Checklist before buying a plot in Bengaluru
How to verify a residential plot or layout site in Bengaluru: approving authority, conversion, release, khata, encumbrance, RERA registration for layouts, and the traps with revenue sites and gram panchayat plots.
In one paragraph
Confirm the layout was approved by BDA, BMRDA or the local planning authority and released for sale, that the land was converted to residential use, that the site has an A-khata or e-khata, and that the encumbrance certificate is clean. Layouts above 500 sq m need RERA registration.
Which authority approved the layout
- BDA, BMRDA, BIAAPA or a local planning authority
The approving authority depends on where the land sits. BDA covers the city; BMRDA the metropolitan region; BIAAPA the airport zone. Check the approval number on the authority's list and that the layout plan matches the site on the ground.
Where: BDA / BMRDA / BIAAPA - Release certificate
Authorities release sites for sale only after roads, drains and parks are handed over. A plot in an unreleased layout cannot be legally registered as a house site.
- Gram panchayat and "revenue" sites
A panchayat khata alone does not make a site a house plot. Revenue sites carved out of agricultural land without conversion and layout approval cannot get a building licence and are the most common plot fraud in Bengaluru.
Title and land use
- Conversion order
Section 95 conversion from agricultural to residential, with the conditions fulfilled.
Where: Deputy Commissioner - RTC and mutation history
The land records (Pahani/RTC) and mutation register from Bhoomi show every change in ownership and any government acquisition notice.
Where: landrecords.karnataka.gov.in - Encumbrance certificate for 30 years
Form 15 on Kaveri; plots change hands often and old mortgages surface at registration.
Where: Kaveri - Acquisition and litigation search
Check notifications by BDA, KIADB, NHAI and the railways, and search the court records for the survey number.
Where: ecourts.gov.in
Before and after registration
- RERA registration for the layout
A plotted development above 500 sq m must be registered with Karnataka RERA; the promoter must build the roads, drains and utilities in the filed plan.
Where: rera.karnataka.gov.in - Khata and tax
A-khata or e-khata in the seller's name, tax paid to date, then transfer to yours after registration.
Where: BBMP / panchayat - Physical survey
Get the site measured against the layout plan by a licensed surveyor and check the boundary stones. Encroachments and road-widening lines are common.
- Stamp duty
5% plus registration and cess on the higher of price and guidance value; guidance values for sites are revised periodically and can exceed the deal price.
Where: Karnataka Stamp Act
Apply this to a project
Every PropertyLens project page carries the RERA record, extensions, complaints, land structure and approvals on file, with the questions to put to the developer in writing. Search a project, or start from the developer delivery records.
Rules and rates are as published by Karnataka RERA, BBMP, the Kaveri registration portal and the CGST schedules at the time of writing; confirm on the official portal before you act.
Scores and projections are model outputs built from dated public evidence (Karnataka RERA filings, promoter quarterly updates, complaint registers, public ratings) and stated assumptions. They are research, not investment advice. How the numbers are built.