Reference · The Propah POV
The Bengaluru property dictionary
Ten terms that decide whether a Bengaluru transaction completes. Each one is where a deal quietly goes wrong — a B-Khata that cannot be loaned against, a super built-up area you are paying for but cannot use, a conversion order that permits the land but not the layout.
1. Khata, e-Khata, A-Khata and B-Khata
A Khata is the municipal record identifying who is liable for property tax on a property. It is not a title document and it does not prove ownership — your sale deed does that. What it does is make you the person the municipality recognises.
A-Khata means the property is fully authorised: approved layout, approved plan, taxes recorded properly. B-Khata is a separate register for properties that are not fully compliant. A B-Khata property can be bought and sold, but you will generally not get a building plan sanction on it, and most lenders will not finance it. That combination narrows your buyer pool sharply on resale, which is why B-Khata trades at a discount that is not a bargain.
e-Khata is the digitised version, and it is now the gate to registration. The full explanation is here — including the trap that the draft record the portal generates for you is not the same thing as an issued e-Khata.
2. Encumbrance certificate
An EC lists the transactions registered against a property over a stated period — sales, mortgages, gifts, partitions. It is the document that tells you whether the seller has already pledged the property to a bank, or sold a share of it to someone else.
Ask for thirty years, not the thirteen most sellers offer. And read what is missing as carefully as what is present: a gap in the sequence is not reassurance, it is an unanswered question. An EC also only records what was registered, so it will not reveal an unregistered agreement or an oral family arrangement.
3. DC conversion
Land in Karnataka is classified by use. Agricultural land must be converted to non-agricultural use by an order of the Deputy Commissioner before anything can lawfully be built on it. That order is the DC conversion.
The distinction that catches buyers: conversion permits the change of use; it does not approve a layout. A converted parcel still needs layout approval from the relevant planning authority before it can be subdivided into saleable plots. “DC converted” on a hoarding is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.
4. BDA, BBMP, BMRDA and BIAAPA — who approves what
| Body | What it is | What it approves |
|---|---|---|
| BBMP | The city corporation — civic governance and tax | Building plan sanctions and Khata within city limits |
| BDA | Bangalore Development Authority | Layout planning and plot subdivision, with mandated roads and open space |
| BMRDA | The metropolitan region authority | Regional planning and townships in the peripheral belt outside the city core |
| BIAAPA | The airport-area planning authority | Planning approvals in the airport corridor around Devanahalli |
The practical question is not which is best but which one has jurisdiction over the parcel you are buying, and whether the approval you are being shown came from that body. An approval from the wrong authority is not an approval.
5. Undivided share (UDS)
When you buy an apartment you are buying two things: the flat itself, and an undivided share of the land the building stands on, expressed as a fraction and recorded in your sale deed. It cannot be physically separated — hence undivided.
UDS matters more than buyers realise, because the building depreciates and the land does not. On redevelopment or acquisition, your entitlement follows your UDS. Two flats of identical size in different projects can carry very different undivided shares. Check the figure in the deed rather than assuming it is proportionate.
6. Carpet, built-up and super built-up area
| Measure | What it counts |
|---|---|
| Carpet area | The usable floor inside your walls. What you can actually furnish. This is the figure RERA requires to be disclosed. |
| Built-up area | Carpet plus the walls themselves and usually the balcony. |
| Super built-up area | Built-up plus your apportioned share of lobbies, staircases, lifts, clubhouse and corridors — the “loading”. |
Prices are frequently quoted per square foot of super built-up area, which is the largest of the three. Loading commonly runs from around 20% to well over 40%, and the higher it goes the less of what you pay for you can stand in. Two projects quoting the same rate can differ materially in the carpet area you receive. Always convert the quote to a price per square foot of carpet before comparing anything.
Maintenance, by contrast, is often billed on carpet area — so check which basis each number uses.
7. Guidance value against market value
Guidance value is the minimum value the Karnataka government assigns to a property for registration purposes — called circle rate elsewhere in India. Market value is what a buyer will actually pay.
Stamp duty is charged on whichever is higher. For most Bengaluru buyers paying an honest market price above guidance value, a revision to guidance value changes nothing. Guidance value is an administrative floor, not a valuation, and it should never be read as news about what your asset is worth. The detail, including what it actually costs you, is here.
8. Sale deed, agreement to sell and possession letter
- Agreement to sell — a contract to transfer in future, on stated terms. It creates rights between the parties. It does not transfer ownership.
- Sale deed — the instrument that actually conveys title, once executed and registered. This is the document that makes you the owner.
- Possession letter — the builder confirming handover of physical possession. It is not evidence of title either.
The Supreme Court settled the underlying point in Suraj Lamp & Industries (2011): transfers by agreement, general power of attorney and will do not convey title. Only a registered conveyance does. If a seller offers you anything other than a registered sale deed as proof of ownership, that is the whole conversation.
9. FAR, setback and ground coverage
- FAR (floor area ratio) — total permitted built-up area as a multiple of plot area. FAR 1.75 on a 2,400 sq ft plot permits 4,200 sq ft of construction.
- Ground coverage — the maximum percentage of the plot the building may occupy at ground level. It governs the footprint; FAR governs the total.
- Setback — the mandatory open distance between the building and each plot boundary. Setbacks are what reduce a footprint from the theoretical to the buildable.
Together these three decide what can actually be built, and therefore what a plot is worth to a developer. Our buildable area calculator runs them.
10. Guntha, cent, acre and ground
| Unit | In square feet | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 acre | 43,560 | The reference unit |
| 1 guntha | 1,089 | One-fortieth of an acre. Common in Karnataka land deals |
| 1 cent | 435.6 | One-hundredth of an acre |
| 1 ground | 2,400 | Chiefly Tamil Nadu, but appears in Bengaluru deals |
| 1 sq yard | 9 | |
| 1 sq metre | 10.76 |
Agricultural land is usually quoted in acres and gunthas, plots in square feet, and apartments in square feet of super built-up area. Converting everything to one unit before comparing anything is the cheapest mistake to avoid; our land area converter does it.
What this does not cover
- These are working definitions for a buyer, not legal definitions. Statutory language differs and governs.
- Jurisdictions, approval processes and loading conventions change. Verify against the current position for your specific property.
- This is general information, not legal advice. Have documents reviewed by an advocate.
What is the difference between A-Khata and B-Khata?
A-Khata means the property is fully authorised — approved layout, approved plan, properly recorded taxes. B-Khata is a separate register for properties that are not fully compliant. B-Khata property can be bought and sold, but you generally cannot obtain a building plan sanction on it and most lenders will not finance it, which sharply narrows your buyer pool on resale. Neither is a title document: your sale deed proves ownership, the Khata identifies who pays tax.
What is the difference between carpet, built-up and super built-up area?
Carpet area is the usable floor inside your walls — what you can furnish, and what RERA requires to be disclosed. Built-up adds the walls and usually the balcony. Super built-up adds your share of lobbies, stairs, lifts and the clubhouse, the “loading”, which commonly runs from around 20% to over 40%. Prices are usually quoted per square foot of super built-up, the largest measure, so convert every quote to price per square foot of carpet before comparing projects.
Does DC conversion mean land is ready to build on?
No. A DC conversion order changes the land's classification from agricultural to non-agricultural use, which is necessary before anything can lawfully be built. It does not approve a layout. A converted parcel still needs layout approval from the planning authority with jurisdiction before it can be subdivided into saleable plots. “DC converted” is a necessary condition, not a sufficient one.
What is undivided share and why does it matter?
When you buy an apartment you acquire the flat plus an undivided share of the land beneath the building, recorded as a fraction in your sale deed. It matters because the building depreciates while the land does not, and on redevelopment or acquisition your entitlement follows your UDS. Two identically sized flats in different projects can carry very different undivided shares, so check the figure in the deed rather than assuming it is proportionate to your area.
How many square feet is a guntha, a cent and an acre?
An acre is 43,560 square feet. A guntha is one-fortieth of an acre, or 1,089 square feet. A cent is one-hundredth of an acre, or 435.6 square feet. A ground, used chiefly in Tamil Nadu but appearing in some Bengaluru deals, is 2,400 square feet. A square yard is 9 square feet and a square metre is about 10.76. Agricultural land is usually quoted in acres and gunthas and apartments in super built-up square feet, so convert to one unit before comparing.
How far back should an encumbrance certificate go?
Ask for thirty years, not the thirteen most sellers offer. An EC lists transactions registered against the property — sales, mortgages, gifts, partitions — so it shows whether the seller has pledged it to a bank or sold a share. Read the gaps as carefully as the entries: a break in the sequence is an unanswered question, not reassurance. Note also that an EC records only what was registered, so unregistered agreements and family arrangements will not appear.
What does FAR mean in Bengaluru?
Floor area ratio — the total built-up area permitted, as a multiple of plot area. FAR of 1.75 on a 2,400 square foot plot permits 4,200 square feet of construction. It works alongside ground coverage, which caps the percentage of the plot the building may occupy at ground level, and setbacks, the mandatory open distance from each boundary. Together they determine what can actually be built, and therefore what a plot is worth to a developer.
Definitions compiled from published Karnataka planning and registration guidance checked in September 2026, and cross-checked against the unit conversions used in our own calculators. Suraj Lamp & Industries v. State of Haryana was decided in 2011 and reported in 2012 volumes, so both years appear in citations. Loading percentages and approval processes vary by project and authority. These are working definitions for a buyer, not legal definitions; statutory language governs. General information, not legal advice.
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