A Bengaluru buyer had agreed a price, arranged a loan and booked a slot at the sub registrar, only to have the whole thing stall on a document he had never focused on: the property did not have a valid e-Khata. Without it the registration could not go through, the bank would not release the loan, and a deal that felt done sat frozen while the seller scrambled to sort out the khata. Nothing about the flat had changed. What had changed was the rule that now sits in front of every BBMP registration, and the buyer who treats the khata as an afterthought is the one who discovers, too late, that it is the gate everything else passes through.

The short answer. A khata is the municipal record that identifies a property and its holder for tax and civic purposes, and in BBMP limits it now exists in a digital form, the e-Khata, generated on the e-Aasthi system. A valid e-Khata has become the gateway document: you generally cannot register a sale, take a home loan, or get a building plan sanctioned without one. When you buy a property registered through the current Kaveri system, the khata transfer, or mutation, into your name is initiated automatically after registration, once both parties complete Aadhaar based verification. The trade off is only diligence: confirm the property has a clean, valid e-Khata before you commit, because the khata, not the sale deed alone, is what unlocks registration, credit and resale.

What is a khata, and what changed with e-Khata?

A khata is the record a municipal body keeps of a property and the person liable to pay tax on it, and e-Khata is that record moved onto a digital, verified system. It is not a title document, and it does not by itself prove ownership; it is an account that says a given property exists in the municipal records and names who is assessed for it. What changed in Bengaluru is that BBMP moved this record onto the e-Aasthi platform, so the working document is now a digitally generated e-Khata rather than a paper extract. The shift matters to buyers because the digital khata is now tied into registration and lending in a way the old paper khata was not, which is why a property without a valid e-Khata runs into problems that a few years ago it might have avoided. Understanding that the khata is a civic and tax record, distinct from your title, is the starting point for using it correctly. The e-Khata also carries a unique property identifier that ties the record to a specific parcel, which is part of what makes the digital version harder to duplicate or fudge than a loose paper extract, and it is that identifier a bank or a sub registrar will trace back to when they check the property.

Why can I not register or get a loan without an e-Khata?

Because a valid e-Khata has been made a prerequisite for registration, lending and plan sanction within BBMP limits. The table below sets out the everyday things that now depend on it.

Read together, these show why the khata is no longer a formality to sort out after moving in. It sits upstream of registration, credit and resale, so a defect in the khata blocks the very steps a buyer most needs to complete.

How does the khata transfer to my name after I buy?

For a property registered through the current Kaveri system, the khata transfer, or mutation, into your name is initiated automatically once registration is done. The process is tied to Aadhaar based verification, so when both the seller and you complete the electronic identity check on the e-Aasthi system, the mutation of the khata is processed and the record updates to show you as the holder. This is a marked change from the older world, where a buyer had to file a separate khata transfer application and chase it through the office. The automation does not mean you can ignore it: you should still confirm that the mutation has actually gone through and the e-Khata now stands in your name, rather than assume the system completed it silently. Verifying the updated khata after registration is the small final step that closes the loop on your ownership record. It also helps to understand that the system can hold a draft e-Khata generated from existing records and a final e-Khata confirmed after verification, and it is the final, verified khata in your name that you want to see, since a draft or an entry still standing in the seller's name is not the finished article.

Which khata am I getting, A or B?

Whether a property carries an A khata or a B khata affects what you can do with it, so it is worth knowing which you are buying into. In broad terms an A khata is the record for a property that meets the required tax, layout and approval conditions and enjoys full municipal recognition for registration, resale and loans, while a B khata is a tax record for a property with pending approvals, layout issues or deviations, and it does not carry the same recognition. A property on a B khata can face difficulty with registration, lending and resale until its issues are resolved or it is converted, which is why the distinction is not a technicality but a real limit on what the property can do. We cover the differences and the conversion path in a dedicated guide, and the essential point for now is to establish which khata a property holds before you commit, not after.

What do I need to get or verify an e-Khata?

You need the core ownership and tax documents, and you work through the official e-Aasthi platform. In practice the documents commonly required are the registered sale deed, an encumbrance certificate, your Aadhaar for the identity check, and recent property tax receipts, which together let the system establish the property and the holder. The application itself is made online through the official BBMP e-Aasthi portal or the state service platform, the process is designed to be low cost with only a small service charge, and approvals typically come through within a short window of a few days to a couple of weeks. For a buyer, the same portal is where you verify an existing e-Khata before purchase, checking that the property is on the system, that the details match the sale deed, and that there is nothing marking it as unresolved. You can access the official platform at the BBMP e-Aasthi portal maintained by the corporation.

How do I handle khata as a buyer, step by step?

Treat the khata as a gate to clear before money moves, not a formality afterwards.

1. Confirm the property has a valid e-Khata on the e-Aasthi system before you commit.
2. Check whether it is an A khata or a B khata and what that means for your plans.
3. Match the khata details against the sale deed, extent and property tax records.
4. Ensure the seller has cleared property tax dues shown against the khata.
5. Complete your Aadhaar based verification so the mutation can process after registration.
6. After registration, confirm the e-Khata has actually transferred into your name.
7. Keep the updated e-Khata with your sale deed and tax receipts for future resale or loans.

How does khata fit approvals and conversion?

The khata reflects the approval status of the underlying land, so it connects directly to the checks a Bengaluru buyer should already be making. A property on revenue land or an unapproved layout often carries only a B khata, which is why our guide to verifying a BMRDA approved layout against a revenue plot and our note on verifying DC conversion before buying a site matter so much: they explain the approvals that decide whether a property can hold a clean A khata at all. If you are buying into an approved development such as Amberstone Vectra on Sarjapur Road, the khata question is usually straightforward, but on a resale site it is exactly where you should slow down. The khata is the record where the land's approval history quietly surfaces, so read it as a signal, not just a form.

Frequently asked questions

Is e-Khata mandatory in Bengaluru? Within BBMP limits a valid e-Khata has effectively become mandatory for the things that matter to a buyer, including registering a sale, taking a home loan and getting a building plan sanctioned. A property without a valid e-Khata can stall a registration or a loan, so confirming it exists and is clean is now an essential pre purchase check.

Does the khata transfer automatically after I buy? For a property registered through the current Kaveri system, the khata mutation into your name is initiated automatically after registration, once both parties complete Aadhaar based verification on the e-Aasthi system. You should still confirm the mutation has gone through and the e-Khata stands in your name rather than assume it completed silently.

Is a khata the same as ownership or title? No. A khata is a municipal record of the property and the person assessed for tax on it, not a title document, and it does not by itself prove ownership. It matters because registration, lending and resale now depend on it, but it sits alongside your sale deed and title verification rather than replacing them.

What documents do I need for an e-Khata? Commonly the registered sale deed, an encumbrance certificate, your Aadhaar for the identity check, and recent property tax receipts, submitted through the official e-Aasthi portal or the state service platform. The application is low cost with only a small service charge, and approval usually comes within a few days to a couple of weeks.

Last updated 2026-08-30. PropNewz Team.