Assetz Daintree

Assetz Daintree sits in a quieter residential pocket of Whitefield, on the east side of Bengaluru, within walking distance of Whitefield Main Road. That road is where the buses run and where most journeys begin. The developer has not published any distances or travel times, so none are quoted here; the honest test is to leave at your usual hour and time the trip yourself.

Whitefield is home to many IT companies, so for a lot of residents the daily commute stays inside the area rather than crossing the city. Malls are the other draw: Phoenix Marketcity, Park Square, Forum Value Mall and Inorbit are all in or near Whitefield, which takes care of shopping, cinema and weekend meals without a long drive. Schools and hospitals are also described as close, though the developer has not named them.

BMTC buses serve the area widely, which matters if not everyone in the household drives. Ask existing residents how long the walk to the nearest stop takes and how the main road behaves at peak hours. A lane that is calm at midday can be a different place at six in the evening, and only people who already live there can tell you which it is.

Assetz Daintree was built with three layouts: one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. The only published size is the two-bedroom at about 850 sq ft, and the developer has not said whether that is built-up or carpet, so ask. Sizes for the one-bedroom and three-bedroom homes have not been published either. Prices for all three are on request.

Without a published price and size you cannot work out a per-sq-ft rate, and you should not book until you can. Ask for the exact area of the specific flat, its floor and facing, and a written quote. If you are buying from an existing owner rather than the developer, the price is negotiated, and a recent registered sale in the same block is your best guide.

Because the homes are complete and were handed over in 2016, there is no GST on the purchase. Stamp duty and registration on the sale deed still apply. Ask for a cost sheet, or in a resale a written breakdown, that shows:

• Agreed price and the area it is based on
• Car parking, and whether it is a designated bay
• Maintenance deposit and any dues owed by the seller
• Transfer fees charged by the residents' association
• Stamp duty and registration on the full value
• Brokerage, if an agent is involved

Assetz Daintree has no RERA registration number published by the developer. Possession began in December 2016, which may place the project before RERA registration was required in Karnataka. Ask Assetz Property for its position and search the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in) for any entry. The project is described as approved by BBMP/BDA, and that approval is what you verify against the sanctioned plan.

For a completed home, the papers that matter are:

• Occupancy certificate for the building
• Sanctioned building plan showing your unit as built
• Khata in the current owner's name and the latest property tax receipt
• Title documents and an encumbrance certificate for the land
• The sale deed by which the current owner bought, if it is a resale
• A no-dues certificate from the residents' association

The purchase registers on a sale deed, not an agreement to sell. After registration, apply for the khata transfer in your name and move the electricity and water connections over. If any deviation from the sanctioned plan is visible in the flat, ask how it was regularised before you sign, because an unregularised change becomes your problem the day you own it.

Assetz Daintree has no published master plan from the developer, so you cannot study the arrangement of buildings, courts and open space on paper before a visit. That matters less than it would in a new launch, because everything is already built. Walk the site and judge it as it stands rather than as planned.

A morning could begin with a swim or a session in the gymnasium, then a walk to the bus stop on Whitefield Main Road. Evenings bring out the tennis and badminton courts, and children have their own play area inside the gated compound. The meditation hall is the quiet space, useful in a community where most people keep long office hours.

Security and an intercom were part of the original specification. The community has been occupied since December 2016. Ask the residents' association how the pool, the courts and the gym are maintained, what the monthly charge is, and whether any shared space has changed since handover. The state of the common areas after years of use tells you more than any brochure could.