The Government of Haryana has proposed making the registration of an Agreement to Sell mandatory to improve transparency and legal protection in property transactions. Announcing the move in the state budget, chief minister Nayab Singh Saini said the reform aims to curb fraud, prevent multiple sales of the same property, and ensure that property-related commitments are formally recorded with authorities.

Presently, such agreements are often executed on plain paper or notarised privately, without being entered into official records, according to a report by The Times of India.

This leaves buyers vulnerable to fraud, double-selling of properties, delayed possession, and prolonged litigation, as unregistered agreements have weaker evidentiary value in disputes.

By mandating registration, govt seeks to ensure that every property-related commitment is formally documented, time-stamped, and recorded with revenue authorities.

This will help verify ownership, prevent multiple agreements for the same property, and provide stronger legal protection to both buyers and sellers.

The reform is expected to significantly reduce property scams, speed up dispute resolution, and increase trust in real estate transactions, making the market more transparent, secure, and accountable for all stakeholders.

In Haryana, an agreement to sell is traditionally treated as a contractual document and not a title-creating instrument.