What Khata Actually Means
A khata is a municipal record that says a property exists in the civic body’s tax rolls — it’s how the city tracks who pays property tax on which parcel. It is not proof of ownership. That distinction trips up a lot of buyers: khata comes from the civic authority (Bangalore’s five city corporations under the Greater Bengaluru Authority since September 2025, still commonly called “BBMP” out of habit) for tax and building-approval purposes, while your actual legal title comes from a registered sale deed and a clean chain of ownership documents. You need both — a khata without a valid title chain doesn’t make you the owner, and a title without a khata means you can’t legally build, get a loan, or often even resell easily.
A Khata: What It Means
A Khata (sometimes called Register A) is issued for a property that fully complies with the city’s building bye-laws and approved layout plans — the plot came from an approved layout, the construction (if any) matches sanctioned plans, and property tax has been paid regularly. An A Khata property:
- Qualifies for home loans from nearly all banks and NBFCs without extra scrutiny
- Can get a Building Plan Approval, Occupancy Certificate, and other civic approvals
- Resells with far less friction and generally commands a higher price for the same location and size
- Can be legally used to construct a new structure
B Khata: What It Means
B Khata (Register B) is a separate record maintained for properties that don’t meet the criteria for A Khata — most commonly because the layout itself was never formally approved by the BDA or equivalent authority, or the construction deviates from sanctioned plans, or the land underwent a change in classification (agricultural to non-agricultural) without the correct conversion process. Importantly, a B Khata property is still paying property tax and is still recognized to that extent — it’s not illegal to own, but it comes with real restrictions:
- Most major banks won’t lend against a B Khata property, or will lend only with heavy conditions
- You generally cannot get a Building Plan Approval or Occupancy Certificate
- You cannot legally construct a new building on a B Khata plot until it’s converted to A Khata
- Resale is harder, and buyers who know what they’re looking at will typically negotiate a lower price to account for the conversion cost and effort
Where e-Khata Fits In
e-Khata is a digital record, not a third category alongside A and B. Since October 2024, e-Khata has been mandatory for property registration in Bangalore — the sub-registrar’s Kaveri portal will not process a sale deed registration without a valid, verified e-Khata already in place. But digitizing a khata does not change its underlying status: an e-Khata generated from B Khata records is still a B Khata electronically. You have to actually regularize the property first (see below) before the e-Khata will reflect A status.
The e-Khata process itself runs through the BBMP e-Aasthi portal (bbmpeaasthi.karnataka.gov.in) — the civic reorganization into GBA hasn’t changed this portal’s URL or process as of this writing, though property tax and khata service delivery is now handled at the individual city corporation level (North, South, East, West, or Central Bengaluru) rather than a single BBMP office.
Can You Convert B Khata to A Khata?
Yes, but only if the underlying issue is fixable and the property is eligible. Broadly, two separate situations apply:
- Layout/land-use issues (plot is in an unapproved layout, or was never converted from agricultural to non-agricultural use) — this has its own conversion pathway through the civic authority, involving a betterment charge calculated as a percentage of the property’s guidance value. As of this writing, this fee has been temporarily cut to 2% of guidance value under a scheme with a set deadline — confirm the current rate and deadline directly with your city corporation’s khata office before assuming a quoted percentage still applies, since these rates and deadlines have changed more than once in recent years.
- Construction deviations (building doesn’t match sanctioned plans) — this falls under the separate Akrama-Sakrama regularization scheme, which has an on-again, off-again legal history: notified, partially implemented, then stayed by the Supreme Court, and as of this writing still not fully operational pending further legal and regulatory review. Don’t assume a construction-deviation issue will be resolved on any promised timeline — verify current status before relying on it. See our companion article on B Khata regularization for the fuller picture.
Not every B Khata property qualifies for conversion — plots in prohibited zones, or layouts that never received any form of regularisation approval, may not be eligible under either pathway.
What This Means If You’re Buying
- Ask for the khata certificate and khata extract directly, and cross-check the khata number, property ID (PID), and owner name against the sale deed and property tax receipt — mismatches are the most common source of delay and rejection.
- If a property is B Khata, don’t take the seller’s or broker’s word that “conversion is easy” — check eligibility and current fees yourself with the relevant city corporation office before you factor conversion cost into your offer.
- A Khata alone doesn’t prove title — always pair it with a clean Encumbrance Certificate and a verified sale deed chain.
- Loan approval is the fastest practical test: if your bank’s legal team won’t lend against the property without conditions, that’s a strong signal about its khata status even before you dig into paperwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is B Khata illegal?
No. B Khata properties are recognized and pay property tax; they simply lack the approvals needed for A status. It’s a restriction on what you can do with the property (loans, construction, easy resale), not a statement that ownership is unlawful.
Can I get a home loan on a B Khata property?
Most major banks won’t, or will only under restrictive conditions. Some smaller lenders or NBFCs occasionally do, usually at a higher interest rate — confirm directly with your specific lender rather than assuming.
Does having an e-Khata mean my property is A Khata?
No. e-Khata is just the digital format. A property that was B Khata on paper remains B Khata as an e-Khata unless it has been separately regularized and converted.
Who issues khata now that BBMP is dissolved?
Bengaluru’s civic functions, including khata and property tax, are now handled by one of five city corporations (North, South, East, West, Central) under the Greater Bengaluru Authority, effective September 2025. The e-Aasthi portal and most documentation still reference “BBMP” out of habit and continuity, but your local office will be one of the five corporations based on your property’s location.
This article explains general Khata concepts as of August 2026. Karnataka’s civic and regularization rules have changed multiple times in recent years — always verify current fees, deadlines, and eligibility directly with your city corporation’s khata office or a property lawyer before acting.
