How does carpet area differ from super built-up area?

Carpet area is the floor space the RERA Act counts as usable inside the flat. Saleable area also adds walls, the balcony and a portion of shared spaces, and most price lists quote their rate on it.

Which comes first, the CC or the OC?

The commencement certificate allows building work to start under the sanctioned plan. The occupancy certificate allows people to move into the completed building. One opens a project and the other closes it.

Does a khata prove ownership like a title deed?

It does not. A khata is only a municipal tax entry, and ownership passes by registered deed. Buyers want the deed to prove title and the khata for tax payments, bank loans and resale.

What does UDS mean when buying an apartment?

UDS is the portion of the plot that goes with a flat. Every owner in the building holds it jointly, no fence marks it, and the deed records it.

How much do stamp duty and registration cost in Karnataka?

Duty is 2% for values up to Rs. 20 Lakhs, 3% up to Rs. 45 Lakhs and 5% beyond, with a cess and surcharge lifting the top slab to 5.6%. Registration adds 2%.

Property Jargon Decoded for Bangalore Buyers

Few buyers have met words like loading, UDS or EC before they start looking at flats. Then a brochure arrives with half of them, and a sale agreement with the rest. This glossary for Bangalore buyers is grouped by the stage of the purchase where each term turns up, and every entry notes why it deserves attention before any payment.

Government Charges and Value Terms

Costs outside the builder's price list catch many first-time buyers by surprise. Three terms explain them, using the rates Karnataka applies in October 2026.

Guidance value

The state sets a floor price for property in every locality, and that floor is the guidance value. Duty and fees are worked out on whichever is higher, the guidance value or the actual price paid. Agreeing a low price on paper therefore saves nothing.

Stamp duty

This is the tax the state levies on the sale deed. A property priced at Rs. 20 Lakhs or less pays 2%, one between Rs. 20 Lakhs and Rs. 45 Lakhs pays 3%, and a costlier one pays 5%. A cess of 10% and a surcharge of 2% are charged on the duty itself, which lifts the top slab to 5.6%.

Registration charge

Registering the deed with the sub-registrar costs 2% of the value. Until 31 August 2025 the rate was 1%, so older estimates are now too low. The EMI calculator on this site includes duty and fee in the cash needed upfront.

Size and Space Terms

One flat can be described by three or four different numbers, and the price per sq ft changes with the number chosen. Start with these.

Carpet area

Think of the floor space where a carpet could really be laid. The RERA Act, in its section 2(k), calls this the net usable area. Walls that divide rooms inside the flat are counted. The external walls, service shafts and any balcony, verandah or open terrace reserved for the flat are excluded.

Built-up area

The RERA Act gives no meaning to this phrase, and builders use it loosely. Usually it stands for the carpet area plus the outer walls plus a balcony. Because the formula differs between developers, it is a poor yardstick for comparing flats.

Saleable (super built-up) area

This adds the flat's portion of lobbies, stairs, lift shafts, passages and the clubhouse. Most price lists in Bangalore set their rate per sq ft against it.

Loading

Subtract the carpet area from the saleable area and the remainder is the loading, often written as a percentage. Take a flat sold at 1,800 sq ft whose carpet is 1,260 sq ft: the extra 540 sq ft is loading. Two flats sold at an equal size can therefore give very different living space.

FSI, also called FAR

The floor area ratio is the total floor area allowed, divided by what the plot measures. Planning rules set it by plot size and the width of the road outside. It caps what a builder can construct, so it also shapes how crowded a project feels.

UDS, the land share

Every flat owner holds a slice of the ground under the building, without any fence marking it out. The slice is shared jointly with neighbours and stated in the sale deed. It becomes important if the building is ever pulled down and rebuilt.

Records and Ownership Terms

The next four terms describe who owns a property and what the public file holds on it.

Agreement for sale

The builder pledges a flat and the buyer pledges the money. The agreement states the price, the instalment plan and the handover date. The RERA Act's section 13 caps at 10% of the cost whatever a promoter collects before signing and registering it.

Conveyance deed (sale deed)

Ownership moves to the buyer only when this deed is registered. If state law gives no deadline, the Act asks the builder to complete execution within three months after the occupancy certificate.

Khata and e-khata

A khata is the municipal tax entry for a property, listing the owner, the size and the location. It supports a claim of ownership, but it is not a title deed. Its digital version is the e-khata, and within the city corporations a sale is registered against it.

EC, the encumbrance certificate

An EC lists the registered dealings in a property over a period the applicant picks, and the state's stamps and registration department issues it. Form 15 carries entries found, whereas Form 16 serves as a nil certificate. Mortgages, sales and releases show up on it. Court cases and unregistered dealings never appear.

Approvals and Certificates

Every phase of a project requires clearance from some authority, and each certificate settles a separate point.

RERA registration number

The state regulator issues this number when a project is registered. Only two kinds of project escape it: land of 500 square metres or smaller, and schemes of eight apartments or fewer. Everything else must hold the number before any advertisement or sale. Searching it on the state RERA portal shows approvals, the timeline and quarterly progress.

Sanctioned plan

These are the drawings that the competent authority clears before construction begins, including the site, building, layout and parking plans. After booking, a builder cannot alter that flat's plan without the buyer agreeing.

Commencement certificate (CC)

This is the permit to start work in line with the sanctioned plan. The Act treats a permit for building, or for construction, as this same document under another name.

Occupancy certificate (OC)

The OC is the approval for people to move into a finished building. Section 2(zf) links it to civic services like water, sanitation and power. A new flat's handover and khata both wait on it.

Completion certificate

Under section 2(q), this certificate states that the whole project was built to the sanctioned plan, the layout plan and the stated specifications. It applies to the entire project, whereas an OC applies to one building.

NOC, or no objection certificate

Here a body writes that it has no problem with a stated act. Projects gather such letters from fire safety, water supply, electricity and aviation departments, among others. The term also appears when a bank that lent money to the builder lets one flat go for sale.

Green Rating Terms

Brochures often boast a green rating, and one system is seen more than any other.

IGBC green rating

The Indian Green Building Council scores residential projects under Green Homes. Points go to site planning, water saving, energy use, materials and indoor air quality. The levels run from Certified to Silver, Gold and Platinum, and each demands that the system's mandatory requirements are met as well.

Questions to Put in Writing Before Booking

Turn the terms above into written replies from the seller before paying a booking amount.

The size in carpet sq ft, with the loading
The RERA number, plus the completion date declared to the regulator
Dates for the plan sanction and the commencement certificate
OC and khata, for a ready flat
An EC covering the land, and an NOC if a lender financed the project
Duty and fee on registration, calculated on the full price

With replies in hand, two projects can be compared on equal terms, and a lawyer has the material for a title opinion. Buyers of projects listed with us may ask for these details through our contact page.

Property Jargon Decoded: A Bangalore Buyer's Glossary