Updated 22 October 2026. We re-read both news reports of the notification and the legislative history of the Bill. Unlike the news reports, this guide sets out what an existing association, an under-construction buyer and a resale buyer should each do now, and what is still not known, such as the competent authority and the exact commencement date.

What happened, and is the Act in force?

Two facts are firm. The Governor signed the Act on 9 October 2026, and a gazette notification followed on 15 October (Deccan Herald; Star of Mysore, both 16 October 2026). Star of Mysore reports that the law 'has finally come into force'. Deccan Herald reports only that it has been notified.

That difference matters because the three-month registration clock runs from commencement. The Bill provided for commencement by notification (clause 1(2)), according to a legal explainer published when it passed the legislature (Nemmadi, 28 August 2026). We could not read the gazette text itself, so we do not state a commencement date. Treat the clock as possibly running, and act early.

Which apartments does the new law cover?

  • Covered: projects with more than eight apartments (Deccan Herald, 16 October 2026).
  • Not covered: government buildings (Deccan Herald).
  • Not covered: plotted and villa developments where individual sites are conveyed to buyers and civic amenities are handed to local authorities (Deccan Herald).
  • Repealed: the Karnataka Ownership of Flats (Regulation of the Promotion of Construction, Sale, Management and Transfer) Act, 1972 and the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972 (Deccan Herald; Star of Mysore).

The five rules a flat owner should know

  • Association registration: where flats were allotted, sold or transferred before the Act came into force, the association must apply for registration within three months of commencement. The competent authority should issue a certificate within 60 days of the application if the association and its bye-laws comply (Deccan Herald).
  • Existing associations: an association already registered under another law is deemed to be an association under the new Act (Deccan Herald; Star of Mysore).
  • Promoter declaration: within 60 days of the occupancy certificate, the promoter must file a declaration listing the apartments, each owner's undivided interest in the land and common areas, and other prescribed details. Failing to do so attracts a penalty of ₹1 lakh or more (Deccan Herald).
  • Defect liability stays: handing over management does not free the promoter from obligations under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, including fixing structural and other defects during the liability period (Deccan Herald).
  • Extra FAR belongs to owners: any added built-up area or development potential from changes in FSI, FAR or planning rules belongs to all apartment owners together, shared in proportion to their private areas (Deccan Herald).

What an existing association should do now

Most Bengaluru associations are registered as societies or co-operatives. The Act deems them to be associations under the new law (Deccan Herald). Deemed status is not the same as having nothing to do. The model bye-laws are still to come, and the competent authority has not been named.

  • Pull out your registration certificate, current bye-laws and the latest list of members. Keep them ready to file.
  • Watch for the draft model bye-laws. The competent authority, likely the Urban Development Department, must publish them for at least 30 days of public objections before finalising (Deccan Herald; Star of Mysore). Use that window to comment.
  • If your complex has no registered association, start now. A general body meeting, a draft set of bye-laws and a list of owners with their undivided shares are the basics any registration will need.
  • Ask the promoter, in writing, for the documents and plans of common areas. RERA already entitles allottees to them after possession (RERA Act 2016, s.19(5)).

If you are buying an under-construction flat

The 60-day promoter declaration is the new document to ask about. It must state each owner's undivided interest in land and common areas (Deccan Herald). Compare that figure with the UDS written in your sale agreement and, later, in your sale deed. If the numbers differ, raise it before you register.

Homebuyer groups had also asked for clear transfer of common areas to associations. Before assent, the Karnataka Home Buyers Forum objected that the Bill lacked provisions for that transfer and called this inconsistent with RERA (PropNewsTime, 13 October 2026). The final text on this point has not yet been published in an accessible form, so do not assume either way. Our guide to undivided share explains how UDS is calculated: UDS in Apartment Bangalore: Your Land Share, 2026 Rules.

If you are buying a resale flat in an older complex

  • Ask whether the association is registered, under which law, and whether it has applied for registration under the new Act.
  • Ask for the last two years of maintenance accounts, the corpus fund balance and any pending special levies.
  • Check that the seller's UDS in the sale deed matches the declaration or deed of the complex.
  • Ask whether any extra FAR or TDR has been used or sold in the complex. Under the new Act, such added potential belongs to all owners in proportion to private area (Deccan Herald).
  • Our step-by-step resale process: Resale Flat Buying Process in Bangalore: 10 Steps, 2026.

A worked example: how extra FAR is shared

This is our illustration of the rule reported by Deccan Herald, not an official formula. Take a complex with 100 flats and a total private (carpet) area of 1,20,000 sq ft. Suppose a planning change allows 12,000 sq ft of extra built-up area. An owner of a 1,200 sq ft flat holds 1% of the private area, so their proportionate share is 1% of the added potential, or 120 sq ft equivalent. How that potential is used or sold, and how proceeds are split, would follow the Act's final rules and the association's decisions.

What is still unknown

  • The named competent authority (Deccan Herald says it is yet to be announced).
  • The commencement date, which starts the three-month window.
  • The model bye-laws, which must first be published in draft for at least 30 days.
  • The prescribed format of the promoter declaration.

Homes and guides on Property Point

Listed projects where the declaration and association steps will apply at handover: