Provident Park One

Provident Park One sits in Judicial Layout, beside Kanakapura Road, pincode 560062, in the south of the city. Kanakapura Road is the main route for almost every trip you make from here, whether towards the older southern neighbourhoods or out of town.

The developer has not published distances to metro stations, schools, hospitals or offices, so we quote none. Any travel time a salesperson mentions is worth testing yourself. Drive to your workplace at the hour you would normally leave, and repeat the trip in the evening rush.

Families should also time the school run both ways on a weekday. If you plan to rely on buses or autos, stand on the main road at the morning peak and see how long it takes to get moving. Visit once on a weekend as well, when shopping trips set the pattern.

A site of more than a thousand homes brings a lot of daily movement at its gates. Watch how traffic enters and leaves at 9 a.m. and at 6 p.m., and ask where visitors and delivery vehicles are meant to park.

Provident Park One lists four plans, all measured as built-up area:

• 1 BHK, roughly 525 sq ft: Rs. 59.9 Lakhs upwards
• 1.5 BHK, roughly 684 sq ft: Rs. 74.9 Lakhs upwards
• 2 BHK, roughly 900 sq ft: Rs. 93.9 Lakhs upwards
• 3 BHK, roughly 1,106 sq ft: Rs. 1.25 Crore upwards

Per sq ft, that is about Rs. 11,400 for the one-bedroom, about Rs. 11,000 for the larger starter home, about Rs. 10,400 for the two-bedroom and about Rs. 11,300 for the three-bedroom. The two-bedroom gives the most space for the money. Carpet areas are not published, so ask for them.

These are starting prices, and floor and facing will change the figure. A home with an occupancy certificate carries no GST; stamp duty and registration are always extra. Ask for a cost sheet that shows:

• Base price and the area it is charged on
• Floor-rise and facing charges
• Car parking included
• Clubhouse fee and maintenance deposit
• GST, if any, on its own line
• Stamp duty and registration

Provident Park One has no published RERA registration number yet. Ask Provident Housing for it and look it up on the Karnataka RERA website (rera.karnataka.gov.in) before paying a booking amount. A large site like this is often registered in phases, so make sure the number covers the tower your flat is in.

The project is complete, so ask for the documents that belong to a finished home:

• Occupancy certificate for your tower
• Approved building plan with your flat marked
• Title documents for the land
• Encumbrance certificate for the property
• Khata details and the latest property tax receipt
• A draft sale deed for your lawyer to review

If you buy from an owner rather than the developer, also ask for the seller's registered sale deed, a no-dues letter from the owners' association and a loan closure letter.

At handover you receive the sale deed in your name. Then transfer the khata and the electricity account, and register with the owners' association.

Provident Park One covers 20 acres by the developer's account, with 1,102 homes in buildings no taller than 14 floors. Layout images are as planned by the developer, so walk the grounds and compare them with what is built today.

An early morning here could begin on the meditation and yoga deck, or on the jogging track before the sun gets strong. The gymnasium and swimming pool fill up before office hours. After school, younger children head to the kids' play area, and older ones take over the outdoor courts.

Evenings and weekends give the open spaces a different use. The landscaped gardens are for a slow walk, and the amphitheatre suits a community event or a festival gathering. The party area takes birthdays and family functions. The games room keeps teenagers busy on a wet day, and the clubhouse links it all together.

Retail spaces within the project cover small daily errands. With so many households, ask how the pool, the party area and the amphitheatre are booked. Also ask what the monthly maintenance charge is, and which facilities are fully open today.