Guidance Value in Bengaluru: The Government Floor Under Your Stamp Duty

A couple negotiating a plot in Kanakapura Road were pleased to have talked the seller down to a figure well below what similar plots were fetching. Their satisfaction lasted until the sub-registrar stage, where they learned that a Bengaluru property cannot be registered below its guidance value, and the guidance value on that street was higher than the price they had agreed. Their stamp duty, and the minimum value the deed could record, were both pegged to the government number, not their clever discount. It was a five-minute check they could have done on a free portal before they ever sat down to bargain.

The short answer. Guidance value is the minimum value the Karnataka government assigns to a property in a given location, and in Bengaluru a sale cannot be registered below it. Stamp duty is calculated on the guidance value or your actual sale price, whichever is higher, and you can look up the guidance value for free, without even logging in, on the official Kaveri Online Services portal at kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in. The trade-off to plan for is specific to Karnataka: you cannot register below the guidance value, so if your negotiated price is under it, the registration and the duty will still be based on at least the guidance value.

What is guidance value and why does it matter?

Guidance value is the floor price the Karnataka government sets for property in each locality, and it does two jobs that directly affect a buyer. First, it is the minimum at which a property can be registered, so a sale deed cannot record a value below the guidance value for that area. Second, it is the base for calculating stamp duty, which is charged on the guidance value or your sale price, whichever is higher. That combination is why the guidance value can matter more to your final cost than the price you negotiate. If you agree a price below the guidance value, you do not save on duty, and the deed cannot be registered at that lower figure.

This makes the guidance value one of the first numbers a Bengaluru buyer should establish, not one of the last. It is set street by street and property type by property type, so a flat and a plot on the same road, or two addresses a short distance apart, can carry different guidance values. Knowing it early lets you work out your true all-in cost and judge whether a headline discount actually reduces what you will pay. There is a second, quieter benefit to knowing the guidance value up front. It gives you a shared, official reference point in the negotiation itself. When both sides know the government floor, the conversation becomes about the premium over that floor rather than a vague sense of what the area is worth, which tends to make pricing discussions more grounded and less driven by a broker's assertion of the going rate.

How is guidance value different from market value?

Guidance value is the government's official minimum, while market value is what buyers and sellers are actually transacting at, and the two are not the same. In a hot micro-market the market value can run well above the guidance value, and in a slow or older pocket the market value can sit close to or occasionally below it. The guidance value is revised only periodically, so it tends to lag the market rather than track it in real time. For a buyer, the practical point is that you negotiate on market value but you are taxed, and constrained on registration, by the guidance value.

Because the two numbers can diverge, the guidance value is also a rough sanity check on price. If a seller is quoting far above the guidance value, that is not by itself wrong, since strong locations command a premium, but it is worth understanding why. If a seller is quoting below the guidance value, remember that the registration cannot go below the government figure, so the paperwork will not reflect the lower number even if you both agree to it.

How do you check the guidance value on Kaveri?

You check it yourself, free of charge, on the official Kaveri Online Services portal, and you do not even need to log in. Go to kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in, open the guidance value search, and select the district, the sub-registrar office, the area, the street and the property type to fetch the value for that location. Because the value depends on the exact street and the type of property, take care to select the correct combination rather than a nearby approximation, since a small difference in location can change the figure. Doing this before you negotiate means you already know the floor the government will apply.

We walked through the portal screens in detail in our guide to how to check the guidance value in Bangalore on the Kaveri portal, and it is worth pulling the figure yourself rather than relying on a broker's estimate. The number is public, official and free, so there is no reason to accept a second-hand version of it when you can read the source.

Guidance value versus sale price: what do you pay duty on?

The rule is straightforward once you see it laid out: duty follows the higher number, and registration cannot go below the guidance value.

Read the second row carefully, because it is the Karnataka-specific twist that surprises buyers who have moved from other cities. A below-guidance-value deal does not translate into a below-guidance-value registration; the government figure is the floor for both the recorded value and the duty.

What happens when the guidance value is revised?

The Karnataka government revises guidance values periodically, and Bengaluru has seen significant upward revisions in recent years, so the number is not fixed forever. A revision takes effect from the date it is notified, which means a value you noted months before your registration may no longer be current on the day you actually register. For a buyer in the middle of a long transaction, especially an under-construction purchase where registration happens much later, this can quietly raise the duty and the minimum recorded value between the time you plan and the time you complete.

The practical response is simple: treat the guidance value as a live number, not a one-time lookup. Check it when you start, and check it again close to your registration date, so your budget reflects the value that will actually be applied. Since the same guidance value feeds your stamp duty calculation, this also keeps your duty estimate accurate, which connects directly to the rates we set out in our guide to Karnataka stamp duty and registration charges in Bengaluru. A current guidance value plus the correct duty rate gives you a reliable total; a stale value gives you a surprise. This matters most for buyers stretching to the top of their budget, where even a modest upward revision can push the registration cost beyond what they had set aside. Building a small cushion into your plan for a possible revision, and confirming the live figure before the registration date, turns that risk into a non-event rather than a scramble for extra cash at the counter.

What is your guidance value checklist before you buy?

Use this before you agree a price and again before you register.

1. Look up the guidance value for the exact street and property type on kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in.
2. Select the correct district, sub-registrar office, area and property type, not a nearby approximation.
3. Compare the guidance value with the price the seller is quoting.
4. Remember that the deed cannot be registered below the guidance value.
5. Budget stamp duty on the higher of the guidance value or your sale price.
6. Re-check the guidance value close to your registration date in case it has been revised.
7. Keep a dated copy of the guidance value report with your file.

Frequently asked questions

Can I register a Bengaluru property below its guidance value?

No. In Karnataka the guidance value is the minimum at which a property can be registered, so a sale deed cannot record a value below the guidance value for that location. Even if you and the seller agree a lower price, the registration and stamp duty are based on at least the guidance value.

How do I check the guidance value for free?

Use the official Kaveri Online Services portal at kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in, where the guidance value search is free and does not require a login. Select the district, sub-registrar office, area, street and property type to fetch the value for that exact location. Because the figure varies by street and property type, choose the precise combination rather than a nearby approximation for an accurate result.

Is stamp duty charged on the guidance value or my price?

Stamp duty is charged on the guidance value or your actual sale price, whichever is higher. If your negotiated price is above the guidance value, you pay duty on your price; if it is below, duty is worked out on the guidance value. Checking it before you agree a price gives you your true all-in cost.

Does the guidance value change, and how does that affect me?

Yes. The Karnataka government revises guidance values periodically, and Bengaluru has had notable increases in recent years. A revision applies from the date it is notified, so a value you checked months earlier may be higher by the time you register, raising both the minimum recorded value and your duty. Re-check the guidance value close to your registration date so your budget stays accurate.

Last updated 2026-09-29. PropNewz Team.