Occupancy certificate vs completion certificate

2.5.1 What is the difference between an occupancy certificate and a completion certificate?

An occupancy certificate (OC) permits people to occupy a building. A completion certificate (CC) certifies that a project was built as approved. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA Act) defines both. Section 2(zf) defines an OC as a certificate, “by whatever name called”, from the competent authority “permitting occupation of any building”. The building must have “provision for civic infrastructure such as water, sanitation and electricity”. Section 2(q) defines a CC as a certificate, also “by whatever name called”. It certifies that the project “has been developed according to the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications”. Section 2(p) defines the competent authority. It is the local authority, or any authority created or established under any law, with power to permit development. So the RERA Act does not fix the names of these documents. Local law decides each name and the issuer. Inside Bengaluru, that law is now the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act, 2024 (GBG Act).

Point	Occupancy certificate (OC)	Completion certificate (CC)
What it does (RERA Act wording)	Permits “occupation of any building”	Certifies development “according to the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications”
Civic services in the definition	Water, sanitation and electricity	Not mentioned
Who issues it	The competent authority under local law	The competent authority under local law
Builder’s duty	Section 11(4)(b): obtain the CC or the OC, “or both, as applicable”, and give it to buyers or their association	Same section
Deadline it starts	Section 17(1): conveyance deed within three months of the OC, if no local law sets a period	Section 17(2): documents and plans to the association within 30 days of the CC, if no local law sets a period
Buyer’s duty it starts	Section 19(10): take physical possession within two months of the OC	None stated

Source: RERA Act, 2016, copy on the K-RERA portal, checked 10 October 2026.

2.5.2 Who issues the OC in Bangalore, and how?

Inside the limits of the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), the City Corporation issues the OC under section 241 of the GBG Act. Section 2(46) defines the OC as a certificate from the City Corporation “to occupy the premises” after construction as per the Act. Section 241(1) says the builder must apply to the Commissioner of the City Corporation within 30 days from the date construction is complete. Under section 241(2), an empanelled architect or engineer must certify the application. The application includes as-built floor plans and a completion report that says the building matches the sanctioned plans. Under section 241(3), the Additional Chief Town Planner, or officers under him, inspects the building. On that officer’s advice, the Commissioner grants or rejects the OC. Section 241(6) lets the Commissioner withdraw, suspend or cancel an OC later if a breach of the chapter comes to notice. So an OC is not a builder’s document. It is an order of the City Corporation.

Section 241(4) lets the Commissioner grant an OC for a building that deviates from the plan only within condonable limits. The 2024 text capped those limits at 10 percent of the permissible limits. The Greater Bengaluru Governance (Second Amendment) Act, 2025 (Karnataka Act 1 of 2026, gazetted 7 January 2026) omitted that cap. The limits and the compounding fee now come from bye-laws approved by the Government. Sachi did not check those bye-laws.

Section 241 does not describe a separate completion certificate for a building. In this section, the architect’s “completion report” is part of the OC application. Section 167 lets a City Corporation levy fees for the issue of “completion certificates”. The Act text that Sachi read gives no process for them. Sachi’s reading: inside GBA limits, the OC is the main authority document for a finished apartment building. Ask the builder which certificates its approving authority issued for your project. Outside GBA limits, a different local law and authority apply, and this chapter does not cover them.

Section 241(7) lets the Government notify categories of buildings that do not need an OC. Sachi did not check any notification under this power. If a builder says your building is exempt, ask for the notification and have a lawyer check it.

2.5.3 Can you move into a flat without an OC?

Not lawfully, inside GBA limits. Section 241(5) of the GBG Act covers a building or part of a building. No person shall occupy it, or permit it to be occupied, until one of two things happens. The first is that the Commissioner grants permission. The second is that the Commissioner fails, for 30 days after receiving the notice of completion, to communicate a refusal. The Act also limits services to a building without an OC. Section 246(5) covers a building with no OC, “partial or final”, from the Corporation. For such a building, a permanent water or power connection is not within the competence of BWSSB or BESCOM. Section 147(3) lets a City Corporation collect property tax from a building occupied without an OC. The Act keeps that tax in a separate register, and says the payment confers no title, ownership or legal status. A buyer who moves in early can face these limits. Ask for the OC before you accept the keys.

The RERA Act puts a deadline on you too. Section 19(10) says every allottee “shall take physical possession” of the flat within two months of the OC issued for it. So the OC date matters to the buyer as well as the builder. Note the date on the OC when you receive it.

2.5.4 Can an OC cover only part of a project?

Yes. Section 246(5) of the GBG Act refers to an occupancy certificate that is “partial or final”. A partial OC covers only part of a project, such as some buildings, blocks or floors. The RERA Act also treats phases separately. Under the explanation to section 3, every phase of a project is a “stand alone real estate project” and registers separately. A builder can therefore complete and certify one tower while other towers are still under construction. An advertisement that says “OC received” can mean an OC for one tower only. For a buyer, the question is narrow: does the OC name your tower, and does it cover your floor? Read the schedule or description in the OC. Compare it with the tower, floor and flat number in your agreement for sale. Then check that the common areas you need are in use. These include the access road, lifts, fire systems, water supply and power supply. Ask the builder in writing about any gap.

If an OC carries conditions, ask what remains and who must complete it. Section 241(6) lets the Commissioner withdraw, suspend or cancel an OC if a breach comes to notice. Keep a copy of the OC with your agreement and payment records.

2.5.5 Why does the OC matter for the sale deed, the khata and the loan?

The OC starts the title steps that follow possession. Under section 17(1) of the RERA Act, the builder must execute a registered conveyance deed and hand over physical possession. The builder must also give you the other title documents. The period comes from local law. If no local law sets it, the proviso gives three months “from date of issue of occupancy certificate”. The OC also decides your khata. On the GBA e-Aasthi 2.0 portal, A khata is “issued to properties that are fully compliant with planning and building regulations”. The portal adds that this includes “an approved building plan and Occupancy Certificate (OC)”. It says A khata properties “are eligible for legal transactions, bank loans, and property registrations”. The portal puts buildings without approved plans or OCs, “including unauthorized multi-storey apartments”, under B khata. It says these “are not covered for conversion from B Khata to E Khata under this process”. A flat without an OC can therefore stay on the weaker record (chapter 2.3).

The GBG Act also speaks to lenders. Section 246(4) says financial institutions “shall not extend loan facilities for constructions carried out in violation of the sanctioned plans”. Sachi did not check any bank’s own OC policy. Ask your lender in writing which documents it needs before the last disbursement.

Step	What the OC changes	Source
Possession	No lawful occupation in GBA limits until permission, or 30 days with no refusal	GBG Act, section 241(5)
Utilities	No permanent BWSSB or BESCOM connection without a partial or final OC	GBG Act, section 246(5)
Sale deed	Conveyance deed within three months of the OC, if no local law sets a period	RERA Act, section 17(1)
Khata	The portal lists an approved building plan and an OC for A khata	GBA e-Aasthi 2.0 portal
Your possession duty	Take physical possession within two months of the OC	RERA Act, section 19(10)

Sources: RERA Act, 2016; GBG Act, 2024; GBA e-Aasthi 2.0 portal; all checked 10 October 2026.

2.5.6 What should you check on the OC before you take possession?

Check that the OC is a real document from the right authority, and that it covers your flat. Start with the issuer. Inside GBA limits, the OC comes from the City Corporation, with the Commissioner’s grant under section 241 of the GBG Act. Next, read the reference number, the date, the address and any property identifiers it lists. Then read the coverage: the tower or block name, the number of floors and any phase. Compare it with your agreement for sale and the sanctioned plan. Read every condition and exclusion. Under section 11(4)(b) of the RERA Act, the builder must make the CC or OC available to you individually or to the association of allottees. So you can ask for a copy, not only a look. Also check the builder’s Karnataka RERA project page, where the builder uploads project documents (chapter 2.2). A possession letter, a fee receipt or an “applied for OC” note does not replace the OC.

1. Ask the builder for a copy of the OC for your tower.
2. Check that the issuer is the competent authority for your land.
3. Check the tower, block, floors and phase that the OC covers.
4. Read every condition on the OC and ask how each one is met.
5. Note the date, because your two-month possession duty and the builder’s deed deadline run from it.

If the builder says the OC is “in process”, ask for the application date and reference number. Under section 241(1), the builder must apply within 30 days of completing construction. An application is not an OC. Ask a property lawyer how your agreement for sale treats possession before the OC.

Sachi checks the approval documents that Bangalore builders upload to K-RERA. If you want the OC status of one tower checked against its K-RERA filing, Ask Sachi.