Property Legal Verification Bangalore: 8 Checks, Title to OC

Short answer: Property legal verification in Bengaluru goes most smoothly in a fixed order: title chain and EC, land records and conversion, khata and tax, sanctioned plan and lake or drain buffers, OC, RERA, then a litigation search. Much of it is online through Kaveri, e-Aasthi 2.0, Bhoomi, K-RERA and eCourts. A lawyer's written title opinion closes it.

Key takeaways

Order matters. Run the checks most likely to kill a deal first, before you pay for anything else.
The EC should cover the chain, not a fixed number of years. RERA projects must upload a 12-year EC, but your lawyer may need longer.
Lake buffers changed in 2026: 0 to 30 m depending on lake size (Act 19 of 2026), so you need the lake's area in acres.
A B-Khata costs 5% of guidance value to convert for applications from 24 Aug 2026.
Triage every finding as Stop, Fix before registration, or Note. Never "work around" a Stop.

Table of contents

In what order should you run legal checks?
Step 1: How do you check the title chain and EC?
Step 2: How do you check land records and conversion?
Step 3: How do you check khata and property tax?
Step 4: How do you verify the sanctioned plan and approvals?
Step 5: How do you verify the OC and CC?
Step 6: How do you cross-check RERA?
Step 7: How do you search for litigation?
Step 8: What does a lawyer's title opinion cover?
Stop, Fix, Note: how to triage what you find (our framework)
What mistakes do buyers make with legal checks?
What to do if...
Legal checklist
Frequently asked questions
Talk it through with acre&key
Sources

This page is about order: which documents to check first, and why. Order matters because the early checks can kill a deal, and there's no point paying for an approvals review on a property whose title is broken.

If you're earlier in the journey, the whole buying sequence is in how to buy a flat in Bengaluru, step by step.

In what order should you run legal checks?

Step	Record	Portal or office	You or lawyer	Stop sign
1	Title chain and EC	Kaveri; Sub-Registrar	You pull, lawyer reads	Gap in the chain, undisclosed mortgage
2	RTC and conversion order	Bhoomi; Revenue Department	Lawyer	No conversion for residential use
3	Khata and property tax	e-Aasthi 2.0; e-Swathu	You	Name mismatch, unexplained draft, arrears
4	Sanctioned plan, lake and drain buffers	Planning authority; builder	Lawyer, with an architect if needed	Floors or units beyond the plan; inside a buffer
5	OC and CC	City corporation; BPAS	You ask, lawyer checks	No OC on a "ready" building
6	RERA	Karnataka RERA portal	You	Not registered, no exemption
7	Litigation	eCourts; High Court	Lawyer	Pending case on the property
8	Title opinion	Your lawyer	Lawyer	Conditions the seller won't meet

Step 1: How do you check the title chain and EC?

Collect every sale deed back through the chain, plus the mother deed, and pull the encumbrance certificate yourself. The IGR says EC applications are fully digital, with an e-sign from the applicant (IGR presentation).

Then match. Every sale in the deeds should appear on the EC, and every entry on the EC should be explained. A mortgage with no release, or a sale to someone you've never heard of, is the kind of thing that ends a deal.

How many years? For a RERA project there's one official marker: the Karnataka RERA Rules make the promoter upload the title deed, a title search report from an advocate with at least 10 years' experience, and an EC for the past 12 years, plus any joint development agreement and mortgage details (Karnataka RERA Rules 2017). For a resale, your lawyer decides based on the property's history.

Worked example 1: why "12 years" may not be enough

An illustrative resale flat with this history:

Event	Year
Land converted from agricultural use	2004
Builder buys the converted land	2006
Flat first sold to owner A	2012
Owner A sells to owner B (your seller)	2019
You buy	2026

A 12-year EC (2014 to 2026) shows only the 2019 sale. It misses the 2012 first sale, the 2006 land purchase and the 2004 conversion. To see every transaction back to conversion, the EC should run from 2004: 22 years. The rule we use is simple: cover the chain, not a number.

Step 2: How do you check land records and conversion?

Every apartment and plot sits on land that was once recorded as something else, usually agricultural. Two records tell you whether that changed properly:

The RTC (pahani) on Bhoomi, the Revenue Department's record of rights at landrecords.karnataka.gov.in. It shows the survey number, the owner and the land use.
The conversion order. Agricultural land has to be converted for non-agricultural use under the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 (e-Swathu FAQ). Match the survey number and extent with the deeds and the project's land.

In a panchayat area, conversion shows up in Form 9 too. Form 9 is issued only for land converted under the Land Revenue Act with an approved plan, for government housing beneficiaries, or for Tahsildar-certified gramathana property (same FAQ). For layouts and plots, our guide to buying a plot in Bengaluru goes further.

Step 3: How do you check khata and property tax?

This is one you can do yourself. Since 30 September 2024, e-Khata has been needed for registration, according to the Revenue Minister as reported by The Hindu.

In GBA areas, look the property up on e-Aasthi 2.0 at GBAeAasthi.karnataka.gov.in, launched on 22 Sep 2026 (The Hindu). Check the owner's name, property ID, extent, and whether the e-Khata is draft or final. At launch, about 11 lakh of more than 35 lakh properties had a final e-Khata, so drafts are common. Then match the property ID with the tax receipts on the property tax portal and check that tax is paid up to date.

In panchayat areas, check Form 9 and Form 11 on e-Swathu (e-Swathu FAQ).

Worked example 2: what a B-Khata costs to fix

If the property has a B-Khata, conversion to A-Khata costs 5% of guidance value for applications from 24 Aug 2026 (2% for applications filed on or before 23 Aug 2026) (GBA B-to-A Khata page).

Guidance value	Fee at 5%
₹60,00,000	₹3,00,000
₹80,00,000	₹4,00,000

Agree who pays, in writing, before the token, and add it to your full cost of buying. Our A-Khata, B-Khata and e-Khata explainer covers what each means for loans and resale.

Step 4: How do you verify the sanctioned plan and approvals?

Ask for the sanctioned plan and approval letters, and compare the plan with the building. Count the floors. Count the units per floor if you can. Look at setbacks and parking. A building that doesn't match its plan can affect the khata, the OC and the loan.

Which authority approves a plan depends on where the property is, so check that the approval letter is from the right body. Around the city, BMRDA lists 12 local planning authorities, including BDA, Anekal, Hoskote, Nelamangala and BIAAPA near the airport (BMRDA).

What about lakes and stormwater drains?

Lakes: Karnataka Act 19 of 2026, in force from 18 Feb 2026, replaced the flat 30 m lake buffer with a size-based one, measured from the tank's revenue boundary: 0 m up to 0.05 acre, rising through 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 m, to 30 m above 100 acres (Bill as passed). The Times of India reported activist objections, and the NGT has taken suo motu notice, so this could change. For a flat 18 m from a lake boundary: an 8-acre lake now has a 6 m buffer (outside), a 40-acre lake has 24 m (inside). You need the lake's area from revenue records to answer the question at all.

Drains: the Supreme Court judgment of 5 March 2019 referred to the RMP-2015 drain buffers of 50 m, 25 m and 15 m from primary, secondary and tertiary drains (Supreme Court judgment). The judgment quotes the measurement two ways in different passages (from the edge and from the middle), so ask your lawyer which applies.

Our flood-prone areas guide has the full buffer table and a four-layer flood check.

Step 5: How do you verify the OC and CC?

Ask for the occupancy certificate on any building described as ready, and check that it relates to the same building and plan. After a Supreme Court direction in December 2024, electricity, water and sanitation connections are given only to buildings with an OC or CC, and OC applications go through a registered architect or engineer on the BPAS portal (according to The Hindu).

If you're told "the OC is coming", ask when, and how utilities will be connected until then. Then ask your lawyer what buying before the OC means for you.

Step 6: How do you cross-check RERA?

Look the project up on the K-RERA project search. Match the promoter, project name, phase and completion date with your documents, and download the title documents the promoter uploaded. The exemptions are land of 500 sq m or less, eight apartments or fewer across all phases, a completion certificate received before the Act, or a renovation with no new sale (MoHUA RERA FAQ). Our RERA check guide walks through the portal.

Step 7: How do you search for litigation?

Search eCourts services and the High Court's case records for the property, the survey number and the names of current and previous owners. A pending suit over the land, a partition case in the seller's family or a challenge to the conversion can sit outside the EC, because the EC only shows registered documents. Your lawyer will know which courts and name spellings to try.

Step 8: What does a lawyer's title opinion cover?

A title opinion is a property lawyer's written view on whether the seller has clear and marketable title and can transfer it to you. It's based on the deeds, the EC, land and conversion records, the khata, the approvals and any litigation found. A good one lists every document reviewed and any conditions, such as a release to be obtained before registration.

Read the conditions, not just the conclusion. Our answer on when to use a consultant and when to use a property lawyer for the title check explains the split.

Stop, Fix, Note: how to triage what you find (our framework)

Every finding goes into one of three boxes, and the box decides what happens to your money.

Box	Meaning	Examples	Your money
Stop	Can't be fixed by the seller with registered documents in a reasonable time	Broken title chain; no conversion; building doesn't match plan; inside a lake or drain buffer; pending case over the land	Don't pay, or ask for the token back
Fix before registration	Fixable, and the seller must fix it	Mortgage on EC (release needed); draft e-Khata; tax arrears; name mismatch on khata; title-opinion conditions	Pay no more than the token until fixed; put it in the agreement
Note	Doesn't block the sale but affects cost or life	B-Khata conversion fee; OC pending on an under-construction flat; drain nearby but outside buffer	Price it in, write it down

The common mistake is moving a Stop into Fix because you like the flat. Don't.

What mistakes do buyers make with legal checks?

Paying first, checking later. The token is the hardest money to recover. Run the before-token checklist first.
Taking the bank's approval as a title check. The bank protects its loan, not you.
A 12-year EC by habit. Cover the chain back to conversion.
Using the old 30 m lake rule. The 2026 law is size-based.
Ignoring draft e-Khatas. Most properties don't have a final one yet.
Reading only the title opinion's conclusion. The conditions are where the risk sits.

What to do if...

...the EC shows a mortgage? Ask for the bank's release or a closure letter, and make its registration a condition before you pay beyond the token.

...the e-Khata is in the previous owner's name? The seller must complete mutation on e-Aasthi 2.0 before registration.

...the plan and building don't match? Treat it as a Stop unless your lawyer and architect confirm it's regularised in writing.

...there's a pending case? Stop. Your lawyer can tell you whether it's ever safe to proceed.

Legal checklist

[ ] All deeds back to the mother deed collected
[ ] EC covering the chain back to conversion, not just 12 years
[ ] RTC and conversion order matched to survey number and extent
[ ] e-Khata (draft or final) and tax receipts matched; no arrears
[ ] Sanctioned plan matches the building; approval from the right authority
[ ] Lake area known; buffer checked under Act 19 of 2026; drain buffer checked
[ ] OC for a ready building
[ ] RERA registration matched, or exemption confirmed
[ ] eCourts and High Court search done
[ ] Title opinion in writing, with conditions met before registration

Frequently asked questions

How do I do legal verification of a property in Bengaluru?

Work in order: title chain and encumbrance certificate, then land records and conversion, khata and tax, sanctioned plan and buffers, occupancy certificate, RERA registration and litigation. Pull what you can online yourself, and finish with a property lawyer's written title opinion before you pay beyond the token.

Can I verify property documents online in Karnataka?

Much of it, yes. You can apply for the encumbrance certificate on Kaveri, check the e-Khata on e-Aasthi 2.0 or e-Swathu for panchayat areas, look up land records on Bhoomi, check the project on K-RERA and search eCourts. Reading the title chain and judging it still needs a lawyer.

How many years of EC should I check?

Enough to cover the whole chain back to conversion, not a fixed number. RERA projects must upload a 12-year EC, but on an illustrative flat with land converted in 2004 and resold in 2019, a 12-year EC misses three of four transactions. Your lawyer should set the period.

How long does legal verification take?

There's no official timeline. It depends on the number of deeds, how quickly you get the EC, whether the seller has every document ready, and whether anything needs fixing. A clean new project usually moves faster than an old resale property with a long history.

What is a title opinion?

A property lawyer's written view on whether the seller has clear, marketable title and can transfer it to you. It's based on the deeds, encumbrance certificate, land and conversion records, khata, approvals and any litigation found. Read the conditions it lists, and get them met before registration.

What is the lake buffer zone in Bengaluru now?

Since 18 Feb 2026, under Karnataka Act 19 of 2026, it depends on the lake's size and is measured from its revenue boundary: from 0 m for the smallest tanks to 30 m above 100 acres. The NGT has taken notice of the change, so confirm the current rule with your lawyer.

What legal issues should make me walk away?

A broken title chain, no conversion order, a building that doesn't match its plan, a property inside a lake or drain buffer, a pending court case over the land, or a project that should be RERA-registered and isn't. These are Stops, not fixes.

Talk it through with acre&key

If you'd like help putting your findings into Stop, Fix and Note before you pay, book a consultation with acre&key.

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Lawyer note: The legal points on this page are general information, not legal advice. Consult a property lawyer before paying, signing or registering.