BESCOM Transfer for a New Flat Owner: Online Steps, Cost and the Dues to Check

Many flat buyers in Bangalore discover months later that the electricity bill still arrives in the seller's name. The connection does not follow the property automatically. A fresh process links BESCOM with the e-Khata database and makes the change quick and cheap, provided the seller's old dues are cleared first. What follows covers the cost, the steps, the documents and the dues check.

Clear the Old Bills First

Electricity dues stay attached to the meter when a flat is sold. BESCOM may refuse the transfer, or cut the supply, until the old balance is settled, which leaves the new owner paying for a stranger's usage.

A clause in the sale agreement can protect the buyer. Ask for the last paid bill, get BESCOM to confirm a clean account, and release the last payment only afterwards. Apply the same test to the water connection.

Each bill shows an RR number that identifies the meter. In a big complex, confirm that it belongs to this flat and not to the unit next door or to a shared supply.

What the Name Change Gives

Bills, the security deposit and all service requests belong to the person whose name is on the account. Until the change is made, an owner pays for power without standing as the consumer. That counts against the owner when asking for a higher load, a new meter or a deposit refund, or when a bill is disputed.

A name that matches the ownership papers also smooths the next sale. For a flat taken from a builder, ask at handover whether the meter is registered to the developer and when it will move, since it becomes awkward to settle after the project team has gone.

How the Online Transfer Works

In April 2026 the city's civic body, the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), and BESCOM joined their systems, so approved ownership is read straight from the e-Khata database. Over 5,000 owners tried it during a trial phase. The sequence runs as follows.

• SMS: once the mutation is approved, a link and request ID reach the owner
• Verification: an OTP goes to the mobile number linked with Aadhaar
• Review: the portal lists who owns what, for the applicant to confirm
• Signing: after Aadhaar e-KYC, the applicant e-signs a digital stamp paper and an indemnity bond
• Payment: the fee is settled through UPI or a card, and a receipt follows
• Result: from the following cycle, the bill is issued in the new name

Under ten minutes is the target. Resale purchases, builder handovers, family transfers and inheritance are all covered.

Cost and Coverage

Altogether the fee is about Rs. 1,300, of which Rs. 100 is processing and the balance pays for stamp paper and documents. Agents used to demand Rs. 10,000 and more, so a straightforward case gains nothing from one.

For now the service applies only within GBA limits, to properties whose mutation is approved. Other local bodies, such as town corporations and gram panchayats, are to follow, and meanwhile those properties go through the BESCOM office.

Documents Needed

The office route and the online route rely on the same proof. Gather the items below beforehand.

• Registered sale deed
• The e-Khata certificate issued to the buyer
• Recent bill with the RR number
• The most recent property tax receipt
• Aadhaar and the linked mobile number

At the office an engineer reviews the application, and a supply agreement and indemnity bond on stamp paper may be requested. Now and then a letter of no objection from the previous owner is also asked for, so keep the seller reachable until the new name appears.

Sequence and Other Utilities

Property records have to be completed in order: registration, e-Khata mutation, and finally the electricity and water changes. A request made before an earlier step is done tends to stall.

Water supplied by BWSSB is billed on its own account with a separate transfer. Where an apartment complex uses a bulk connection in the owners' association's name, ask the association what share of dues applies to the flat. Changing the names on gas, broadband and society records in the same weeks wraps up the paperwork for a home in Bangalore.