Plain answers on land in Karnataka.
The papers, the deals and the places, explained the way we explain them across the table in Hassan. Written by the AGE team.
Land papers
Conversion, khata, RTC, approvals and RERA. What each paper proves, and what to check before you pay.
- Buying land in Karnataka: every paper to check before you payThe papers to check before buying land or a plot in Karnataka: title deeds, RTC, mutation, EC, survey sketch, DC conversion, layout approval and e-khata.
- DC conversion in Karnataka: steps, time and costHow agricultural land is converted for non-farm use in Karnataka after the 2025 rule changes: who decides, the papers, the fee, and how to check an order.
- A-khata, B-khata and e-khata explainedWhat A-khata, B-khata and e-khata mean in Karnataka, why e-khata is needed to register a sale, and the 2025–26 schemes to move B-khata property to A-khata.
- RTC (pahani) and mutation: how to read themHow to read a Karnataka RTC (pahani) and the mutation register: what each part shows, how a name changes, how to view them on Bhoomi, and what to check.
- Encumbrance certificate in Karnataka: what it shows and how to get oneWhat an encumbrance certificate (EC) shows in Karnataka, Form 15 and Form 16, how to get one online on Kaveri, how many years to search and what it misses.
- Layout approvals in Karnataka: who approves whatWho approves layouts in Karnataka: GBA, BDA, BMRDA areas, MDA in Mysuru, HUDA in Hassan and gram panchayats, and how to check a plot is approved.
- RERA for plotted layouts in Karnataka: when it applies and how to check a numberWhen a plotted layout in Karnataka must be RERA registered, what registration protects, and how to check a project number on the K-RERA site.
- 11E sketch, podi and survey numbers explainedWhat a survey and hissa number mean, when you need an 11E sketch, what podi does to a joint RTC, and how to apply on Mojini before a land sale.
Joint development
For landowners: the share, the agreements, the tax and the clauses that protect you.
- Joint development in Karnataka: a landowner's guideHow a joint development agreement works in Karnataka: the share, the papers, the tax, the approvals and the clauses a landowner should insist on.
- What share should a landowner get in a joint development?How the landowner's share in a joint development is worked out: buildable area, sale price, costs and risk, and how to test a developer's offer.
- JDA, GPA and the sale deed: which papers, in what orderThe documents in a Karnataka joint development, in order: JDA, GPA, sharing agreement and sale deeds. What each does, and the risks in each.
- Tax on a joint development deal: when it falls dueWhen a landowner pays capital gains tax on a joint development agreement, how the gain is valued, TDS on cash, GST and what the Income-tax Act 2025 kept.
- Choosing a joint development developer: the checks before you signThe checks a landowner should run on a developer before a joint development: finished projects, RERA record, court cases, money, and earlier landowners.
- Delay, default and exit clauses that protect the landownerThe clauses a landowner needs in a joint development agreement: firm dates, delay compensation, default, exit, GPA limits, mortgages and disputes.
- Joint development in Hassan and Bengaluru: what changesHow a joint development deal differs in Hassan and Bengaluru: who approves the plan, what the land suits, the developer pool and what stays the same.
Plots by place
Hassan, Mudigere, Chikkamagaluru, Mysuru, Bengaluru and Mangaluru: where to look and what applies there.
- Buying a plot in Mudigere: what to checkBuying a site in Mudigere? What to check on conversion, layout approval, khata, roads, slope and monsoon drainage, with our own layout as a worked example.
- Buying a plot in Hassan: areas, approvals and what to checkBuying a site in Hassan? Who approves layouts, how khata works in the city and villages, the roads and projects that shape demand, and what to check first.
- Buying a plot in Chikkamagaluru: approvals, areas and checksBuying a site in Chikkamagaluru? Who approves layouts, how khata works, the rail and road links, the Western Ghats rules in play, and what to check first.
- Buying a plot in Mysuru: MDA sites, private layouts and what to checkBefore buying a plot in Mysuru: MUDA's replacement by the MDA, the 50:50 site cancellations, private layout approval, release orders and e-khata.
- Buying a plot on the edge of Bengaluru: GBA, BDA, BMRDA and e-khataWhich authority approves plots around Bengaluru after the 2025 GBA changes, what BMRDA approved means, and why e-khata decides if a plot can be sold.
- Buying a plot in Mangaluru: MUDA approval, CRZ limits and 9/11What to check before buying a plot in Mangaluru: MUDA single-site and layout approval, coastal regulation zone limits, 9/11 records and e-khata.
- Buying land in the Malnad hills: slopes, rain and roadsBuying land near Sakleshpur, Mudigere or Chikkamagaluru? The checks hill land needs: slope, monsoon water, ghat roads, access, forest and the ESA draft.
- Converting coffee or farm land in ChikkamagaluruHow coffee estate and farm land in Chikkamagaluru is converted for housing or layouts: the legal route, the checks peculiar to estates, and the pitfalls.
Buying and money
Loans, stamp duty, guidance value, buying from abroad, and the checks on the ground.
- Home loans for a plot: which plots banks lend onPlot loans in plain terms: what the RBI allows, how SBI, HDFC Bank and Canara Bank lend on sites, LTV limits, the deadline to build and plots banks refuse.
- Stamp duty and registration charges in Karnataka, with worked examplesKarnataka stamp duty, cess, surcharge and the 2% registration fee as of November 2026, with worked examples for a village plot, a city site and farmland.
- Guidance value and market price: what you pay duty and tax onWhat Karnataka's guidance value is, how to check it on Kaveri, why stamp duty uses the higher figure, and how a price below guidance value affects tax.
- Buying property in Karnataka as an NRI, step by stepWhat NRIs and OCIs can and cannot buy in Karnataka under FEMA, how to pay, power of attorney, TDS when the seller is an NRI, and taking money back abroad.
- Plot or flat: a plain comparison for first-time buyersPlot or flat in Karnataka: what you own, loans, GST, upkeep, rent and resale, and the papers that decide whether either one is safe to buy.
- Who can buy agricultural land in Karnataka nowSince the 2020 Land Reforms amendment, most Indian residents can buy farmland in Karnataka. Who still cannot, the limits that remain, and what to check.
- Site visit checklist: what to look at on the ground before you buy a plotSite visit checklist for a plot in Karnataka: boundaries, road, water, drainage, slope, power lines, neighbours, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Your ground. Your legacy.
Land and homes across southern Karnataka, every paper in order.