A recent digital reform in Karnataka’s property registration system is reshaping how real estate transactions are recorded, but not without friction. An update to the state’s online registration platform has made it mandatory for property details to be automatically pulled from electronic khata records, removing manual data entry during registration. While the move aims to curb fraudulent transactions, developers and homebuyers in Bengaluru say it has created gaps in how apartments are reflected in official encumbrance certificates.
The revised system, rolled out in early December, draws property information directly from local body records once an electronic khata number is entered. Officials describe this as a critical safeguard, ensuring that registrations rely on verified source data rather than editable inputs. However, builders argue that the existing digital khata framework lacks sufficient descriptive fields, particularly for multi-storey residential projects. According to industry representatives, key identifiers such as project names, tower or block numbers, carpet areas and internal boundaries are either partially displayed or absent in encumbrance certificates generated under the new process. While ownership details, land share and parking allocations are captured, the absence of apartment-level descriptors has raised concerns around legal clarity and transaction confidence. The issue has prompted some developers to seek written acknowledgements from buyers confirming awareness of these limitations before proceeding with registrations. Consumer advocates view this practice as problematic, warning that responsibility for documentation accuracy cannot be shifted onto purchasers, especially under a regulatory framework designed to protect homebuyers. Financial institutions and overseas property owners are among those likely to feel the impact. Banking professionals note that incomplete encumbrance certificates could slow loan approvals or trigger additional verification steps. Urban legal experts also caution that documentation gaps, even if procedural, can complicate resale or inheritance processes years later.
Government officials maintain that the reform addresses a long-standing vulnerability in property transactions. Manual data entry, they argue, created opportunities for misrepresentation and document manipulation. By locking registration data to municipal and revenue records, the state aims to strengthen title certainty and long-term trust in land governance. To address emerging concerns, authorities are preparing a limited workaround. A supplementary descriptive field is expected to be introduced shortly, allowing select additional details to be recorded. However, officials stress that this will be tightly controlled and not a return to unrestricted editing. Any corrections, they insist, must originate at the khata level, reinforcing the primacy of accurate base records. Urban planners view the episode as a transition challenge rather than a policy failure. Large-scale digital governance reforms often expose data inconsistencies that have accumulated over decades.
The solution, experts suggest, lies in upgrading municipal databases to better reflect the complexity of modern housing, rather than diluting safeguards at the registration stage. As Bengaluru continues its shift towards fully digital land administration, the current debate highlights a broader truth: technology can strengthen transparency, but only when underlying data systems evolve in step with the city’s built reality.
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Bengaluru Property Registrations Face Digital Detail Gaps
