The Eight Layers of Bengaluru Property Research

1 Physical identity

Start by making sure every record describes the same land or site. Match the village, survey number, hissa, site number, dimensions, boundaries, approved plan and the property on the ground.

2 Ownership and power to sell

Trace how rights reached the seller. Sale deeds, allotments, grants, succession, partition, powers of attorney and development agreements each require different checks. A current deed cannot transfer more than the seller lawfully holds.

3 Revenue and land-use compliance

Revenue records and the applicable conversion or diversion route concern the parent land and its permitted use. They do not automatically create an approved plotted layout.

4 Plot creation and planning approval

Verify the competent authority, sanction order, authenticated plan, conditions and release status. The exact site should appear consistently in the approved record.

5 Khata or local property record

Read the current local entry, identifiers, classification and remarks. Khata and tax records support administration, but they do not convey title or replace planning approval.

6 Transactions and claims

Registration documents and an EC can reveal recorded transactions. Title review still needs to examine what each document legally transferred, whether the chain is continuous and what may fall outside the selected search.

7 Construction and use

If a building exists, review the applicable sanctioned plan, deviations and completion or occupation records separately from the plot's ownership and Khata.

8 Project and promoter obligations

For projects within RERA's scope, examine registration, disclosures, phase information and promoter compliance. RERA does not replace title or parcel-level approval checks.

A worked example

A seller offers Site 42 in Survey 18/2, says it is DC converted, shows a tax receipt and mentions bank finance. The conversion record may concern the parent survey land. The buyer still needs to locate Site 42 on the sanctioned layout, establish release status, trace title, read the current Khata remarks and verify any building standing on it.

The first three documents do not answer the whole file.