Registration day feels like the finish line. It is not quite. After your sale deed is registered, there is a quieter job left: getting the khata into your name. Many first-time buyers miss it because nobody told them it was their job. Here is what it is and how to do it.
What a khata is
A khata is your property's account in the local body's property-tax register. It shows who is assessed for tax, on which property, and for what area. It is a tax record, not proof of ownership. Your ownership comes from your registered deed.
Which office handles it
Karnataka has three kinds of local body, and each keeps its own register:
| Local body | Law behind it | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| City corporation | The corporation law for that city | Khata certificate and extract |
| City or town municipal council | Karnataka Municipalities Act, 1964 | Khata certificate and extract |
| Gram panchayat | Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, 1993 | Form 9 and Form 11 |
Along growth corridors outside the city core, the local body can change from one village to the next. Before you buy, ask which body covers the exact survey number. It decides which office you go to and what your document is called.
Papers you will usually need
- Your registered sale or conveyance deed, with its registration endorsements.
- The current khata or panchayat record for the property.
- Up-to-date property tax receipts.
- An encumbrance certificate for the period the office asks for.
- For a completed building, the approved plan and the occupancy or completion certificate.
- Your ID, and authority papers if someone is applying for you.
Many local bodies now take applications online. The forms differ, but the papers above are broadly the same everywhere.
Why each paper matters
The registered deed is the reason for the change. An unregistered agreement will not do; section 49 of the Registration Act, 1908 says a document that must be registered and is not cannot affect the property.
The tax receipts matter because the office will not move an account that has arrears. Clearing dues before transfer protects you more than anyone else.
The plan and occupancy certificate show the building matches what was approved. A building that cannot produce them often gets stuck at this stage.
New apartments: one plot becomes many accounts
While the building is going up, the land usually has one khata in the builder's name. Once flats are handed over and conveyed, that one account needs to be split into one per flat, each with its share of the land.
Two things make this smooth. First, the conveyance deed: section 17(1) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires the builder to register it in your favour, with your share of common areas. Second, in Karnataka, a building can be brought under the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 by registering a declaration, which makes each flat a separate unit.
Before you book, ask the builder in writing what they will do about individual khatas, and when.
While you wait
- Keep paying property tax and keep every receipt.
- Save the application or acknowledgement number.
- Follow up in writing, not only by phone.
Check the khata you receive
Check your name and its spelling, the property description, the area, and the ward or panchayat. They must match your deed. A mistake now will appear on every tax bill and surface again when you sell. Fixing it today is one application. Fixing it years later is far harder.
One reminder
A khata in your name proves the local body will bill you. It does not prove ownership on its own. Keep it alongside your registered deeds, not in place of them.
Step by step: the transfer, in order
- Register your deed. Collect the registered sale or conveyance deed from the sub-registrar's office and scan every page.
- Confirm the local body. Check the latest tax receipt or the existing record to see whether the property is under a corporation, a municipal council or a gram panchayat.
- Clear the dues. Ask for the current property tax position and pay any arrears before applying, keeping the receipt.
- Get an encumbrance certificate for the period the office asks for, showing your registered deed.
- Apply. Use the local body's online service where it exists, or its office. Upload or attach the papers listed above and pay the fee it sets.
- Note the acknowledgement. Save the number, the date and the name of the office.
- Follow up. If nothing moves within the time the office publishes, write to it, quoting your acknowledgement number.
- Check and file the result. Compare every detail with your deed, then keep the khata with your deeds and tax receipts.
A worked example (illustrative)
Priya buys a resale flat in a building inside city limits. The deed is registered in March. The seller has not paid the current year's property tax. If Priya applies for transfer straight away, the office may hold the file until the arrears are cleared. A better order: before registration, her lawyer asks for the latest tax receipt, the sale agreement makes the seller responsible for dues up to the sale date, and the arrears are settled out of the sale amount. Priya then applies in the same month, with a clean tax record, and the file has one less reason to stall.
Common mistakes
- Waiting until you want to sell. A buyer's lawyer will ask for the khata in your name. Doing it then delays your sale.
- Assuming the bank will do it. Your lender checks title for its own loan. The khata transfer is still your application.
- Paying tax under the old name for years. The receipts help, but the account stays with someone else until you transfer it.
- Not checking the area. If the khata shows a different area from your deed, your tax may be wrong and the mismatch will be questioned later.
- Relying on an agent's word. Ask to see the acknowledgement and the final document yourself.
Your khata checklist
- Registered deed in hand and scanned.
- Local body confirmed for the exact survey number.
- Property tax paid, receipts kept.
- Encumbrance certificate for the required period.
- Plan and occupancy certificate for a new building.
- Application acknowledgement saved.
- Final khata checked line by line against the deed.
When to start, and what to ask before you buy
The best time to think about the khata is before you sign. Ask the seller or builder three questions. Which local body covers the property? Is the current record in the seller's name, with tax paid up to date? For a new building, when will individual khatas be created, and who will apply? Ask for the answers in writing. If a builder says the land khata is still pending, or the record is in someone else's name, ask why and how long it will take. These answers tell you whether your transfer will be smooth or slow.
One last tip: keep a single folder, paper and digital, with your deed, khata, tax receipts and acknowledgements in date order. When you sell, refinance or apply for a new service, that folder answers most questions in minutes.
Buying along the Sarjapur–Attibele corridor? Our Sarjapur–Attibele Road guide explains the area and what to check there.