Before you pay an advance on a Bengaluru property, a lawyer should trace its title back 30 years, read the khata and land records, check the approvals, and search for court cases and loans. What that verification covers, the documents to collect, and the warning signs.
Property legal verification is the check a lawyer does before you buy, to confirm that the seller owns what they are selling and can pass it to you free of other claims. Your bank will run its own check before lending, but that report is written for the bank. Have one done for you, before you pay a large advance.
In Bengaluru the work has more steps than in most cities. Land here has passed through revenue records, conversion from farmland, development authority layouts and, in 2025, a move from the BBMP to the Greater Bengaluru Authority. Each of these leaves records a lawyer has to read together.
The title chain, going back 30 years
The core of the check is the chain of title: every deed by which the property changed hands, from the current seller back at least 30 years, and ideally to the original grant or mother deed. Each link has to connect. The buyer in one deed must be the seller in the next, the description of the property must match, and any inheritance along the way needs proof, such as a death certificate, a legal heir certificate, a partition deed or a will.
Gaps are common and can often be closed. A missing deed can usually be traced through a certified copy from the Sub-Registrar's office. The lawyer should tell you about each gap and how it was closed.
Encumbrance certificates
An encumbrance certificate (EC) lists the registered transactions on a property for the period you ask for, including sales, mortgages, releases, gifts and leases. Get ECs for the same 30 years as the title chain, and match every entry to a document. You can apply for an EC online through Kaveri Online Services.
An EC will not show unregistered agreements, court cases or entries made only in the revenue records. Those need the separate checks below.
Khata, e-Khata and property tax
The khata is the municipal record of who pays property tax on the property. It is not proof of title, but registration and home loans in Bengaluru now depend on it. Since late 2024 an e-Khata has been needed to register the sale of most urban property, so ask for the seller's e-Khata and check its status yourself on the e-Aasthi portal with the property ID. The owner's name, the property ID and the area should match the sale deed.
Ask for the last few years' tax receipts too. Unpaid property tax stays with the property, and old dues can hold up the khata transfer after you buy. Note whether the property has an A-khata or a B-khata. A B-khata means the property is on the tax rolls but has an irregularity, such as an unapproved layout or a missing conversion order, and banks and plan approvals treat it with caution.
Land records and conversion
For a site, a house, or an apartment built on former farmland, the lawyer also reads the revenue records: the RTC (pahani) and mutation extracts for the survey number, and the order converting the land from agricultural to non-agricultural use. The conversion order should cover the same survey number and extent as the property.
Check whether the land was ever notified or acquired by the BDA, the KIADB or another authority. An acquisition notification that was never withdrawn can override the whole title chain.
Approvals for the layout and the building
- Layout approval from the BDA, the BMRDA or the local planning authority, with the plot shown on the approved plan.
- The sanctioned building plan, and a building that matches it.
- An occupancy certificate for a completed building. Without one, utility connections can be refused and the building's use may not be lawful.
- K-RERA registration for a project still under construction.
Court cases, loans and the seller's capacity
The lawyer should search for cases on the property and against the seller in the City Civil Court and the High Court of Karnataka, and before the NCLT if the seller or developer is a company. For higher-value purchases, a public notice in newspapers inviting objections is usual.
If the property is mortgaged, plan the loan closure, the bank's no-dues letter and the return of the original documents around the registration date. Confirm the seller's capacity as well. A minor's share can be sold only with a court's permission, a company needs a board resolution, and a sale through a power of attorney needs the original power checked and the owner confirmed as alive.
Documents to collect from the seller
- Title deeds for 30 years, and the mother deed
- Encumbrance certificates for the same period
- The e-Khata certificate and extract, and property tax receipts
- RTC and mutation extracts and the conversion order, for land and layout plots
- The approved layout and building plans, and the occupancy certificate
- Identity proof of every seller, and family tree details for inherited property
- The loan statement and no-dues letter if the property is mortgaged
Warning signs
- The seller shares only photocopies, or wants a large advance before you see the originals.
- The khata or tax records are in a different name from the title deed, with no explanation.
- A sale in the chain went through a general power of attorney, especially one registered years before the sale.
- The area on the ground differs from the deed or the plan.
- Some heirs of a deceased owner have not signed.
What you should receive
At the end you should get a written legal opinion, sometimes called a title report. It lists the documents examined, traces the title, records the ECs and searches, names each defect found, and says whether the title is clear and marketable or what has to happen first. Read its conditions as carefully as its conclusion. If it says the title is clear once a release deed or an heir's consent is obtained, make that document a condition of payment in the sale agreement.