A buyer in Hebbal, Bengaluru, closed a resale flat in early 2026 feeling thorough. He had checked the title, read the deed and registered cleanly. Weeks later, when he tried to move the khata into his own name, the corporation flagged years of unpaid property tax left behind by the previous owner. The bill was now his problem, tied to the flat rather than the person who ran it up. He had done almost everything right and missed the one quiet check that would have caught it: the property tax dues.

The short answer. Unpaid BBMP property tax attaches to the flat, not just to the seller, so a Bengaluru buyer should check the dues and arrears on the official portal at bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in before agreeing to buy. You look it up using the property identification number, or PID, or the application number from earlier receipts. The trade-off to accept: checking dues is quick and free, but clearing old arrears can be a condition of moving the khata into your name, so it is far better to find and resolve them before you pay than after.

Why do BBMP property tax dues matter to a buyer?

They matter because unpaid property tax follows the property, which means it can become your liability once you buy. Property tax is a charge assessed on the flat, and arrears from years of non payment do not simply vanish when ownership changes; in practice they stay attached to the property. A buyer who does not check can end up settling a bill run up by someone else, which is an avoidable and sometimes sizeable surprise. Because the amount grows with each unpaid year and can attract penalties, an old arrear is rarely small by the time a buyer discovers it.

The check is also a window into how the property has been maintained on paper. A clean, up to date tax record is a small sign of an owner who kept the civic side in order, while a trail of arrears is a prompt to look more carefully and to make clearance a condition of the deal. Either way, knowing the dues before you commit puts you in a stronger position than discovering them afterward, when your leverage over the seller has largely gone.

What happens to unpaid property tax when you buy?

Unpaid property tax generally transfers with the flat to the new owner. Because the tax is tied to the property rather than only to the individual, arrears from previous years can pass to whoever buys it, so the new owner may be asked to clear them. This is why an otherwise careful purchase can still leave a buyer holding an old tax bill that they never incurred. The seller may not even mention it, not out of bad faith but because the dues are easy to overlook when attention is on the price and the deed.

There is a further practical consequence in Bengaluru: unpaid dues can hold up the transfer of the khata into your name. If arrears remain, you can find yourself with a registered sale deed but an unresolved civic record, which is exactly the tangle the Hebbal buyer walked into. Confirming and clearing dues before completion keeps the civic side moving in step with the legal transfer.

How do I check property tax dues on the BBMP portal?

Use the official BBMP property tax portal rather than a private site. On bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in you can look up a property using its property identification number, known as the PID, or the application number from a previous tax payment. The portal displays the current year's dues along with any arrears from earlier years, which is exactly the history a buyer needs before agreeing a price.

If you do not have the PID, you can often trace it through the sale deed, the khata or an earlier receipt, or search the property details section on the portal. Take a dated record of what the portal shows, and if the numbers are unclear, ask the seller for their latest paid receipt and reconcile the two. The goal is a clear, current picture of what is owed before any money changes hands. A few minutes on the portal early in the process can save a long argument later about who should have paid.

What details do I need to check dues?

You mainly need a way to identify the property on the portal and the seller's cooperation in sharing it. The most useful identifier is the PID, followed by the application number from an earlier tax payment, either of which lets you pull up the record. From there, reading the dues and arrears is straightforward, and any gap between what the seller claims and what the portal shows is worth resolving.

How do tax dues connect to the khata transfer?

Property tax dues and the khata are linked, because outstanding arrears can block the transfer of the khata into your name. The khata is the civic record used for property tax, so an unresolved tax liability sits directly in its path. A buyer who clears the deal legally but leaves arrears behind can be left unable to complete the civic transfer until the dues are settled.

This is why the tax check and the khata check belong together. Confirm the dues on the official portal, make clearance of any arrears a condition of the purchase, and line that up with moving the khata so the civic record follows the legal ownership. Treating the two as one connected step avoids the common trap of a clean registration sitting on top of an unresolved civic liability that surfaces only later.

What should a buyer do about arrears before buying?

If the portal shows arrears, make their clearance part of the deal rather than an afterthought. The cleanest approach is to require the seller to clear all outstanding property tax before completion, with proof, or to structure the settlement so the dues are paid from the sale proceeds. What you want to avoid is completing the purchase and only then discovering that a back tax bill has become yours.

Where the amounts are significant or the history is messy, take advice and get everything in writing. A short delay to resolve arrears is far cheaper than inheriting them, and a seller acting in good faith should have no difficulty clearing dues that are genuinely theirs. Make the paid position a documented condition, not a verbal promise, before you hand over money. A clearance backed by a receipt is worth far more than an assurance that everything is settled.

How does this fit with the rest of due diligence?

The property tax check is the civic dues layer of due diligence, and it works best beside the title, encumbrance and khata checks. Clearing dues confirms there is no back liability riding on the flat and keeps the khata transfer unobstructed, but it does not by itself confirm ownership or approvals. Read it together with the deeds, the encumbrance record and the khata for a full picture.

Pair this with our guide on BBMP e-Khata and why khata is not title, and our explainer on the Kaveri encumbrance certificate and what it does and does not show. If you are weighing a specific project, you can also review a listing such as this Bengaluru project. Together, dues, records and title give you a fuller sense of what you are taking on.

Your seven step property tax checklist

1. Ask the seller for the PID or application number and the latest paid tax receipt.
2. Open the official portal at bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in rather than a private site.
3. Look up the property and read the current year dues and any arrears.
4. Reconcile what the portal shows against the seller's latest receipt.
5. Make clearance of all arrears a written condition of the purchase.
6. Line up the tax clearance with the khata transfer into your name.
7. Keep a dated record of the dues position on the day you checked.

Frequently asked questions

Does unpaid property tax transfer to the buyer?

Generally yes. Property tax is a charge on the flat, so arrears from previous years can pass with the property to the new owner rather than staying only with the seller. A buyer who does not check the dues can end up settling a bill run up by someone else, so confirm the tax position before completion.

How do I check BBMP property tax dues before buying?

Use the official BBMP portal at bbmptax.karnataka.gov.in. Look up the property using its property identification number, or PID, or the application number from an earlier tax payment. The portal shows the current year dues and any arrears from previous years. Take a dated record and reconcile it against the seller's latest paid receipt before agreeing a price.

Can unpaid tax stop me from getting the khata?

It can. The khata is the civic record used for property tax, so outstanding arrears can hold up transferring the khata into your name. A buyer who completes the sale but leaves dues unpaid may find the civic transfer stuck until they are cleared, so it is best to resolve any arrears before completion rather than after.

What should I do if the flat has property tax arrears?

Make clearance a written condition of the deal. Require the seller to clear all outstanding property tax before completion, with proof, or arrange for the dues to be paid from the sale proceeds. Avoid completing first and discovering arrears later. Where the amounts are significant, take advice and keep the paid position documented rather than relying on a verbal promise.

Last updated 2026-07-16. PropNewz Team.