Property mutation: getting your name on the records after buying

Registering the sale deed makes you the legal owner. It does not, by itself, put your name on the property tax roll or the land records. That second step is called mutation: the municipal or revenue office replaces the previous owner's name with yours.

Many buyers stop at registration. The property tax bill then keeps arriving in the seller's name, and the gap shows up years later when they try to sell, take a loan against the flat, or pass it on to their children.

What mutation does and does not do

Mutation updates the records that the municipality or revenue department uses to collect tax. After it, demand notices and receipts carry your name, and a future buyer or bank checking the records sees you as the owner.

It is not a title document. The Supreme Court has said more than once that a mutation entry is for fiscal purposes only and does not create or take away ownership. Your registered sale deed is what proves title. Mutation is what makes the government's records agree with it, and buyers and lenders usually want to see both.

When you need it

• After a purchase.
• After inheriting a property, when the names of the legal heirs replace the deceased owner's.
• After a gift or a transfer under a will, usually within a family.

How it works in Hyderabad

For a flat or house inside GHMC limits, the mutation fee is collected at the time of registration itself: 0.1% of the property's market value as stated in the registered document. The property tax record is then meant to move to your name without a separate application.

Do not assume it happened. A few weeks after registration, look up the property tax record on the GHMC website and check that your name is on it. If the seller's name is still there, apply to GHMC with your sale deed and the latest tax receipt.

Agricultural land is a different system. Telangana replaced the Dharani portal with Bhu Bharati in April 2025, and mutation of agricultural land is handled there by the Revenue Department. If an older article or agent points you to Dharani, that is out of date.

How it works in Bangalore

For a flat, mutation in practice means getting the khata transferred to your name with the city corporation after registration. The Bhoomi portal, which is often mentioned in this context, is for agricultural land and its RTC records. Check the corporation's website for the current online process and fee, since both have changed in recent years.

Documents usually asked for

• Copy of the registered sale deed or title deed
• Latest property tax receipt
• The mutation application form, where a separate application is needed
• Encumbrance certificate
• Identity and address proof of the applicant
• For inheritance: death certificate, and the will or legal heir certificate

The exact list varies by state and by office.

Fees and time

Outside GHMC, fees differ by state, local body and type of property, so confirm the amount with the office you are applying to. Where a separate application is needed, the officer checks the documents and any pending dues, and may inspect the property. Allow a few weeks, and longer if someone objects.

If there is an objection, the authority normally issues notice to both sides and hears them before deciding whose name goes on the record.

If you skip it

• Property tax bills continue in the seller's name.
• A resale or a loan against the property gets held up while you fix the records.
• In a dispute, the public record does not back up your deed.
• Your heirs have one more thing to sort out before the property can move to them.

NRIs need it as much as anyone. If you are abroad, your power of attorney holder can follow it up.

Registration and mutation compared

	Registration	Mutation
What it does	Transfers legal ownership	Updates tax and land records
Where	Sub-Registrar's Office	Municipal or revenue office
What you get	Registered sale deed	Mutation entry or certificate
Proof of title	Yes	No

If you are buying in Hyderabad or Bangalore and want to know what to check after registration, talk to a relai advisor.