This guide covers what the law says, how covered parking is usually priced, what a 2024 Karnataka appellate tribunal order teaches about paperwork, how parking affects GST and stamp duty, and the exact clauses to check.

Can a builder charge for car parking in Bangalore?

It depends on what is being sold. Section 2(n) of the RERA Act lists 'open parking areas' among the common areas of a project, alongside lobbies, terraces and parks. Common areas belong to all owners collectively and cannot be sold to one buyer.

Section 2(y) defines a 'garage' as a place with a roof and walls on three sides for parking any vehicle, and excludes unenclosed or uncovered spaces such as open parking areas. A garage in that sense can be sold. What sits between the two, covered stilt or basement slots, is where most disputes arise, and the answer often turns on how the agreement describes the slot.

So the honest answer is: a builder cannot sell you open parking, but can allot you a covered or basement slot and price it, provided that is what your agreement records.

What did the Supreme Court say in Nahalchand Laloochand?

  • Case: Nahalchand Laloochand Pvt Ltd v Panchali Co-operative Housing Society Ltd, decided 31 August 2010 by Justices R M Lodha and A K Patnaik (AIR 2010 SC 3607).
  • Context: it was decided under Maharashtra's flat ownership law (MOFA), where the promoter had sold stilt parking to outsiders.
  • Holding: stilt parking is not a 'garage' and is part of the common areas and facilities, so the promoter cannot sell it as an independent unit.
  • But: the promoter can charge flat buyers for common areas and facilities in proportion to carpet area. So parking cost can legitimately sit inside the flat price.
  • Commentators, including a LiveLaw opinion piece, caution that the ruling is often read too broadly by owners who never bought a slot and then claim one that another buyer paid for.
  • Citizen Matters argued in 2014 that the same reasoning can extend to the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972. That is an argument, not a Karnataka ruling.

What do covered car parks cost in Bangalore?

There is no official rate. Builders set the price, and it varies by project, location and slot type. The figures we could verify:

  • Square Yards (June 2026) puts a covered slot in metro cities at ₹3 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
  • Citizen Matters reported in 2014 that Bangalore buyers had been charged between ₹50,000 and ₹5 lakh for parking.
  • In a Karnataka appeal decided in October 2024, a developer had demanded ₹2.5 lakh for a slot on a 1 BHK priced at about ₹28.4 lakh, booked in 2015.
  • A second slot, tandem slots and EV-ready slots are usually priced differently from the first. Ask for each on the cost sheet.
  • Monthly parking fees set later by the residents' association are a separate matter, decided by the association, not the builder.

A 2024 Karnataka order every buyer should know

On 29 October 2024 the Karnataka Real Estate Appellate Tribunal decided an appeal in which a buyer had booked a 1 BHK in 2015. The agreement for sale and the registered sale deed both referred to a car parking slot, but the booking form left the parking field blank and the developer later demanded ₹2.5 lakh for the slot.

The tribunal upheld K-RERA's order that the slot be allotted without extra payment. It found the documents showed parking was included in the sale consideration, rejected the claim that the parking clauses were a typing error, and gave little weight to an account statement the buyer had not signed.

The lesson is about paperwork. Whatever you are promised about parking, get it into the agreement for sale and the sale deed, with the slot number and type. A blank field on a booking form can become a dispute years later.

How parking affects GST and stamp duty

Parking billed with an under-construction flat carries GST at the same rate as the flat. It also counts towards the ₹45 lakh price test for the 1% affordable rate, so a parking charge can push a budget flat into the 5% bracket. The national explainer is at GST on Under-Construction Property in 2026, Explained.

If the slot is part of the sale deed consideration, stamp duty and registration are paid on it too.

  • Worked example: a covered slot priced at ₹4,00,000 on an under-construction flat above ₹45 lakh.
  • GST at 5%: ₹20,000.
  • Stamp duty, cess, surcharge and registration at about 7.6% (Karnataka, above ₹45 lakh): ₹30,400.
  • Real cost of the slot: ₹4,50,400.

What to check in the agreement for sale

  • The slot number, its type (covered stilt, basement, podium, mechanical or open) and its level, with the slot marked on a plan attached to the agreement.
  • Whether the slot is sold, allotted for exclusive use, or merely 'reserved'. The wording matters if there is a dispute.
  • The price of each slot shown as a separate line, and whether GST is included.
  • Slot size. Tight basement slots and pillars can make a slot unusable for a larger car; check on the plan and at the site visit (see The Site-Visit Checklist Before You Book a Flat).
  • For tandem slots, who parks in front, and whether both slots go to the same flat.
  • EV charging: whether a point is provided, and how its electricity is metered.
  • That the parking is mentioned again in the sale deed, not only in the booking form.
  • Compare the parking plan with the project documents on K-RERA; our walkthrough is How to Read a RERA Project Page, Step by Step: K-RERA, HRERA Gurugram and TNRERA. Section 13(2) of the RERA Act requires the agreement to state the particulars of development and the payment terms.
  • Read the full agreement with The Builder-Buyer Agreement: Clauses You Must Check.

What if you have already paid for open parking?

First, read your agreement and sale deed to see how the slot is described. If you paid for something the documents call open parking or a common area, raise it in writing with the builder, quoting Section 2(n) of the RERA Act. If the project is registered with K-RERA, you can file a complaint there. A consumer commission is another route; Citizen Matters notes the national commission has held that an arbitration clause does not bar a consumer complaint.

Be realistic. If your slot is a covered basement or stilt slot clearly described and priced in the agreement, the charge is unlikely to be refunded. If parking was promised as part of the price and is now being billed again, the 2024 tribunal order above is directly relevant. For a specific dispute, take advice from a property lawyer.

Comparing new projects? Ask each for its parking plan and per-slot price before booking. Browse 3 BHK Under Construction, Bangalore or a project such as Brigade Woods Whitefield and request the parking annexure with the cost sheet.