CERSAI Search: How to Check if a Property Already Has a Registered Mortgage
Last verified 28 Oct 2026 against cersai.org.in (Public Search pages and Fee Structure), the SARFAESI Act, 2002 (Chapters IV and IVA and Section 31, read from two bare-act reproductions because India Code was unreachable) and RBI circular RPCD.CO RCB.BC.No.73/07.38.03/2010-11.
A CERSAI search tells you whether a bank, housing finance company or other creditor has registered a mortgage, charge or attachment order against a property in India's Central Registry. Anyone can run it online at cersai.org.in under Public Search → Asset Based Search, and the official fee is ₹10 per search, plus tax (as of 28 Oct 2026). A clean CERSAI result does not prove the property is free of all loans. It only shows what creditors filed in the registry.
CERSAI search at a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is CERSAI? | Central Registry of Securitisation Asset Reconstruction and Security Interest of India, a Government of India company |
| Law behind it | Chapter IV and Chapter IVA of the SARFAESI Act, 2002 |
| Registry live since | 31 March 2011 (RBI circular dated 26 May 2011) |
| Official portal | cersai.org.in → Public Search |
| Search types | Asset Based Search, Borrower (Debtor) Based Search, Assignment of Receivable Search, Search Report |
| Search fee | ₹10 per search, excluding tax (CERSAI Fee Structure, as of 28 Oct 2026) |
| Who can search | Any member of the public ("General Public can undertake an online search in the Central Register on payment of prescribed fee") |
| Report download | Once per selected Asset ID, per search transaction |
What is CERSAI, and what does "CERSAI search" mean?
CERSAI search kya hota hai? In simple words: it is a paid lookup in a national register of loans secured on property.
CERSAI describes itself as a Government of India company licensed under section 8 of the Companies Act, 2013. It was set up to run the registration system under Chapter IV of the SARFAESI Act. Its own About page says the registry began "by filing of Security Interest of Immovable Properties" and now also covers movable and intangible property, assignment of receivables, attachment orders and court orders, "so as to provide a complete picture of any encumbered / attached property."
The RBI explained the purpose when the registry went live: "to prevent frauds in loan cases" where several lenders lend against the same immovable property. The first transactions that had to be registered were those "relating to mortgage by deposit of title deeds to secure any loan or advances." That is the common home-loan mortgage, where the bank keeps your original sale deed.
For the wider picture on charges and liens, read how to check if a property is under mortgage or lien.
What does the law say about the CERSAI register?
Four provisions of the SARFAESI Act matter to a buyer or a lender:
| Section | What it says (paraphrased from the Act) | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Particulars of every transaction creating a security interest "shall be filed" with the Central Registrar | Banks and other secured creditors must report their mortgages |
| 26 | The Central Register is "open … for inspection by any person on payment of such fees as may be prescribed," including in electronic form | This is your legal right to search |
| 26C | A filing is "deemed to constitute a public notice" from the date and time it is filed. A filed creditor has priority over any later security interest, and a later sale, lease or assignment "shall be subject to such claim". The borrower's dealings in the ordinary course of business are excluded | If you buy after a filing, you may take the property subject to that loan |
| 26D | A secured creditor cannot use SARFAESI enforcement under Chapter III unless its security interest is registered with the Central Registry | Banks have a strong reason to file |
Chapter IVA (Sections 26B to 26E) came into force on 24 January 2020. Section 26B makes tax and other government authorities file their attachment orders for unpaid dues, and lets a person who obtains a court attachment order file it. The old daily fine for filing defaults under Section 27 no longer applies from that date. The practical penalty for a lender that does not file is now the Section 26D bar on enforcement.
The practical point of Section 26C: a buyer cannot later say "I did not know about the loan" if it was filed in CERSAI before the purchase.
How do I do a CERSAI search for property? Step by step
- Open the portal. Go to cersai.org.in and open Public Search in the top menu.
- Choose Asset Based Search. CERSAI describes it as a search "for Movable, Immovable and Intangible properties on the basis of asset details." For land, a flat or a house, choose the immovable category.
- Enter the address details. The form asks for state, district, city/town/village, locality or sector and pin code. You must fill at least one of Survey Number / Municipal Number, Plot Number, or House / Flat Number. You can enter more than one survey or municipal number with a comma as the separator.
- Complete the captcha and pay. The fee is ₹10 plus tax per search, paid online through the payment gateway on the page.
- Review the matching assets. The system lists every asset that matches your input. Open each one that could be your property.
- Download the search report. Select the relevant Asset ID to see the details. CERSAI warns that "the report can be downloaded only once for the selected Asset ID," so save the PDF at once.
Other ways to search CERSAI
- Borrower (Debtor) Based Search. CERSAI says this search runs on the borrower's "PAN, DOB or Name." Use it when you know who the owner is and want to see whether any registered loan names them. A search by PAN number catches loans where the property address was entered differently.
- Search by ID. The search pages also offer an ID-based option. If you already have a Security Interest ID or Asset ID (for example from a seller's bank letter), you can use it there.
- Search Report. Use it to view a search you have already paid for.
Tip: Run both an asset search and a PAN search on the seller. Address details in the registry are typed by the lender, and a small mismatch can hide a real entry.
What does a CERSAI search report show?
For each matching security interest, the report shows fields like these (labels as used on the portal):
| Section of the report | Fields |
|---|---|
| Security Interest Details | SI Creation Date, SI Registration Timestamp, Type Of Finance, Details Of Charge, Charge Holder Branch Name |
| Borrower Details | Type of borrower, name of the borrower, "Is The Borrower Owner Of The Asset?" |
| Asset Details | Address lines, city/town/village, district, state, pin code |
| Attachment orders (if any) | Name of the issuing authority, court or tribunal, attachment order date, case number and year, assessee details |
Read three things first:
- Is there any open entry at all? A satisfied (closed) loan should show as satisfied. An open entry means a creditor still claims an interest.
- Who is the charge holder? If the seller says "the loan is closed," ask for the bank's closure letter and a satisfaction entry in CERSAI. Satisfaction of a security interest carries no CERSAI fee, so a lender has no fee reason to delay it.
- Is there an attachment order? A tax or court attachment is a serious red flag. Do not pay any advance until it is explained.
CERSAI search fees and charges
These are the amounts on CERSAI's Fee Structure page as of 28 Oct 2026. All are excluding tax.
| Transaction | Fee |
|---|---|
| Search for an information in CERSAI | ₹10 |
| Creation or modification of a security interest (loan up to ₹5 lakh) | ₹50 |
| Creation or modification of a security interest (loan above ₹5 lakh) | ₹100 |
| Satisfaction of an existing security interest | Nil |
Check the Fee Structure page on cersai.org.in before you pay, because fees can change.
What a clean CERSAI search does NOT show
A "no record found" result means only this: no creditor filed a matching entry, as you described the asset, at the time you searched. These gaps remain:
| Gap | Why CERSAI misses it | How to check |
|---|---|---|
| Agricultural land loans | Section 31(i) says the SARFAESI Act does not apply to "any security interest created in agricultural land" | Check the revenue record (7/12, khatauni, pahani) for loan or charge entries. See revenue records explained. |
| Small loans | Section 31(h) excludes security interests for a financial asset "not exceeding one lakh rupees" | Ask for all loan statements and original deeds |
| Private and informal loans | A private lender who is not a secured creditor under the Act may never file | Check who holds the original title deeds |
| Registered mortgages at the Sub-Registrar | A registered mortgage deed sits in the Registration Department's index | Get an encumbrance certificate for the full period |
| Court cases and title defects | CERSAI records security interests and filed attachments, not suits or ownership disputes | Search eCourts and trace the chain of title |
| Address mismatch | The lender types the address. A different survey or flat number may not match | Search every variant and run a PAN search |
| Filings after your search | The result is a snapshot | Search again just before registration and before disbursal |
A CERSAI search is one check in a full property due diligence checklist. It is not a replacement for the EC or a title report.
CERSAI search vs encumbrance certificate
| Point | CERSAI search | Encumbrance certificate (EC) |
|---|---|---|
| Who keeps the record | CERSAI (Central Registry) | State Registration Department (Sub-Registrar) |
| What it lists | Security interests and attachment orders filed by creditors and authorities | Documents registered against the property (sales, gifts, registered mortgages, releases) |
| Catches deposit-of-title-deed mortgages | Yes, if the lender filed | Usually no, because no deed is registered |
| Covers farmland loans | No (SARFAESI s.31(i)) | Only if a deed was registered |
| Cost | ₹10 + tax per search | Set by each state |
Run both. The common home-loan mortgage by deposit of title deeds often does not appear in an EC, which is exactly the gap CERSAI was built to close. For step-by-step EC reading, see how to read an encumbrance certificate.
Red flags in a CERSAI result
- An open security interest that the seller did not disclose. Stop and ask for the lender's closure letter and a satisfaction entry.
- More than one charge holder on the same asset. Two lenders on one flat can point to double financing.
- An attachment order from a tax authority, court or tribunal.
- "Is The Borrower Owner Of The Asset?" = No. The owner may have mortgaged the property for someone else's loan. The loan still binds the property.
Frequently asked questions
What is a CERSAI search?
It is an online search of the Central Registry under the SARFAESI Act. It shows whether a creditor has registered a mortgage, charge or other security interest, or an attachment order, against a property or a borrower.
How do I do a CERSAI search for property online?
Go to cersai.org.in → Public Search → Asset Based Search. Enter the state, district, city and locality, plus at least one of the survey/municipal number, plot number or house/flat number. Complete the captcha, pay ₹10 plus tax and download the report.
What are the CERSAI search fees?
₹10 per search, excluding tax, as per the CERSAI Fee Structure on 28 Oct 2026.
Can I do a CERSAI search by PAN number?
Yes. The Borrower (Debtor) Based Search works on the borrower's PAN, date of birth or name. It is the fixed fee per search, not a free search.
Can I download the CERSAI search report again?
The portal warns that the report for a selected Asset ID can be downloaded only once per search transaction. Save the PDF as soon as it opens.
Does a clean CERSAI search mean the property has no loan?
No. It does not cover agricultural land, loans up to ₹1 lakh, informal loans, court cases or entries typed with a different address. Pair it with an EC, a title search and a court-case check.
The short version
Spend ₹10 on a CERSAI search before you pay any advance. Then get the EC, the title chain and a court search, because CERSAI only shows what creditors filed. If you want all of this checked together, you can order a title search or legal opinion on legiscore.in.
This article is general information, not legal advice.
Related guides
- Property Valuation Report for Bank Loan: What It Contains (India)
- Property Verification in Ahmedabad: Lawyer Document Check Guide
- Property Verification in Lucknow: Lawyer Document Check Guide
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