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Home Loan Document Checklist

What the bank will ask for, gathered before it asks.

Free, no sign-up. 7 sections, 47 checks. Edit it to fit your own transaction.

Home loan files are rarely declined on one dramatic problem. They stall, one missing paper at a time, while the sanction letter expires and the builder raises a demand. Assembling the file before the application removes most of that delay, because the list barely changes between lenders.

Scan everything to PDF at readable quality, name the files plainly, and keep one folder per category. Take originals to the branch for verification but hand over copies, each self-attested, and keep a note of what you gave and when.

The template — this is exactly what you download

Identity and address — every applicant and co-applicant

PAN card
Aadhaar, with the name matching PAN exactly
Passport, voter ID or driving licence as an additional identity proof
Recent passport-size photographs
Current address proof if you do not live at the Aadhaar address
Proof of the relationship between applicant and co-applicant, where asked

If you are salaried

Salary slips for the last three to six months
Form 16 for the last two financial years
Income tax returns for the last two years with the acknowledgement
Bank statements for the salary account, usually six months, from the bank directly
Employment certificate or appointment letter, and the confirmation letter if recent
Increment or bonus letters, where a variable component is part of your income
Employee ID and the employer’s details, since many lenders grade the employer

If you are self-employed or run a business

Expect a longer look-back than a salaried file and prepare three years, not two.

Income tax returns for the last three years, with computation of income
Audited balance sheet and profit and loss account for the same years
Business bank statements, usually twelve months, plus personal statements
GST registration and recent returns, if registered
Business registration proof — shop and establishment, partnership deed, or incorporation papers
Professional practice certificate, for doctors, architects, chartered accountants and similar
Details of existing business loans and their repayment record

Existing obligations

Sanction letters and statements for every running loan
Credit card statements, if the lender asks
Repayment track record for any loan closed in the last year, with the closure letter
A recent credit report pulled by you, so you see what the lender will see

Property papers — a purchase from a builder

Allotment letter and the cost sheet
Agreement for sale, registered where it has been executed
Payment receipts for everything paid so far
RERA registration certificate for the project
Approved building plan and commencement certificate
Occupancy certificate where the building is complete
Builder’s tripartite agreement, where the lender requires one
Confirmation that the project is on the lender’s approved list

Property papers — a resale purchase

Chain of previous sale deeds, as far back as the lender asks
Current sale deed or agreement to sell with the present owner
Encumbrance certificate for the period the lender specifies
Khata, patta or the equivalent record in your state, and the latest property tax receipt
Approved plan, and the occupancy certificate for the building
Society share certificate and a no-dues certificate, for a flat in a society
Society NOC for the transfer and for mortgaging the flat
Seller’s identity papers and, if he holds a loan, the outstanding letter from his bank

Additional papers for an NRI applicant

Passport and valid visa, plus the work permit or residence permit
Overseas address proof
Employment contract, translated and attested where it is not in English
Overseas salary slips and overseas bank statements
NRE or NRO account statements in India
Power of attorney in favour of a representative in India, in the lender’s format
Overseas credit report, where the lender asks for one

Check this locally. This template is a general starting point, not legal or tax advice. Stamp duty, registration charges, tax thresholds and notice periods are set by each state and change from year to year, so no rate or limit is stated here. Confirm the current position with the sub-registrar for the property, your state revenue portal or a qualified professional before you sign, pay or serve anything.

Pull your own credit report first

Do it before you apply, not after a rejection. A settled account wrongly marked open, a card you closed years ago still showing a balance, or a loan that is not yours at all are all common and all take weeks to correct. Finding one after the application means finding it with a builder demand outstanding.

Sanction is not disbursement

A sanction letter is conditional and has an expiry date. Disbursement follows the bank’s legal and technical clearance on the property itself, and that is where a file most often stalls — on a missing occupancy certificate, a gap in the chain of title, or a society NOC nobody has asked for yet. Get the property list moving in parallel with the income list.

Keep a handover record

Note every original you show and every copy you leave, with the date and the name of the person who took it. Files move between the branch, a verification agency and a panel lawyer, and "we never received it" is far easier to answer with a list than from memory.

Common questions

How far back do banks look at bank statements?

Six months is the common request for a salaried applicant and twelve for someone self-employed, though it varies by lender and by how the income is structured. Ask the specific lender rather than assuming, and provide statements generated by the bank rather than self-printed ones, since many lenders will not accept the latter.

Can I apply to more than one bank at the same time?

You can, and comparing sanctions is sensible, but each formal application is usually recorded as an enquiry on your credit report and a cluster of them in a short window can be read unfavourably. A practical approach is to discuss eligibility informally with several and make formal applications to a shortlist.

The property is not on the bank’s approved project list. Does that end it?

Not necessarily, but it means the bank must appraise the project from scratch rather than relying on work already done, which takes longer and sometimes results in a lower loan-to-value. Ask early whether the project is approved, because the answer can decide which lender is realistic for you.

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