Heirship certificate is necessary when a property owner dies intestate (without making a will). It has to be obtained by immediate family members (father, mother, wife, sister, brother, children, grand children etc.). If some members of the family do not want any share of the property, they will be named as opponents in the Heirship Application.

JURISDICTION

Heirship certificate from Tehsildar, talukdar, mamledar, amaldar, mandal adhikari is only for people who live in a Gram panchayat, Municipal Council or Tehsil.
Ordinary citizens who live in Metropolitan areas (Cities with a Municipal Corporation) should not file there.

In the context of Heirship certificate procedure in Maharashtra :

WHERE TO FILE

When someone passes away, their Heirship Certificate can be filed at the appropriate court closest to where they lived at the time of death or where their property or part of their property is located. The petition has to be filed with the Civil Judge – Junior or Senior Division, depending on the value of the property.
All properties, no matter where they are located can be included in one application.
The local court will then send letters to other courts where other properties are located and obtain verification reports from them.

The application for heirship has to mention the properties and the districts and the district courts they fall under for properties out of the jurisdiction of the local courts.

Purchase Price of Property	Jurisdiction
Below 5,00,000 (Five Lakhs)	Civil Judge (Junior Division) (Lowest court)
Above 5,00,000 (Five Lakhs)	Civil Judge ( Senior Division) (District/Sessions Court)

COST

In Maharashtra, if the purchase price of the property to be claimed was less than 5,00,000 (Five Lakh), then the Court Fee is calculated as per the following formula :

Purchase Price of Flat	Court Fee	Minimum Amount
01 to 50,000	2%	1000
50,000 to 2,00,000	4%	6000
2,00,000 to 3,00,000	6%	6000
3,00,000 to 5,00,000	7.5%
5,00,000 and above	75,000	75,000

For properties costing more than Rs 5,00,000 (Five lakh) at the time of purchase by the deceased, there is a flat fee of Rs 75,000 (Max) no matter how many properties and where they are located.
NOTE : Incase the property is under joint ownership and only one owner has expired, then the purchase price of the property will be taken at 50% of the total purchase price and the jurisdiction and court fee will change accordingly.
Sometimes the Judge allows depreciation and you can get away with paying Rs 58,000 instead of Rs 75,000. But that\’s a hit or a miss.

COURT FEE PAYMENT SCHEDULE AT THE TIME OF SUBMISSION OF APPLICATION IN COURT
Court fee (stamp) at time of submission : Rs 50
Court fee (stamp) on Vakalatnama : Rs 10

*Full Court fee is only payable once your application is approved by the judge...which is much later after your application is submitted and all the checking is over . It is the final step. After the payment of Court fee, your Hiership Certificate is issued.

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COVERAGE

You can include all properties, wherever they may be located, in one single Heirship Application to the court. The court fee is capped at Rs 75,000…no matter how many properties you include and what the total price of the properties was.

The Documents for submitting application for Heirship are as below :-

• Adhaar Card and Pan card of all parties (including the deceased person)
• Death Certificate of the deceased person
• Society Share Certificate
• Electric bill
• Copy of Sale Agreement (attested as true copy by Notary)
• Valuation report (Obtained from a Chartered accountant or govt registered valuation agent or Sub Registrar office)
• Ration Card

APPLICATION SUBMISSION

The Application is typed and submitted in court as a Miscellaneous Application (Civil) category. It is now compulsory to file all applications online via e-filing (version 3.0) website .You must first register yourself and wait for approval. Then you can file the application.

You must register on this website first

COURT PROCEDURE : STEPS

• Submitting the application as a miscellaneous application (called petition in court language) along with Court Fee Stamp of Rs 50 (pasted on the back of the front page of the application) (If you are hiring an advocate, you have to paste another Rs 10 court fee stamp on the vakalatnama-appointment letter for advocate)
• Affidavits of all parties stating that they are the legal heirs of the deceased person.  A sworn document (Notarized by a Notary) that verifies facts concerning a specific issue. In this situation, it identifies the heirs of the decedent and other relevant information as required by law. Any Notary in your area should be able to help you with this.
• List of Documents being submitted with the application (Aadhaar, pan, society Share certificate etc.)
• Memo of address
• Jahirnama (Newspaper notice in 2 local newspapers, plus sticking of notice on the property door and informing residents of the area to come forward with any objection fom anyone within 30 days)
• If no objection received after publishing of newspaper notice, a demand letter for payment of Court Fee (as per valuation)
• No claim affidavit : This is given by the opponent heir that he does not want any share in the property. This is done at the final stage. Just before the Hiership Certificate is issued by the court.
• Payment of Court Fee
• Hiership Order is issued by the courts

What happens if objections are received after Newspaper notice is published by courts ?

In this case the court issued a notice to all parties (8 days) and calls for all evidences and parties to present their case before deciding on the matter. The court can either issue the Heirship certificate or refuse to issue it . If the matter seems too complicated, it will suspend the proceedings of issuing the Heirship certificate until the matter is settled as part of a civil suit filed in an appropriate court.

The court will send bailiffs to inquire with people in your community and neighbors to gather information about your background. They will then submit a report to the judge. If you have properties in other districts or cities, the court will also request a report from the local court or magistrate. Once these reports are clear, your application for heirship will be approved.

Once all necessary tasks have been completed, it will be incumbent upon you to fulfill the court fee in the prescribed manner as stipulated by the court. Following this, the Judge shall provide you with the Heirship order that is rightfully yours.

TIME TAKEN

The Entire Procedure should take 4-5 months, if the person/advocate is following up regularly.

First—An heir, executor or administrator, holding the proper certificate,
may do all acts and grant all deeds competent to a legal heir, executor or administrator, and may sue and obtain judgment in any Court in that capacity.

Second.—But, as the certificate confers no right to the property, but only indicates the person who, for the time being, is in the legal management thereof, the granting of such certificate shall not finally determine nor injure the rights of any person ; and the certificate shall be annulled by the Sessions/District Court, upon proof that another person has a preferable right.

DOES IT MAKE YOU AN ’OWNER’ OF THE PROPERTIES?

An heirship certificate DOES NOT make you the \”owner\” of a property. It just gives someone the confidence to deal with you in matters related to a deceased person’s affairs. It’s like an assurance for that person, so they won\’t be held responsible if anything goes wrong.

However, it\’s important to note that holding an heirship certificate doesn\’t protect you from being sued by other claimants or having the certificate cancelled by a court. If it\’s discovered that you were involved in fraud, any money you received for the property may have to be shared or refunded to the rightful heirs. If you don\’t comply, the government may sell your property to fulfill the rightful heirs\’ claims. To pursue this, the claimant would need to file a case in court.

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIERSHIP CERTIFICATE, SUCCESSION CERTIFICATE AND LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION

An HEIRSHIP CERTIFICATE is a legal document granted by the appropriate court to the heirs of a person who has passed away without leaving a will. It is specifically applicable to non-movable assets such as flats, properties, and land owned by the deceased individual. The purpose of this certificate is to establish and validate the rights of the heirs over these immovable properties. The heirship certificate serves as proof of their entitlement and allows them to assert their ownership and make necessary transactions related to those assets.

On the other hand, a SUCCESSION CERTIFICATE is another legal document issued by the court that grants the heirs of a deceased person the authority to inherit and manage their movable assets. Movable assets encompass a wide range of properties and valuables, including bank accounts, shares, money, gold, jewelry, cars, bikes, and other personal belongings. The succession certificate acts as a testament to the legal status of the heirs and authorizes them to access, transfer, or dispose of the movable assets left behind by the deceased individual. It provides the necessary legal framework to ensure a smooth distribution of these assets among the rightful heirs.

In contrast, a LETTER OF ADMINISTRATION is a document granted by the court to an individual named in a will as the executor or administrator (Someone whom the dead person authorised to carry out and fulfill all that is written in the will).
It can also be granted to another person when no executor is named in the will or the person named as executor in the will is unwilling or not in a position or dead.
This person, named in the Letter of Administration as the Administrator, is entrusted with the responsibility of carrying out the instructions stipulated in the will regarding the distribution of assets.

Unlike the heirship certificate and succession certificate, the letter of administration is applicable when the deceased individual has left a will behind. The named executor or administrator is legally bound to oversee the proper execution of the deceased person\’s wishes as detailed in their will. The letter of administration empowers the executor to manage the estate, handle any financial matters, settle outstanding debts, and distribute the assets to the designated beneficiaries as outlined in the will. It is important to note that the named executor or administrator does not become the owner of the assets mentioned in the will but rather serves as a fiduciary in fulfilling the wishes of the deceased.

These legal documents play a crucial role in the posthumous transfer of assets and help streamline the inheritance process. They provide a clear framework for the distribution and management of both movable and immovable assets in accordance with the law. The issuance of these certificates and the letter of administration helps ensure the rightful transfer of assets to the appropriate beneficiaries, provide legal protection, and prevent potential disputes among the heirs.

SUMMARY

In short : Heirship certificate is like GST number. You don’t need it unless your business turnover per year crosses 40 lakhs … but nobody will deal with you unless you have it.
This is the entire gist of the matter 🙃

FOR MUSLIMS (Sunni’s)

In Muslim law, inheritance is determined by Sharia. The shares in the property are divided based on factors such as the number of children, their gender, and the relationship to the deceased. Generally, males receive twice the share of females. A Muslim person can only will up to one-third of their property while they are alive. After their death, Sharia law determines the distribution of the remaining property among the heirs.

Shias have a slightly different ratio for inheritance.

Contact Address	Sky Properties, A-1, 7/2, Sneh Co Op Society, Plot No 16, Sector 19a, Nerul, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra 400706
Email	mayur@navimumbairealestate.org
Mobile	9987452642
Services Provided	Buying and Selling of property in Navi Mumbai Registration Sale Agreement Sale Deed Stamp Duty Payment CIDCO Transfer Heirship Certificate from Court Agricultural land purchase/sale verification Society Formation Society Conveyance Tripartite Agreement (For Plots) Consultancy Due Diligence

CIDCO Transfer only	15,000
Mortgage NOC only	15,000
CIDCO Transfer + Mortgage NOC	20,000
Only Drafting/Documentation	5,000
Drafting and Registration of Sale Agreement/Sale Deed	10,000
Brokerage (Purchase/Sale transaction)	2%
Brokerage (Rentals)	1 month rent/year
Consultation over Phone/Whatsapp/Zoom/Google Meet	5,000/30 mins
Property Tax Name Transfer	10,000
Water Bill Name Transfer	10,000