Property lawyer in Bangalore

Before you buy: title and document verification

Most property trouble in Bengaluru starts with a document nobody read properly. A site sold twice. A layout that was never converted from agricultural land. A flat with no occupancy certificate. A khata in the wrong register. By the time the problem shows up, the money is gone.

A property document verification is cheaper than any of those cases. We go through the papers the seller gives you, pull what we can from government records ourselves, and give you a written opinion on the title.

What we check, depending on the property:

• Title chain going back about 30 years, from the mother deed to the current owner, with every sale, gift, partition and will in between
• Encumbrance Certificate (EC) from the sub-registrar for the same period, to see mortgages, earlier sales or court attachments
• Khata and the property tax record, and whether it is A-khata, B-khata or an e-khata
• Land conversion order if the land was once agricultural, and the RTC (pahani) history
• Approved plan from BDA, BMRDA or the city corporation, and whether the building matches it
• Occupancy Certificate and Commencement Certificate for apartments
• K-RERA registration for projects that need it
• Builder agreements: the joint development agreement, the power of attorney to the builder, and your own sale agreement

Bring the photocopies. We will ask for originals before the final opinion.

The full list for apartments is in our article on how to verify apartment documents in Bangalore.

Sale deed review and registration

A sale agreement written by the builder protects the builder. We read the agreement and the draft sale deed before you sign, and mark what needs to change: delay penalties, the carpet area figure, the cancellation clause, who pays for what at registration. We can also draft the deed and be with you at the sub-registrar office.

Khata, EC and record corrections

Khata transfer after a purchase or a death in the family, a wrong name in the EC, a missing entry in the RTC. These are slow paperwork problems, but each one blocks a sale or a bank loan. We handle the application and follow it up at the right office.

Land disputes and property litigation

When it reaches court, we act as your property litigation lawyer in the City Civil Court on K.G. Road, the courts that hear cases from Bengaluru Rural and the High Court of Karnataka. Common cases:

• Partition suits between brothers, sisters and their children over ancestral or joint family property. After the 2005 amendment, daughters have the same coparcenary right as sons.
• Injunction suits to stop someone from entering, building on or selling your land
• Encroachment and boundary disputes, often with an 11E sketch or a survey on record
• Declaration of title when two people hold papers for the same site
• Cancellation of a fraudulent sale deed or a power of attorney that was misused
• Disputes with builders over delay or deficiency, before K-RERA or the consumer commission

Questions people ask

How much does a property lawyer charge in Bangalore?

It depends on the work. A document verification is usually quoted as one fee per property. Litigation is quoted per stage or per hearing. We give you the fee in writing after looking at the papers. Our article on lawyer fees in Bangalore explains how fees are usually worked out.

How long does title verification take?

Once we have the documents, a straightforward apartment usually takes a few working days. Old revenue sites with a long title chain take longer because records have to be pulled from more than one office.

Can you check a property outside Bengaluru city?

Yes. We regularly look at sites in Bengaluru Rural and around Ramanagara and Kanakapura Road. The checks change a little for gram panchayat properties, which carry an e-Swathu record instead of a city khata.

Is a B-khata property safe to buy?

A B-khata usually means some approval is missing. It is not illegal to own, but bank loans, plan sanctions and resale are harder. Read A-khata, B-khata and e-khata explained before you decide.