How to Verify a Property Before Buying in Bangalore (2026 Checklist)

To verify a property before buying in Bangalore, trace the ownership back at least 30 years to the mother deed, get a fresh Encumbrance Certificate from Kaveri 2.0, confirm the e-Khata matches the sale deed, and check the approvals for the land and the building. Do all of this before you pay an advance, not after.

Checked in October 2026 by Gayathri Sriram, Advocate.

In our practice, a deal rarely goes wrong because of outright fraud. It goes wrong because the check was incomplete: the buyer relied on the latest sale deed and a reassuring conversation, without tracing the full chain or confirming the current records. This guide follows the same order we use before giving a client a written legal opinion.

The checklist at a glance

Check	What to get	Where
Title for 30 years	Mother deed and every deed since	Seller, sub-registrar office
Encumbrance Certificate	Form 15 or Form 16	Kaveri 2.0, online from April 2004
Loans not in the EC	CERSAI search	CERSAI website
e-Khata	Owner’s name and size match the deed	e-Aasthi portal
Land and layout	Conversion order, approved layout plan	Planning authority
New project	RERA registration and approvals	rera.karnataka.gov.in
Building	Approved plan and occupancy certificate	Seller, builder
Resale flat	Loan closure letter, association no dues	Seller, association
Court cases	Cases in the seller’s name	eCourts

Step 1: Trace the title back 30 years

A lawyer usually checks at least 30 years of ownership history, back to the mother deed (the document where the current chain of ownership starts). Some banks accept 13 years for a home loan, but 30 years is the safer standard for a buyer.

Every link document from the first owner down to the seller must be there: each sale deed, gift deed, partition deed, release deed or will that moved the property from one person to the next. One missing deed is a red flag.

In Gayathri’s experience, this is the check buyers skip that causes the most trouble later: relying on the last one or two deeds instead of properly going through the last 30 years. A defect from twenty years ago does not go away because the later deeds look clean.

Step 2: Get a fresh EC, and know what it does not show

The Encumbrance Certificate (EC) lists the registered transactions on a property. You can get it online on Kaveri 2.0:

• Form 15 lists the registered transactions found for the period.
• Form 16 means no transactions were found.

Online records start from 1 April 2004, so for older years you may need to apply at the sub-registrar office. Our EC guide explains how to apply and how to read it.

Two things to know:

1. Get a fresh EC just before you complete. A loan or sale registered late in your deal will not appear on an EC you pulled weeks earlier.
2. An EC shows only registered documents. A bank loan taken by depositing the title deeds is usually not registered, so it will not appear. A CERSAI search (the central register of bank charges) is also worth doing.

Step 3: Check the e-Khata

In Bangalore city, a property cannot be registered without an e-Khata. Check that the owner’s name and the size on the e-Khata match the sale deed. If they do not, the difference has to be fixed before registration, not after.

Our e-Khata guide covers how to check and correct it. If the property is still on a B khata, read our B khata to A khata guide before you commit.

Step 4: Check the land and layout approvals

An A khata alone does not prove that a layout is legal. For a site, or a house built on one, also check:

• the conversion order (farm land converted for residential use)
• the approved layout plan from the planning authority

In Gayathri’s experience, approvals from the authority concerned are one of the two things most often missing or wrong in the files she checks. A revenue site (farm land cut into plots without these approvals) is a red flag.

Step 5: For a new flat, check RERA

A new project with more than 8 flats, or on more than 500 sq m of land, must be registered with Karnataka RERA. On rera.karnataka.gov.in you can see the project’s approvals and title papers before you book. If a project of that size is not registered, ask why before you pay anything.

Step 6: For a flat or house, check the plan and the OC

Check the approved building plan and the occupancy certificate (OC). The OC confirms the building was completed as approved.

There is one exception in Greater Bengaluru: since September 2025, a house on a plot of up to 1,200 sq ft, built up to ground plus two floors with an approved plan, does not need an OC.

Step 7: For a resale flat, and for any property

For a resale flat, also get:

• the seller’s loan closure letter, if the flat had a loan
• a no dues letter from the apartment association

For any property, search court cases in the seller’s name on the eCourts website. A pending case over the property can tie it up for years.

Inherited property: where most problems are

The papers most often missing or wrong are in titles that came through inheritance. When a property passed from a parent to the children, check:

• the family tree or legal heir certificate
• a succession certificate or probate, where applicable
• the will, if there is one
• that every heir has signed the deed that transferred the property, or released their share

Our legal heir certificate guide explains which certificate applies.

Red flags that should stop a purchase

Walk away, or get legal advice before going further, if you find:

• a missing link deed in the chain
• a sale through a GPA (general power of attorney)
• a revenue site
• an heir who has not signed
• a minor’s share sold without court permission

A sale through a GPA does not make you the owner. Our sale deed guide explains why.

What goes wrong when a check is skipped

These are the situations we see when buyers come to us late:

• Missing chain of title. A buyer purchased a site on the strength of the latest sale deed. Later, an earlier transfer turned out to be invalid because one legal heir had not signed it. The ownership itself became disputed.
• Loan nobody mentioned. A buyer did not get an updated EC. After the purchase, the bank started recovery because the seller had already mortgaged the property.
• One heir selling for all. A family member sold a property as the sole owner. It had belonged to the late father, and the other heirs later claimed their shares.
• Building beyond the plan. A buyer did not check the sanctioned plan. The authority later issued notices for deviations, and the buyer was left with the problem.

Frequently asked questions

How many years of title should be checked before buying a property in Bangalore? A lawyer usually checks at least 30 years of ownership history, back to the mother deed. Some banks accept 13 years for a loan, but 30 years is the safer standard for a buyer.

Can I get an Encumbrance Certificate online in Karnataka? Yes, on Kaveri 2.0. Form 15 lists the registered transactions and Form 16 means none were found. Online records start from 1 April 2004, so older years may need the sub-registrar office.

Does an EC show every loan on a property? No. An EC shows only registered documents. A bank loan taken by depositing the title deeds will not appear, so a CERSAI search is also worth doing.

Is an A khata enough to prove a property is legal? No. An A khata alone does not prove a layout is legal. The land conversion order and the approved layout plan must be checked too.

What are the red flags when buying a property? A missing link deed, a sale through a GPA, a revenue site, an heir who has not signed, and a minor’s share sold without court permission.

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If you are buying a property in Bangalore, message Aakarshanam Associates on WhatsApp before you pay an advance. Gayathri will tell you which documents to collect and what to check first.