home means a home or apartment project where builder or architect adopts green principles such as rainwater harvesting, effective waste management system and focusing on energy or water efficiency. Increasing conscious of health and environment has resulted in increase in demand for green homes in India. The combination of innovative green ideas and high technology not only helped real estate sector in India but also helped to save money and environment by reducing or eliminating wastage of water, energy & building material.

Everyone wants their home and neighborhood green and clean. It is not required that your home be expensive to make them green home. Builders and developers brings innovative technique to make their project affordable green home. But if you already own a home 5 or 10 years back and it is not a green home, don’t try to make them green by investing on expensive items or things that cannot be handled or maintained easily.

Convert existing homes to Green home

Simple and easy ways to save environment and covert your existing homes to Green home is replacing home appliance that sucks your electricity and replace taps or fittings that consumes your water. Insulating your homes, natural ventilation and lightings, landscaping and replacing with energy star appliance and water saving fixtures can help you to convert existing home to green home.
Bring greenery into homes by adopting balcony gardening, hanging or container garden etc. Use single color flower stick or a colorful bunch in bedroom or living room and ensure some extra oxygen with these plants.

Things to look when buying a Green Home

• Ensure the property is installed with water-saving devices and energy saving devices.

• When choosing flooring for your apartment, choose marbles as they are environment friendly.

• Granite has an advantage of absorbing heat and it is recommended for kitchen slabs.

• Choose location close to office, school and shopping or entertainment.

• If the location or distance between home and office is easy to commuting in bicycle, use bicycle once or twice in a week.

• Let natural sunlight into your house and prevent growth of bed bugs and mites.

• Reduce plastic and promote composting in your neighborhood.

• While painting your home or apartment, go for zero or low-VOC paint.

Cost-effective ways for making your home a vastu compliant house

Vastu Shastra is an ancient Vedic science that allows for a perfect energy balance in one’s home or work place leading to a healthy and peaceful life. Many think that making their home a vastu compliant home would mean a lot of redoing and construction. Reconstructing a room or a house as per vastu shastra guidelines is the best way to have a harmonious house and a cost effective way to bring in positive vibes to the house.

Just like Feng Shui, Vastu Shastra is all about positioning of various objects and furniture offering greater positive ambiance for the residents of the house or commercial establishment. Prevention is always better than cure goes the famous cliché. The same is true for getting a vastu compliant home.

Vastu Guidelines for a vastu compliant home

Rather than correcting the wrongly built portions, proper emphasis to Vastu compliance must be given while purchasing the land or plot itself. It is because a corrective work or renovation in the middle can cause you an additional cost.

Vastu Shastra has guidelines for each directional zone in synchronization with the earth’s magnetic fields and vibrations. If the plot is purchased with the directional advantage in mind, it is much easier and a cost effective way to implement other vastu fundamentals. A wrongly selected direction on the other hand would mean more work on the interiors to compensate for the negative energy forces owing to wrong directional location which results in shedding more money.

One of the best ways to ensure perfect Vastu compliance for the entrance is to keep windows not in line with the main door of the house. Any good positive energy that enters the house from the main door can go out from the windows in case they are lined up along the door.

Too many windows represent a loss of money, fame and fortune. The maximum number of walls having windows in any room should never exceed two.

The main door must be the largest door in the house and must never open into the kitchen area as per vastu guidelines.

For the kitchen southeast and northwest are the two most preferred directions. The water body like sink must be located near the northeastern quadrant while the fire element like stove and microwave must be located in the southeast or northwest quadrant. One of the most intrinsic principles of Vastu Shastra is that the toilets must never be located in lose vicinity to the kitchen area. Toilets must be aligned with the north-south axis with northwest and western directions as the most ideal locations.

As far as living room is concerned, Vastu places great emphasis on having a central open portion known as the bramhasthana. West and northern direction are two of the most preferred directions for the living room. Heavy furniture like sofas and tables must be placed in such a way that they block the negative southern and western directions of the living room. Furniture elements must never be placed in the north eastern sector of the living room.

Checklist before you Leave for Vacation

Ultimately, the date has reached when you will start for your family vacation. It’s all about last minute checking if you have packed all luggage and essentials with you. In this topsy-turvy of pending works, do not forget to check a few details about your home before you leave.

Really don’t want to scare you, but you have to take some safety/preventive steps which will keep your premise safe and secured.

Tell your neighbor: This is the best way to keep an eye on your house when you are not there. Your neighbor must be busy and has his/her busy schedule, however, if he/she take a few minutes time to look at your place it will perfectly serve the purpose. If you have good relationship with them, you may ask them to keep the house keys so that if necessary they can check the house in 2-3 days gap or arrange cleaning.

Close all the curtains: Closing all the curtains is a simple and effective safety feature you must ensure before you leave home. It will create a natural obstruction for intruders from peeping inside the room. Remove all fragile, valuable items from near proximity to windows and if possible use the child safety locks to ensure double protection from the unwanted trespassers.

Turning off pipe lines and electrics switches: In both these cases leakage may create a disaster. Before leaving your place, check twice if all the faucet points in your bathroom, kitchen, and balcony are tightly closed. Also check twice if you have put off all electric switches. To ensure better precaution, you can switch off the main switch before you leave house. But do take out all food items out of refrigerator and leave it open if you are turning it off.

Indoor Plants: You can keep your indoor plants either with your neighbour or you may ask your care taker to keep the plants at his place for a few days for watering.

Arrange garbage removal: Put all garbage into a big plastic bag and after sealing its mouth, ask our gatekeeper to keep the bag with him till garbage cleaner comes next day. This is a way you will find you place is not messy when you are back.

Take care of your pipes: If you live in a cold region and you have decided your holiday in winter, you will have the risk of frozen pipe problem. In these cases keep heat on for keeping water pipes in its condition or else make them insulated for avoiding any wear and tear in plumbing lines.

Some more points

In addition to these ask your newspaper vendor to stop supply of newspapers; unused piles of newspapers in front of the door will indicate your absence. We know you love social networking, but please don’t update your vacation status on net; it will simply make your house safety a bit more vulnerable. And lastly, keep your burglar alarm on, if you have any.

What you should ask real estate developers?

Like any another purchase, buying a property has its own confusions and risks during decision making. A home buyer has to be sure that he/she chooses the right builder and the right location within the right price. From a personal point of view, every buyer does his/her best to verify the property and have the best pick; however, we still see a lot of cases wherein the buyer is duped and is eventually dissatisfied by the purchase. Following the customer feedback, in this article, Makaan.com lists a few questions that you can ask the real estate developers and then shortlist the property.

Use of land

What is the use of the land on which the project is being developed? Is it for residential or commercial property; floors or plots; how many floors does it permit etc. It has been seen that often developers begin a project and start to sell properties before land acquisition is over. A portion of the land acquisition may be pending and might impact your apartment; therefore, make sure to ask the developer and verify the land acquisition documents. A homebuyer should verify the papers demonstrating the builder’s ownership of the land. You could also hire a lawyer to conduct the title search and to find out whether there is a legal dispute over the land.






















What about the approvals?
A home buyer should check all the approval documents prior to finalizing the deal. Check for the developer’s licence in order to check the permission from the area’s town planning authority to develop the project and approvals for building plan, water, environment and pollution, and height clearance. If the approvals have not obtained, it is suggested that a homebuyer should not invest in that project as delay in approvals is of the major causes of project delays.

Payment Plan
In the application form, pay attention to the payment plan. One should not pay a large portion of the cost of the property at initial stages. It is suggested that one should stick to a construction-linked payment plan or one in which a portion of the cost has to be paid after possession. Another area of concern is that the builders often include a cost-escalation clause in the builder-buyer agreement, which states that the developer has the right to increase the cost of the project in case the cost of building materials goes up. Enquiries regarding the builder’s track record as to whether he has implemented the escalation clause in the past can be made or finalise a developer who does not include an escalation clause in the agreement.

Delivery and its terms
Most of the agreements mention a time frame within which the developer will give the possession of the property; however, the trick is that the agreements do not mention the start date of the time frame. Enquire about the start date and if possible get it documented. Also check whether the agreement has a penalty clause under which in case of a delay in possession, the developer will have to pay a penalty to the buyer. If the clause is there, find out how much penalty he will pay and whether he has paid it in the past.

Change in layout plan
Often builders bring about changes in the layout plan and show them as beneficial for the buyer; however, the buyer should not be lured by the increase in area of the property, instead at the time of booking, should find out whether the builder has changed his plans in the past and what were the terms of that. For example, if the area of the property increases, the buyer will have to pay according to the original booking amount or the current rate?

The extra charges
Check out the various heads under which the developer may ask the home buyers to pay, for example, preferential location charges (PLCs), external and internal development charges (EDC and IDC), advance maintenance fee etc. Calculate what will be the purchase value after adding all these charges and buy only if the sum falls within budget. There can also be a case when the buyer falls behind in paying an installment; in that case the buyer should be clear about whether the developer will give extra time to pay up, what will be interest liability etc.

Record of the developer
The record of the developer includes his financial status and his reputation as a developer. The buyer can verify a developer’s financial status by asking for his company’s balance sheet. Do not invest in the project if his company is over-leveraged because it increases the probability of delay in project completion. Moreover, find out how many projects the developer has completed, whether there were legal issues in his past projects, whether the projects were delayed, are the current occupants satisfied with the construction etc.

The year 2013 was an eventful year for the Indian Real Estate sector with the introduction of Real Estate Regulatory Bill and Land Acquisition Bill in the parliament. On the home buyers’ side, the year can be best described as a lackluster year with high property prices and home loan interest rates that kept the buyers waiting on the sidelines. As we move into 2014, it is important to gauge the mood of home buyers in terms of their desire, aspirations and fears from the upcoming year. For this purpose, Makaan.com, India’s fastest growing property site, conducted a research, “Property Forecast 2014”. The research was conducted in November 2013 among 2058 home buyers across Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Indore and more. The main highlights of the research: 1) Property market in 2014 will be driven by end users: Speculators and Investors have been riding the property market since a long time; however, they will make way for end users in 2014. Majority of home buyers want to purchase a property in 2014 for self use as they are currently staying on rent. An almost equal number of home buyers want to buy property to meet the growing family requirements and for long term investment. The analysis show that the year 2014 may experience a very positive shift from the earlier years and will bring in the much required stability in the property market. As the property transactions have fallen over the past 12 months, speculators and investors are finding it difficult to exit the market. 2) Residential property prices will either stabilize or will appreciate marginally in 2014 Property prices have remained stable over the past few months and the mood of the market suggests a continuation of this trend. 26% of home buyers feel that the residential property prices would remain stable over the course of 2014. 46% of buyers expect the prices to go up from the current level with majority of them expecting an appreciation of up to 10%. This should bring some relief to the buyers in 2014 as generally more than 10% appreciation is expected on a yearly basis. 28% of buyers are advocating for the prices to go down from the current level. 17% of them are expecting a drop of over 10%. Property budget of Home Buyers is likely to remain the same in 2014 There has been talk of a slowdown in the Indian economy with all economic indicators showing a negative trend. This, however, has not dampened the spirit of the Indian home buyer. His budget for buying a property in 2014 will not be affected by the slowdown. This reinforces the confidence of the home buyer in real estate as an asset class. There are 23% of buyers who have reduced their budget allocation while there are another 19% who are ready to dish out more money for property buying. 4) Apartment is the preferred choice of home buyers In 2014, majority (65%) of home buyers will be looking for apartments or flats. Residential plots (15%) also emerged as the preferred choice for a few home buyers. Apartment is the preferred choice for people in Delhi, Mumbai & other such cities that have high property prices and scarcity of land. Security and community living also contribute in making apartment the preferred option. Service /Studio apartment have gained popularity; however, they still account for a very small portion (3%) of the overall demand. There is an interesting overall shift in the property type preference; a decade back or so, quite a lot of the people preferred an independent/builder floor; however, now the preference for the same remains only 4%. 5) Property investment budget for home buyers is 0-40 lakhs Owning a house has been a priority for Indians since ages; it is treated as a symbol of financial stability and social status. Affordable housing i.e., housing between 0-40 lakhs will continue to be a preference for majority of home buyers with almost 60% buyers opting for this. Mid segment housing (40 lakhs to 1 Crore) will be the preferred budget category for 34% of home buyers. High end housing (1 to 2 Crore) will be preferred choice for 6% of buyers whereas only 1% of buyers will be looking for luxury housing (over 2 Crore). Location and Price will be the top purchase considerations in 2014 “Location” will be the top most purchase consideration for home buyer in 2014. The preference for “Location” is even higher than “Price” that was the biggest influencer for property purchase over the last few years. This is an important shift in behavior of the home buyer. Other factors that will influence purchase decision are Price (24%) and Connectivity (18%). Around 13% of home buyers will give higher importance to “neighbourhood” and proximity of the property to hospitals, schools and offices. It is interesting to note that only 2% of home buyers rate size as the top purchase consideration, which implies that majority of the locations have each property type available for purchase. 7) High Property prices will be the main hindrance for home buyers in 2014 The phenomenon of exponential jump in property prices has been prevailing in the Indian real estate market since 2009; however it is for the first time that the high property prices (61%) has been identified as the single biggest hindrance in buying property in 2014. With more than half of the homebuyers considering high property prices as a hindrance, it can be inferred that most of them are unable to justify or afford the high prices being asked from them. Other dampeners are that the home buyers are unable to find their dream adobe closer to their preferred location (11%) and with the appropriate connectivity. They are either forced to compromise with an area or postpone the purchase of the property. High home loan interest rate (11%) is another reason because of which home buyers might decide not to buy a property in 2014. Therefore, when it comes to choosing between available options, projects with economical budget and superior location & connectivity will win the race in 2014.

Read more at: http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/real-estate/property-forecast-for-2014-makaancom_996387.html?utm_source=ref_article