Prestige Courtyards

Prestige Courtyards stands on Model School Road in Sholinganallur, pincode 600119, a short turn from Old Mahabalipuram Road. For most owners OMR is the spine of the day: the road you take to work, to the shops and back into the city. Being one turn off it rather than on it usually means a quieter street at the gate.

The developer has not published distances to offices, stations, schools or hospitals, so we do not quote any. The best test is your own. Drive from the gate to your workplace at the hour you normally leave, then make the return trip in the evening rush. If you have children, do the school run as well.

Because the project is finished, a visit shows you what daily life is like, not a promise. Check how easily cars get in and out of Model School Road at peak times, and whether buses and autos pass nearby. Across 11 towers, some face the approach road and others lie deeper within the grounds, so ask which one the flat is in. A block away from the road may be quieter, and one nearer the gate may be handier.

Prestige Courtyards has every home sold by the developer, so what follows describes what was built, as a guide for resale buyers. The developer gives built-up areas, not carpet areas. Five families of plans were built, with these size bands: 1 BHK, about 599-605 sq ft; 1.5 BHK, about 900-982 sq ft; 2 BHK, about 1,237-1,351 sq ft. The 2.5 BHK homes measure about 1,329-1,468 sq ft, and the 3 BHK homes about 1,575-1,869 sq ft.

Resale prices are set by each owner and the market, not by a developer price list. Ask for recent sale prices in the same tower and for the same plan. On a finished flat with its completion papers, there is no GST. You pay stamp duty and registration on the sale value. Before you agree a figure, ask the seller for:

• The carpet area as well as the built-up area
• The allotted car parking bay and its number
• Paid-up maintenance and a no-dues letter from the association
• Latest property tax receipt held by the seller
• Any work done inside the flat and whether it was approved
• Stamp duty and registration costs on the agreed value

Prestige Courtyards has no RERA registration number published yet. Ask the seller or Prestige Group for it, and look any number up on the TNRERA website. On a finished home bought from an owner, the title and the completion papers carry more weight than the RERA entry.

Ask to see these before you pay an advance:

• The completion or occupancy certificate for the tower
• The sanctioned building plan showing the flat
• The seller's registered sale deed and the earlier deed chain
• An encumbrance certificate running up to this month
• Latest property tax receipt and electricity bill
• A no-dues letter from the residents' association

If the seller still has a home loan on the flat, the bank must release the original documents before the sale. Agree how that will happen in writing. At registration, the sale deed passes the flat and its share of land to you. After that, move the property tax and power connection into your name.

Prestige Courtyards has 11 three-floor towers spread across 11.3 acres, so the site feels more like a campus than a high-rise. The developer has not published the share of land kept open. Walk the grounds and see how the blocks relate to the gardens, the courts and the clubhouse. Photos you see online may be renders as planned by the developer, so trust your visit.

A morning could begin on the jogging trail or with a session on the yoga terrace, followed by the gymnasium or the health club. Parents of young children have a play area and a creche on site, which helps on working days. Later, the pool and the outdoor courts take over, and the landscaped gardens are there for an evening walk.

Indoors, the clubhouse holds a games room for rainy afternoons and a mini theatre for film nights. Birthdays and family functions can go to the party area rather than your living room. Since the community has been lived in since 2021, ask current residents how well these spaces are kept up. Check the monthly maintenance charge and whether any facility carries a separate fee.