Buying in Bangalore? Understand the E-Khata Before You Pay

Sellers and buyers of property within Bangalore's city limits now have to deal with the e-khata. A deed goes through only if the seller can show the final version. This piece covers what the record is, how owners obtain it and what a cautious buyer should read before parting with an advance.

Why a Sale Stalls Without It

Kaveri 2.0, the registration platform, is wired into e-Aasthi. The sub-registrar takes a city property's sale deed only after the property ID has to be keyed in from a final e-khata, and the particulars are then drawn directly from it. Old paper khatas and draft entries are rejected.

Other moments also call for it:

• Registering any transfer, whether a sale or a gift
• Borrowing against the property, because the lender's legal team studies it
• Transferring the khata to the buyer once the sale closes
• Seeking approval for a building plan on a site

A seller without the final record cannot close on schedule. A prudent buyer treats the e-khata as a precondition and asks for it at the first meeting, long before an agreement is drawn up.

The Record Itself

For decades the civic body has kept a tax account on each property, showing who owns it, what it is and the tax assessed. The e-khata holds that account in a verifiable electronic form on e-Aasthi, carrying its own property ID.

BBMP launched the portal for public use on 1 October 2024, with around 21.5 lakh drafts going online. Since 2 September 2025, each of the five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) handles entries for its own territory.

Drafts Versus Final Records

The entries of October 2024 were drafts compiled from older registers, with no confirmation from owners. A draft turns final when the owner has confirmed its details and the revenue office has approved them.

A draft is best seen as an unchecked photocopy of the old register. It may carry a former owner, a stale measurement or blanks, and registration will not take it. A final record has passed the owner and the revenue officer, carries the owner's identity link and has had its errors fixed before it is issued.

If a seller offers only a draft, the process is unfinished. Hold out for the final record, then read every line.

Obtaining the Final Record

Applications are filed by owners on the portal, and revenue offices keep help desks for people who need a hand. For most properties the work goes in this order:

1. Log in through a mobile number, then locate the draft using ward and name, or the ID
2. Pass the Aadhaar e-KYC step so that names tally
3. Enter the deed number, which the system finds in the registration records
4. Key in the tax application number shown on the tax receipt
5. Upload a property photo, mark its place on the map and add the power connection number
6. Forward the request to the revenue officer to be verified
7. Save the final e-khata after approval

When an old deed is not in the registration database, the owner uploads its scan together with an encumbrance certificate. If a property is nowhere in the drafts, a new application with all the title documents is needed. Sellers should start soon, since correcting a wrong name or extent drags on.

Reading the Final Record

The final record runs to one page, and each line serves a purpose. Hold each line up against the seller's deed:

• The property ID, typed in at the time of registration
• Names of the owner and all co-owners
• Address, ward and the corporation in charge
• Site extent, built-up area and dimensions
• The register, A or B
• Tax particulars and a pin on the map

Linger longest over the register. An A khata listing means the corporation had the approvals for the property on file. A B khata listing means tax is collected despite a shortfall in them, for instance an unapproved layout or a structure beyond its sanction.

Limits of the Record

Going digital added no legal weight. Title continues to flow from the registered deed of sale and the deeds preceding it. The e-khata merely shows whom the corporation taxes, and it cannot resolve a court case or an absent heir's claim.

It leaves the register untouched too. A property in the B register gets an e-khata saying so, with the same trouble over bank loans and plan approvals. Only conversion, which carries a charge based on guidance value, shifts a property into the A register.

About the building itself this document is silent. Occupancy certificate, sanctioned plan and encumbrance certificate are different documents, and each needs its own check.

Where the E-Aasthi Record Does Not Apply

Many projects near Bangalore fall under a gram panchayat or a municipal council, outside the corporations' e-Aasthi system. For a panchayat property, the e-Swathu record applies, and Form 9 plus Form 11A is the tidy combination.

Agricultural land is listed in the RTC on the Bhoomi portal. Look at the deed and tax receipt to learn which body governs a property, then request whatever record that body gives.

A Buyer's Order of Checks

Each step is quick, and every one should come before payment. The order below works for flats, houses and sites in the city:

1. Demand the final e-khata, never a draft or an old paper version
2. Compare the name with the deed of sale and the seller's ID card
3. Check area, address and boundaries against the deed
4. Note the register and, for B khata, ask your lender whether it will fund
5. Read the latest tax receipt and look for unpaid dues
6. Search the ID on the official portal and tally it with the seller's printout
7. Pass the record to a lawyer along with the deeds and encumbrance certificate

For a new apartment project there is one record for the land until the building is done. Flat-wise records start once the occupancy certificate and sale deeds exist. Put two questions to the developer: when the flat's e-khata will come, and what does the cost sheet charge for it?

Faults spotted before the agreement fall on the seller to correct, and correction is easy at that stage. For help reading these papers, our team can be reached through the contact page.