Encumbrance certificate in Karnataka: what it shows for a new flat

2.9.1 What is an encumbrance certificate?

An encumbrance certificate (EC) is a record of the registered transactions on a property for a period that you choose. IGR Karnataka, the Department of Stamps and Registration, defines it as “a record showing registered transactions pertaining to a property”. The Sub-Registrar office searches its registers for your property and lists every deed registered in that period. These are deeds such as a sale deed or a mortgage deed. The Karnataka High Court lists what Form 15 shows for each entry. It shows the date of execution, the nature and value of the document and the executants. It also shows the claimants and the registration number. An EC is a search result, not a title certificate. The Karnataka High Court noted in 1999 that the certificate carries a caveat. The Registration Department does not hold itself responsible for errors in the search. So an EC tells you what was registered. A lawyer still has to read the deeds to judge the title.

The legal basis is the Karnataka Registration Rules, 1965. The Karnataka High Court, in M. Ramakrishna Reddy vs Sub-Registrar, Rajajinagar (1999), summarised the rules. Rule 148 says the Registering Officer must issue a certificate of encumbrance when someone applies for a search. Rule 151 says the certificate must list all acts and encumbrances that affect the property. Sachi did not find an official copy of the 1965 Rules online, so this guide relies on the court’s summary.

Term	Meaning
Encumbrance	A registered right or charge on the property, such as a mortgage, or a transfer such as a sale
Search period	The “from” and “to” dates that you enter in the application
Book 1	The Sub-Registrar’s “Register of non-testamentary documents relating to immovable property”. The EC lists only deeds in this book
Sub-Registrar (SR)	The registration officer who verifies and digitally signs the EC

Sources: IGR Karnataka EC FAQ pages, and the Karnataka High Court, ILR 1999 KAR 2033. Both checked 11 October 2026.

2.9.2 What is the difference between Form 15 and Form 16?

Form 15 is an EC that lists the registered deeds found, and Form 16 is a nil EC that says no registered deed was found. Both IGR Karnataka EC pages name three formats. For a search by property details, Form No. 15 is the “Encumbrance Certificate” and Form No. 16 is the “Nil Encumbrance Certificate”. For a search by the name of a person who signed deeds, the office issues Form No. 17. IGR Karnataka says a nil EC means “there are no registered transactions / liabilities on the property for a given period of time”. The Karnataka High Court gives the same split: Form 15 when there are entries, and Form 16 when there are none. One IGR answer (question 13 on the post-2004 page) states the forms the other way round. The form titles in question 7 and the court ruling agree, so this guide follows them. Read the title printed on your certificate, not only the form number.

A nil EC is not proof that a property is clear. IGR Karnataka’s own FAQ covers the case of a nil EC on a property that does have a registered transaction. Its advice is to search again with more search parameters. So a Form 16 can come from a wrong survey number, a missing hissa number or a short search period. For land with a known history of sales, a nil EC is a reason to search again.

Point	Form 15	Form 16 (nil EC)
What it says	Lists each registered deed found	No registered deed found
Search type	By property details	By property details
What it proves	The listed deeds are on record	Only that the search found nothing for the details and period entered
What to do next	Read each listed deed with a lawyer	Check the survey, hissa and khata numbers, then search again

Form 17 is the result of a search by a person’s name. Source: IGR Karnataka EC FAQ pages, checked 11 October 2026.

2.9.3 How do you get an encumbrance certificate on Kaveri 2.0?

You apply online on Kaveri 2.0, the portal of the Karnataka Department of Stamps and Registration, at kaveri.karnataka.gov.in. First, register as a citizen with your mobile number and email ID. The portal sends you a password. After you log in, start a new application and select the Encumbrance Certificate (EC) option. Then enter the district, taluk, hobli or town and village. Next, enter the property details. For agricultural land, IGR Karnataka lists the survey number, surnoc and hissa number. For other property, you can enter a property ID, site number, assessment number or khata number. Then enter the search period, with a “from” date and a “to” date. You must e-sign the application with Aadhaar, so Aadhaar is mandatory. After an SR, FDA or SDA officer verifies and digitally signs the EC, you pay online and download it from your login. IGR Karnataka says manual payment is not accepted.

1. Register on Kaveri 2.0 with your mobile number and email ID.
2. Log in, start a new application and select the EC option.
3. Enter the district, taluk, hobli or town and village.
4. Enter every survey number, hissa number or property number. Use “Add more” for each one.
5. Enter the “from” and “to” dates of the search period.
6. E-sign the application with Aadhaar and submit it.
7. Pay online when you get the payment notice.
8. Download the digitally signed EC from your login.

For a period before 1 April 2004, the IGR page says you select the EC service in Kaveri 2.0, e-sign and submit to the SR. A separate answer in the Kaveri 2.0 FAQ text says that, for this period, you apply offline to the Sub-Registrar in Form No. 22. If the online route does not accept your older dates, ask the Sub-Registrar office. The IGR helpline is 080 68265316.

2.9.4 How much does an EC cost, and how long does it take?

The fee depends on the length of the search period, and the time depends on how far back the search goes. Both IGR Karnataka EC pages list the same fee. The application fee is ₹10. The search fee is ₹30 for the first year and ₹10 for every later year. So a longer search period costs more. Sachi’s arithmetic for a 13-year search is ₹10 plus ₹30 plus 12 times ₹10, which is ₹160. Confirm the amount on the Kaveri payment notice, because the portal calculates it. EC is a service under Sakala, the Karnataka scheme that sets delivery times for public services. For the period from 1 April 2004 to date, IGR Karnataka states 3 working days. For the period before 1 April 2004, it states 10 working days for the first 13 years. For a longer search, it adds 1 day for each further 10 years. You do not need to visit the office to collect the EC.

Item	Amount or time (IGR Karnataka wording)
Application fee	₹10
Search fee	₹30 for the 1st year, ₹10 for every subsequent year
Example: 13-year search (Sachi’s arithmetic)	₹10 + ₹30 + 12 x ₹10 = ₹160
Payment	Online only: net banking, debit or credit card, UPI
Time, period from 1 April 2004	3 working days
Time, period before 1 April 2004	10 working days for the first 13 years, plus 1 day for each further 10 years

Source: IGR Karnataka EC FAQ pages, checked 11 October 2026. Fees and timelines change. Check the Kaveri payment notice before you pay.

2.9.5 Why does a new-flat buyer check the EC, and for what period?

A new-flat buyer checks the EC twice: on the project land before booking, and on the flat after the sale deed. Before booking, the EC shows whether the land under the project has a registered mortgage, sale or other deed. Section 4(2)(l)(B) of the RERA Act, 2016 makes the builder declare, in an affidavit, that the land is free from all encumbrances. If it is not, the builder must give details of the encumbrances and of any party with a right in the land. Your EC lets you check that declaration against the registers. On the K-RERA project page, the Land Details tab of the newer layout lists the survey details and the land documents. The Karnataka RERA guide explains this tab. Get an EC for every survey number listed there. In a joint development project, the land owner differs from the builder. Check that the EC shows the land owner named on K-RERA.

No rule sets the search period for a buyer. Sachi’s reading: start the search on or before the date of the oldest title deed that the builder uploaded. End it on the current date. A longer period costs only ₹10 for each extra year. For land, also check the dates after the agreement for sale. Section 11(4)(h) of the RERA Act says that, after the agreement for sale, the builder must not mortgage or create a charge on your flat. If the builder does, the mortgage does not affect your right to the flat.

After your sale deed is registered, get a new EC for the flat. It must list your sale deed. Inside Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) limits, an EC is also needed before a later sale. The GBA e-Aasthi FAQ (question 7) asks for an EC “from at least one-day before citizen’s registered deed until 31-10-2024”. The e-khata guide explains this rule. For a resale flat, Sachi’s advice is to also check that the EC shows each earlier sale of the flat.

When	Which property	What to look for
Before booking	Every survey number on the K-RERA Land Details tab	Mortgages or sales not in the builder’s declaration under Section 4(2)(l)(B)
Before the agreement for sale	Every survey number again	New entries since your first EC
After the sale deed	Your flat	Your sale deed is listed, with no mortgage that you did not agree to

2.9.6 What does an EC not show?

An EC does not show anything that was not registered in Book 1 at a Sub-Registrar office. IGR Karnataka says this in its FAQ. Wills and adoption deeds go in Book 3, and powers of attorney go in Book 4. So none of these appear on the EC. IGR Karnataka also says that “pending litigation on the property is not reflected” in the EC. A court case about the land, a family dispute or a claim by a co-owner can exist with a clean EC. An unregistered agreement, such as an unregistered agreement to sell or a loan document that was never registered, also does not appear. Property tax dues and approval problems are outside the EC too. So the EC is one check among several. Pair it with a lawyer’s title search, the court records and the builder’s declarations on K-RERA. Under Section 11(4)(g) of the RERA Act, the builder pays the outgoings it collected from buyers until possession. These include project mortgage loans.

Not on the EC	Where to check instead
Pending court cases	Court case search by the owner’s name and survey number, with a lawyer
Wills, adoption deeds, powers of attorney (Books 3 and 4)	Ask for copies, and have a lawyer check them
Unregistered agreements or loans	Builder’s K-RERA declaration under Section 4(2)(l)(B), and a list of project loans from the builder
Approvals, OC, khata status	K-RERA uploaded documents, the Karnataka RERA guide and GBA e-Aasthi

Sachi reads K-RERA project pages for Bangalore, including the land documents that builders upload. To find the survey numbers for a project before you apply for an EC, Ask Sachi.