Buying a flat in India from abroad: a remote Vastu check

Ask the builder or broker for four things before you look at anything else.

Under the RERA Act 2016, a promoter must make the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications available at booking (s. 11(3)(a)), and advertisements must carry the project's registration number and the RERA website (s. 11(2)) [2]. Note the carpet area as the Act defines it (s. 2(k)); in Gurugram, the regulator has said sale must be on carpet area [3].

Set North from the satellite map before anyone opens a compass. Find the tower, then reset the view: in Google Earth, the up arrow on the compass returns the view to north-facing, and the tilt should be flat before you read any angle [4]. Line up the plan's outer walls with the building's outline. Our guide on how to find North for Vastu has the full method.

A satellite map gives true North. A phone compass gives magnetic North, and the difference is the magnetic declination [5]. In India that difference is small: NOAA's World Magnetic Model gives about 0 degrees for Mumbai, 1.3 degrees east for Delhi and 1.1 degrees west for Bengaluru, as checked on 2 Oct 2026 [6]. So a relative's compass reading, taken away from steel, should land close to the satellite map. Vastu16 rates North confidence high when the two agree within 8 degrees [1].

Send this script to the relative who visits. Ask for one continuous video in landscape, in daylight, with a short spoken note at each stop.

1. Outside the main door. Film the door, the unit number and what faces it: a lift, stairs or another door.
2. Step inside. Film slowly from left to right, all the way round.
3. The centre of the flat. Stand as near the middle as walls allow. Hold the phone flat, a metre from any metal, open a compass app, and film the screen. Take three readings a step apart.
4. Kitchen. Film the counter, the window and where the hob and sink sit.
5. Every toilet. Film the door, the window or ventilator, and the exhaust.
6. Bedrooms. Film each wall, so you can see where a bed could go.
7. Balcony. Film the view out, then turn back towards the flat.
8. Windows. Note any west or east glass with no shade.

Ask for a second short clip from the building gate showing the tower's position on the road. That helps you match the tower on the map.

Plan the video call for daylight in India, which often means late night or early morning in the USA. Ask the relative to send the files afterwards too, so you can pause and measure.

Before paying anything, look the project up on the state RERA portal. MahaRERA, for example, offers a public search of registered projects by district, project and promoter [7]. Under the Act, a promoter cannot take more than 10 percent of the cost as an advance without a registered agreement for sale (s. 13(1)) [2]. This is general information, not legal advice. Check your state's RERA rules or ask a lawyer.

For the money side, the Reserve Bank's FAQ says NRIs and OCIs may buy residential property other than agricultural land, a farm house or a plantation, and payment must be received in India through banking channels or made from NRE, FCNR(B) or NRO accounts, not by travellers' cheques or foreign currency notes [8]. The FAQ was updated in April 2023, so check the current RBI rules. This is general information, not financial or tax advice.

Once the plan is scored, share the result in a form the family can read. Vastu16's report can be downloaded as a PDF, has a one-page summary view, and has a Hindi version that is still a draft pending a native reader's review [1]. Each room shows its zone, both schools' readings and whether the schools agree.

Send the plan, the video and the report together. If parents prefer to talk it through, open the report on the call and go room by room. Walk through the steps on site with our Vastu checklist before buying a flat if a relative can visit twice.

Tradition

• Zone ratings and severities under both schools: Vastu16's rule table, a draft pending consultant review [1].

Physical fact

• Magnetic declination is the angle between magnetic North and true North: NOAA [5].
• Declination in Indian metros is about 1.3 degrees or less: NOAA World Magnetic Model 2025, checked 2 Oct 2026 [6].
• Reset Google Earth to north-up and flat before reading an angle: Google Earth Help [4].

Law and money

• Sanctioned plans at booking, registration numbers in ads, 10 percent advance cap: RERA Act 2016, ss. 11 and 13 [2].
• NRI property purchase and payment channels: RBI FAQ, updated 2023 [8].

Our free tool lets you check the Indian flat's plan from abroad. You upload the plan, confirm the rooms and verify North by satellite map and compass, and it shows each room's zone under both schools with a North confidence level. It does not check title, construction quality, price or tax, and it does not replace a lawyer's review.