B-Khata to A-Khata in Bangalore: who qualifies under the 2025 conversion window, and what it costs

A B-Khata is not a death sentence for a property. But it is a documented impediment to bank financing, resale, and plan sanction — and it has been used by sellers to obscure title defects that run deeper than the khata record itself. The Greater Bengaluru Authority's 2025 conversion campaign, 'Namma Khate, Namma Hakku', opened a 100-day window from 16 May 2026 with a reduced conversion charge of 2% of guidance value, down from the standard 5%. That is a material cost saving. The harder question is whether your property qualifies at all.

What B-Khata actually means

Khata is a municipal accounting record linking a property to a taxpayer in the BBMP (now GBA) system. An A-Khata reflects a property that has all requisite municipal approvals in order — building plan sanction, occupancy certificate, layout approval. A B-Khata indicates the property is assessed for tax but lacks one or more of those approvals. The property exists in the BBMP system; it does not have the municipality's full legal endorsement.

The distinction matters because scheduled commercial banks generally refuse home loans on B-Khata properties, and the Karnataka government requires A-Khata status for building plan sanctions and legal registrations of constructed properties. Buyers who acquired B-Khata properties assuming the issue would be resolved quickly are discovering it is more complicated than that.

Who qualifies for the 2025 window

According to information published by the GBA and its portal at bbmp.karnataka.gov.in/BtoAKhata/, eligibility requires the property to be within BBMP/GBA limits with a B-Khata already registered, all outstanding property tax dues cleared before application, and — where the land was originally agricultural — a valid DC conversion order confirming non-agricultural use.

• Property must be within BBMP/GBA jurisdiction with an existing B-Khata entry
• All property tax arrears must be fully paid before the application is submitted
• DC conversion order required for any land that was previously agricultural or revenue land
• Building plan approval and occupancy certificate required for completed structures (where applicable)
• Layout and road-approval documentation required for plotted layouts

Properties that do not qualify

This is the section buyers and sellers routinely skip. Not every B-Khata converts under the 2025 window, and not every B-Khata can ever convert under any window. Properties on government land, PTCL land (protected tenancy), 94C-designated land, or land under a court injunction are excluded. So are properties constructed in violation of FTL (Full Tank Level) or buffer-zone restrictions around Bangalore's lakes, properties in unapproved or unauthorised layouts without any path to layout regularisation, and properties with active legal disputes registered against the title.

A property with a B-Khata that sits in a lake buffer zone cannot be converted by paying a fee — the underlying legal problem is structural, not administrative. Checking whether a property is in a notified FTL or buffer zone requires a separate verification against the BBMP lake map and the Karnataka Lake Development Authority notifications, not just the khata record.

The full cost stack

The 2% conversion charge is applied to the current government guidance value of the property. That figure is set by the Karnataka stamp-duty valuation authority and differs from the market price. On a flat with a guidance value of ₹80 lakh, the conversion charge at 2% works out to ₹1.6 lakh. Add the ₹500 application fee. If property tax arrears exist, those must be cleared in full before the application is accepted — that sum is separate and can be substantial on older properties.

After the 100-day window closes, the GBA has indicated the rate reverts to 5% or higher. For a ₹80 lakh guidance-value property, that is the difference between ₹1.6 lakh and ₹4 lakh — a meaningful saving if the property otherwise qualifies.

Documents required for the application

• Aadhaar card for eKYC verification
• Current B-Khata extract
• Registered sale deed or title deed
• Property tax receipts for the past five years
• Encumbrance certificate
• DC conversion order (where land was previously agricultural)
• Building plan approval and occupancy certificate (for completed structures)
• Property sketch and, for plots above 2,000 sq.m., CAD drawings certified by a registered architect

The hard truth

Conversion is not automatic, and it is not retroactive approval for an illegal structure. The GBA scrutinises the application. Properties in unauthorised layouts, buffer zones, or with suppressed title defects are likely to be rejected, and the fee — if paid — is typically non-refundable. Before spending on the conversion charge, verify the complete document chain: survey records, parent title, layout approval status, and lake proximity. A B-Khata that converts cleanly is a better property than one that converts on paper while concealing an underlying title problem.

SourceBBMP / GBA — B-to-A Khata conversion portal (Namma Khate, Namma Hakku campaign)

SourceKaveri 2.0 — Karnataka Registration and Stamps Department, Encumbrance Certificate portal

SourceDocuPro — Karnataka slashes B-Khata to A-Khata conversion fee to 2% (100-day campaign detail)