Mutation of Property After Purchase in Bangalore: E-Khata, Fees, Documents and Common Mistakes
Many buyers think the paperwork ends once the deed is registered. In Bangalore there is a second stage, mutation, which usually appears as a khata transfer and puts the new owner on the tax and land registers. The questions below are answered in a practical order, finishing with a list of follow-ups.
The Short Version
Registration makes a person the owner. Mutation makes that person the one the civic body taxes. Different offices handle each: the sub-registrar for the deed, and for the record whichever authority keeps the file.
A corporation charges a fee computed on the duty paid at registration, and the request is normally made online. Leaving the previous owner on the file complicates taxes, loans and resale, so it makes sense to finish promptly.
Why a Registered Deed Is Not Enough
Title passes when the deed is executed, the duties and fee are paid, and the sub-registrar records it. Afterwards an administrative process replaces the previous owner's entry in the property records.
Courts have said time and again that a mutation entry only shows who pays the tax. It neither grants nor extinguishes title. In practice a buyer needs the deed for ownership and mutation for recognition.
Skipping mutation has everyday costs. Notices and tax bills reach the seller, and an urban deed of resale cannot be registered unless the e-khata carries the owner's name. Banks want the borrower to hold the khata, utilities can be shifted only against the corrected record, and a plot's building plan goes to the person listed on the khata.
Delay also makes correction harder, since sellers relocate, become unreachable or hold papers the office needs. A transfer done in the first few weeks avoids these risks.
Whose Office Is It?
The answer depends on the type of property, as this table shows.
| Property | Updated by | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Urban flat, house or site under a corporation | City corporation (under the GBA) | E-khata via e-Aasthi |
| Plot in a layout still controlled by the BDA | Bangalore Development Authority | Its own khata |
| Gram panchayat limits | Gram panchayat | Forms 9 and 11A on e-Swathu |
| Farmland | Taluk office of the revenue department | RTC and mutation register on Bhoomi |
The table above covers the four common cases. Projects on the city's edges can come under a gram panchayat or a town municipality rather than a corporation. The deed, along with the present record of the seller, tells which body applies, and buyers should settle it before registering because requirements differ.
The E-Khata Route
Under the city corporations, the final e-khata of the seller already forms part of registration. Kaveri 2.0 is linked with e-Aasthi, so a registered deed's details pass to the property record electronically. The mutation then begins, followed by a brief objection window.
The buyer still has a role. First check that a request has been raised for the property ID. Aadhaar verification and uploading of requested papers come next, followed by online payment of the fee. After tracking the request to approval, the e-khata can be downloaded and read entry by entry.
When the process does not begin by itself, an application can be filed through the e-Aasthi site. Inheritance, gifts, court decrees and deeds that predate the link between the systems usually need this. These have a longer objection window and need supporting papers.
Charges and Paperwork
A fee equal to 2% of the duty paid at registration is charged by the corporation, plus small processing charges. On a purchase priced at Rs. 1 Crore, that means about Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 11,000, paid just once and separate from annual tax.
Applicants usually submit the registered deed, the seller's e-khata with the property ID, the current tax receipt and a certificate of encumbrance showing the sale. Their own Aadhaar and PAN are also needed. New-build flats need the occupancy certificate. Inherited property needs a death certificate with a family tree, or a will.
Property tax has to be cleared before approval. Old arrears attach to the property itself, so buyers should look at receipts before the last instalment of the price is paid. For BDA and panchayat cases, the body concerned sets its own fees and steps.
Buying From a Builder
Immediately after construction, only the land has a khata, registered to the builder or landowner. Once the occupancy certificate arrives and flat deeds are registered, that khata is divided and each flat gets one.
Builders commonly arrange the division for everyone together and add a charge in the cost sheet. Buyers should ask what that includes and when their own e-khata will be released. Having it early is safest, as resale and top-up loans depend on it.
Agricultural Land
For revenue land the sub-registrar sends the registered deed's details across to the taluk office, which issues a notice, leaves time for objections and then makes the entry in the mutation register. The pahani, a new RTC in the buyer's favour, then appears on Bhoomi.
The buyer should download it and read the name, survey number and extent, and keep the mutation extract with the deed. When only a portion of a survey number was purchased, the extent should match the sketch made earlier.
The Limits of a Khata
An updated khata indicates that the civic body accepts the change and will bill the new owner. It cannot decide a dispute over ownership or heal a defective title, so it should be read next to the title deeds and the encumbrance record.
The transfer to e-khata also leaves legal status as it was, so B-khata properties stay B-khata. Status, property ID, measurements and owner name are all printed, and the buyer should compare each with the deed.
Things to Do Afterwards
A short list rounds off a typical city purchase:
- Store scans of the registered deed
- Track the mutation and settle the fee
- Get the e-khata and verify name, address, area and ID
- Pay the next tax bill as the new owner
- Change the power and water connections
- Notify the apartment association and any lender
A mistake noticed early costs a simple request to fix, whereas the same mistake at resale stalls the sale. Buyers who need help can reach the team through the site.
