Karnataka Bhoo Guarantee May 2026: 23 lakh property regularisation, B-Khata to A-Khata at 2 percent

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar announced the Bhoo Guarantee scheme on 13 May 2026, with the campaign formally beginning on 16 May for a 100-day window through 24 August 2026. The scheme targets 23 lakh Bengaluru properties for regularisation, digitisation, and title deed delivery. The most consequential change for buyers is the reduction of the B-Khata to A-Khata conversion fee from 5 percent to 2 percent of guidance value, available to roughly 7 lakh B-Khata property holders across Bengaluru. The window is hard. After 24 August, the conversion fee reverts to 5 percent. For anyone holding B-Khata property or planning to buy in Bengaluru this year, the next 13 weeks are the cheapest conversion window the state has offered in a decade.

What is the Bhoo Guarantee scheme?

Bhoo Guarantee is the sixth guarantee scheme of the Karnataka government and is officially titled Nanna Khata Nanna Hakku. It combines a 100-day one-time settlement window for B-Khata holders with a broader property digitisation drive across Bengaluru. The scheme covers approximately 23 lakh properties under the Greater Bengaluru Authority and proposes GIS-based survey mapping, Aadhaar-linked self-mutation, integration with property tax records, and direct online access to e-Khata documents. The B-Khata conversion concession is the headline buyer-facing component. The broader digitisation is the structural reform that affects future transaction discipline. Both run in parallel through the 100-day window.

What is the difference between A-Khata and B-Khata?

The A-Khata is the formal record of a property that complies with all municipal bye-laws, zoning regulations, and approval requirements. A-Khata properties can be transferred, mortgaged, and registered without restriction. The B-Khata is a separate register that the BBMP and now the GBA maintains for properties that fall short of one or more compliance requirements. B-Khata properties cannot be formally registered for sale and have historically faced restrictions on bank loans, building plan approvals, and utility connection. The B-Khata to A-Khata conversion process requires paying a regularisation fee that has stood at 5 percent of guidance value for several years. Under Bhoo Guarantee, that fee drops to 2 percent for 100 days.

Why does the conversion fee reduction matter?

A 3 percentage point fee reduction on guidance value is a material saving for any B-Khata owner. Take a property with a guidance value of Rs 1 crore. The old 5 percent fee was Rs 5 lakh. The new 2 percent fee is Rs 2 lakh. The saving of Rs 3 lakh covers a significant share of broker fees, stamp duty, registration, and lawyer fees for the formal conversion process. For properties with higher guidance values, the absolute saving scales linearly. A property with Rs 2 crore guidance value saves Rs 6 lakh. The reduction also lowers the implicit transaction cost of selling B-Khata property, since prospective buyers price in the conversion expense when negotiating. Sellers can now pass on a meaningful share of the converted A-Khata premium to their own price.

Who qualifies for the 100-day conversion window?

The scheme is open to roughly 7 lakh B-Khata property holders across Bengaluru. Eligibility broadly covers properties that fall within the GBA jurisdiction and have been previously assessed under B-Khata. Owners need to complete the regularisation process and pay the 2 percent fee within the 100-day window from 16 May to 24 August 2026. The process involves submission through the Bhoo Guarantee portal or in-person camps, document verification including original sale deed or allotment record, identity verification via Aadhaar, and payment of the 2 percent fee on current guidance value. Properties with significant building violation issues may require additional steps under the relaxed building violation norms that the scheme separately proposes.

How does the GIS mapping and digitisation work?

The Bhoo Guarantee programme uses GIS-based surveys to digitise property boundaries and ownership records. Each property gets mapped against satellite imagery and survey records, with the resulting digital file uploaded to the GBA portal. Owners can access e-Khata records online, download them, and use them for transactions, utility applications, or property tax filing. The Aadhaar-linked self-mutation feature means that ownership changes can be initiated by the property owner directly through the portal, without intermediary touchpoints that historically created delay and corruption risk. The integration with property tax records, BESCOM electricity records, and building plan approval systems is the structural reform that should reduce friction on Bengaluru property transactions through 2027 and beyond.

How are the weekly camps structured?

Bhoo Guarantee organises weekly Saturday camps across Bengaluru wards, with 10 locations per ward and approximately 50 ward camps running concurrently. Officials remain available even on the second and fourth Saturday government holidays to maintain campaign continuity. Each camp handles document submission, identity verification, fee payment, and grievance resolution in a single visit format. The campaign explicitly committed to a no-bribe principle, with Shivakumar publicly stating that no payment beyond the official fee is required. For property owners, the camp model lowers the time and friction cost of conversion compared to the historical multi-counter process across BBMP zonal offices.

What happens after 24 August 2026?

The 2 percent conversion fee window closes on 24 August. After that date, the conversion fee returns to 5 percent of guidance value, more than doubling the cost for any owner who delayed. The digitisation and GIS mapping work continues beyond the 100 days as a structural reform, but the price concession is a one-time settlement and not a permanent rule change. Property owners who miss the window face the previous regulatory regime. The campaign is explicitly designed to create urgency and clear the long pending B-Khata stock in one push rather than as a sustained gradual process.

What are the trade-offs and risks?

Three honest points. First, the 100-day window is short, and the camp throughput may not be able to absorb the full 7 lakh eligible holder volume in time, which means owners who delay applying past the first 4 to 6 weeks may face camp congestion or processing delays close to the deadline. Second, properties with significant building violations face additional steps beyond the standard 2 percent fee, which the scheme calls relaxation in building violation norms but does not specify in detail. Owners with non-compliant construction should consult the GBA helpdesk before assuming the 2 percent rate applies. Third, the long-term value uplift from A-Khata conversion depends on whether prospective buyers and lenders treat the converted property at full A-Khata parity or at a residual discount. Early market signals from comparable schemes suggest 80 to 90 percent value parity in the first 12 months, narrowing toward full parity over two to three years.

What should a B-Khata owner or buyer do this week?

Three practical moves. First, B-Khata owners should pull their current sale deed, allotment record, and property tax payment history from the BBMP or GBA portal, identify the current guidance value, and calculate the 2 percent fee. Second, plan to attend the nearest ward camp in the first 30 days of the window rather than waiting for the last month, since processing congestion typically peaks in the final fortnight of any government scheme. Third, prospective buyers of B-Khata property should negotiate the conversion cost into the price calculation, since the 2 percent fee window is open and the post-conversion A-Khata value benefits the buyer. Sellers may resist this calculation, but the leverage is realistic in May and June 2026.

What other questions do buyers ask about Bhoo Guarantee?

Can NRIs use the Bhoo Guarantee scheme? Yes. The scheme applies to property ownership regardless of resident status, though NRI owners need to verify Aadhaar linkage and may need to engage a power of attorney holder for in-person camp visits.

Does converting to A-Khata increase property tax? Slightly. A-Khata properties are taxed at standard rates, while B-Khata properties carry a marginally higher tax slab. The net effect is small and offset by the A-Khata value uplift.

Will A-Khata conversion help me get a home loan? Yes. Banks and HFCs treat A-Khata properties at standard lending rates, while B-Khata historically faced higher rates or outright loan refusal at most institutions.

What if I cannot pay the 2 percent in 100 days? The window does not extend. After 24 August, the conversion fee returns to 5 percent of guidance value.

The takeaway for any B-Khata property owner or Bengaluru buyer is that the next 13 weeks represent the cheapest conversion window the state has offered in a decade. The single most consequential action is to verify eligibility at the GBA Bhoo Guarantee portal in the first two weeks of the window, then attend a ward camp within the first 30 days to avoid late-window congestion. The structural digitisation that runs alongside the price concession will continue to improve Bengaluru transaction discipline through 2027. Bookmark the PropNewz coverage of GBA regularisation updates and post 24 August conversion data for ongoing tracking.

By PropNewz Team