Bengaluru real estate: Property owners say e-Khata process remains riddled with delays and paperwork
For many Bengaluru property owners, updating property records to the government’s new e-Khata system has proven to be far more difficult and expensive than initially advertised. In reality, the process involves extensive paperwork, multiple office visits, and, in many cases, hiring an agent who charges a fee based on the office location, locality, and the number of follow-ups required.
Bengaluru homeowners complain that e-Khata updates are slow and confusing, with frequent errors necessitating multiple visits to civic offices; as a result, many ultimately resort to hiring agents for assistance. One homeowner shared on Reddit that although the official online fee was just ₹125, a spelling error in the owner’s name led to weeks of stalled corrections until they hired an agent, who “sorted it in two days for an extra payment.”
Redditors say that digitisation was expected to simplify the process of procuring an e-Khata, but in reality, it involves extensive paperwork, repeated office visits, and paying agents anywhere between ₹15,000 and ₹40,000, depending on the office, locality, and the number of follow-ups required.
Residents argue that the online system has “only added new steps without removing old ones.” Common issues include misspelt names, missing property details, and no online option to request corrections. “If there’s a mistake, you still have to physically visit the BBMP office, often more than once,” one resident said.
Also Read: Bengaluru e-khata update: What property owners need to know
Bengaluru property owners say e-Khata process complicated; compels them to hire an agent
Several Redditors echoed the sentiment that the system forces people to rely on intermediaries. One user commented that “the process is defined in a way that a common person can’t do it alone.”
Another resident who recently purchased a flat said they were asked to pay ₹35,000 by an agent to transfer the existing Khata to their name. Meanwhile, others reported paying anywhere between ₹15,000 and ₹40,000, depending on the office, locality, and the number of follow-ups required.
“For my recent purchase, I got a khata transfer done for ₹15,000 through a broker because to be honest, I did not have the time to run around offices. But it took 3 months,” one of the Redditors said.
Difficult to make corrections online, say Redditors
Several users reported that online portals, such as the e-Swasthu or e-Aasthi systems, often fail to recognise older registration numbers. One Redditor said they spent hours trying different formats listed on the sale deed. “The registration exists digitally, yet the portal refuses to accept it. It’s unbelievable,” they wrote.
Another Redditor stated that attempts to correct mistakes online were often ignored. “I filed correction requests online, but nothing happened. I wrote a physical application, but again nothing. Only when an agent got involved did the correction go through.”
Residents argued that digitisation should have reduced in-person visits and ambiguity, but in practice, they believe “digitisation has only added new steps without removing old ones.”
A list of queries has been emailed to GBA. The story will be updated if a response is received.
Also Read: Bengaluru’s E-khata woes: Errors, delays and size inaccuracies frustrate owners, trigger surprise property tax notices
Process of procuring an e-khata needs to be streamlined: Homeowners
Dhananjaya Padbanabhachar, director of the Karnataka Homebuyers Forum, said that the responsibility of resolving documentation issues should not be entirely shifted onto homeowners.
He pointed out that many of the properties now labelled as B-Khata, lacking occupation certificates, or having minor plan deviations, were handed over in that condition by developers. “The violations were created at the construction stage. Yet instead of holding builders accountable, officials are asking buyers to pay penalties and regularisation fees, while also restricting services like electricity and approvals,” he said.
Padbanabhachar said that the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) needs to clarify and streamline the process. He also raised concerns over long delays in e-Khata issuance. “Even my own e-Khata application has been pending for nearly eight months,” he said, urging the government to make the system faster, more transparent, and less burdensome for homeowners.
Take the case of Sanjana Pai, whose e-Khata was issued with her name incorrectly recorded as Sanjana Rai. While the certificate itself was generated in under a week, correcting the spelling error has already taken over two weeks, with no clarity on when it will be resolved, HT Real Estate reported earlier.
Even routine details, such as car parking allocation, have become points of delay. “In one case, a buyer entered 160 sq ft of parking in the application, but the final e-Khata showed no parking at all,” Padbanabhachar noted. He said that these are “simple, rectifiable data-entry mistakes” that should be fixable online, but aren’t.
