A Bengaluru buyer negotiating a flat in Sarjapur was proud to have talked the price down, until his lawyer pulled up the guidance value on the Kaveri portal and it sat above the number he had agreed. That single figure, not his hard won discount, was going to decide his stamp duty. Guidance value is one of the most misunderstood numbers in a Karnataka purchase, quietly setting a floor under your registration cost regardless of what you negotiate. If you are buying in Bengaluru, learning to read it on Kaveri before you commit saves you from a nasty surprise at the sub registrar office.

The short answer. Guidance value is the minimum value the Karnataka government fixes for a property, the price below which it cannot be legally registered, and your stamp duty is charged on the higher of the guidance value or your actual sale price. You can check it free, without any login, on the official Kaveri online services portal at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in. The trade off to understand is that a price negotiated below the guidance value does not cut your duty, because the guidance value becomes the chargeable figure. Guidance values are also revised from time to time, so only the live figure on Kaveri is the one your registration will actually use.

What is guidance value in Bengaluru?

Guidance value is the floor price the state sets for registering a property, fixed by the Department of Stamps and Registration for each area. A property cannot legally be registered below its guidance value, and the value is expressed per square foot for a given locality and property type. It exists to stop under declaration of prices and to ensure the state collects duty on a realistic value, as explained in this guide to Bangalore guidance value. Other states call the same idea circle rate, ready reckoner rate or market value. For a buyer the key point is simple, guidance value is not what you pay, it is the minimum the government recognises for calculating your duty and completing your registration.

How do I check guidance value on the Kaveri portal?

You check it yourself on the official Kaveri portal, free and without logging in, in a few minutes. Go to kaveri.karnataka.gov.in, open the guidance value search or the stamp duty calculator, and select Bangalore Urban and the relevant sub registrar office. You then enter your village or area and survey number, choose the property type, and the portal returns the current per square foot guidance value for that location. Multiply that rate by your flat's registrable area to estimate the guidance value the sub registrar will use. Doing this before you agree a price tells you at once whether your negotiated figure sits above or below the government value, which is the number that drives your duty. We walk through the steps in detail in our note on how to check guidance value on Kaveri.

How does guidance value decide my registration cost?

Your stamp duty and registration fee are charged on the higher of your sale price or the guidance value. When you register, the sub registrar compares the price in your deed with the guidance value for that property and applies the charges on whichever is greater. So if your price is above the guidance value, which is common in sought after areas, your duty follows your price. If your price is below the guidance value, your duty is charged on the guidance value instead. Because Karnataka charges stamp duty on a slab plus cess and surcharge, and a registration fee on top, the guidance value can materially change your closing cost, as we set out in our Karnataka stamp duty and registration guide.

Can a property be sold below its guidance value?

You can agree any price with the seller, but you cannot register below the guidance value, and duty is never charged below it. Even if the two of you settle on a price under the guidance value, the sub registrar will compute duty on the guidance value when it is higher, so declaring a lower figure does not reduce the charge. Attempting to under declare to save duty is treated as an offence and is not worth the risk. The honest and simpler path is to pay duty on the correct chargeable value. If a deal genuinely values below guidance value, budget your duty on the guidance value, because that is what the office will apply on registration day.

Why does the gap between guidance value and market price matter?

The gap tells you how much of your purchase the government does not formally recognise, which affects duty, loans and future resale. In many Bengaluru micro markets the actual price runs well above the guidance value, which means your duty follows your higher price, and the difference is simply paid. Where a guidance value is close to or above the going rate, it protects the state's revenue but can push up duty on a keenly priced deal. The gap also matters for a home loan, since lenders look at both the guidance value and market comparables when valuing the property. Knowing the guidance value early lets you plan your own contribution and duty realistically rather than discovering the numbers at the last moment.

The gap is also a useful sanity check on the deal itself. If a seller is quoting a price far below the guidance value for the area, that is worth pausing on, since a genuine bargain is rare and an unusually low figure can signal a title problem, a distress sale or a push to under declare. On the other side, a price far above the guidance value is normal in a strong micro market and simply reflects real demand, but it means your duty is charged on that higher figure. Reading the guidance value alongside recent sale prices in the same project or street gives you a grounded sense of whether the asking price is fair, which is information you want before you negotiate, not after you have committed.

How often does guidance value change?

Guidance values are revised periodically, and Bengaluru has seen changes during 2026, so the figure is not fixed. Reports point to localised revisions applied within Bengaluru urban limits in early 2026, and further increases have been discussed at the state level, though the exact position keeps moving. Because a revision lifts the base your duty is charged on, a value you checked months ago may understate what applies today, especially if there is a gap between your booking and your registration. The safe habit is to re check the guidance value on Kaveri close to your registration date, since only the live figure on the official portal is the one the sub registrar will use. If you are weighing a launch such as Tata Carnatica in Devanahalli, confirm the current guidance value for its locality before you finalise your budget.

What should a Bengaluru buyer check?

Work through these seven steps so guidance value never surprises your registration cost.

1. Look up the guidance value for the property on kaveri.karnataka.gov.in before agreeing a price.
2. Multiply the per square foot rate by the registrable area to estimate the value.
3. Compare that estimate with your negotiated price and note which is higher.
4. Budget your stamp duty and registration on the higher of the two figures.
5. Never plan to register below the guidance value, since duty cannot fall below it.
6. Recheck the guidance value close to your registration date in case it was revised.
7. Factor the guidance value into your loan and down payment planning, not just the duty.

Guidance value is the quiet floor under every Bengaluru registration, and once you can read it on Kaveri, your closing cost stops being guesswork. Check the government value early, compare it with your price, plan your duty on the higher figure, and recheck it near registration in case it has moved. Do that and the guidance value becomes a number you have accounted for rather than one that ambushes you at the sub registrar office. It costs nothing to look up and only a minute of your time, which is a small effort for a figure that shapes lakhs of rupees in duty.

Frequently asked questions

What is guidance value in Bengaluru? Guidance value is the minimum value the Karnataka government fixes for a property, the floor below which it cannot be legally registered. It is set per square foot for each locality by the Department of Stamps and Registration, and your stamp duty is charged on the higher of the guidance value or your sale price.

How do I check guidance value on Kaveri? Visit the official portal at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in, open the guidance value search or stamp duty calculator, and select Bangalore Urban and the sub registrar office. Enter your village or area and survey number, choose the property type, and the portal shows the current per square foot guidance value. The check is free and needs no login.

Can I register a property below its guidance value? No. You may agree any price with the seller, but the property cannot be registered below its guidance value, and stamp duty is never charged below it. If your price is lower, the sub registrar computes duty on the guidance value, so under declaring does not reduce the charge and can invite scrutiny. Budget your duty on the guidance value.

Does guidance value change over time? Yes. Guidance values are revised periodically, and Bengaluru saw changes during 2026, with further increases discussed at the state level. Because a revision lifts the base your duty is charged on, always recheck the guidance value on the Kaveri portal close to your registration date, since only the live figure there is the one the sub registrar will apply.

Last updated 2026-08-26. PropNewz Team.