EC — Encumbrance Certificate in Karnataka

Transaction & Liability History

via Kaveri Online10–20 minFree

Shows every registered transaction on the property — loans, mortgages, and disputes since 2004.

In Kannada: ಋಣಭಾರ ಪ್ರಮಾಣಪತ್ರ·Also known as: EC Karnataka · Kaveri EC · Encumbrance Certificate online · Form 15 · Form 16

What is the EC?

Issued by the Sub-Registrar's office and available digitally through Kaveri Online Services, the EC records every registered transaction on a property since 2004.

Why you need this

Never purchase property without a clean EC for the past 15–30 years. If a property has an unpaid loan, that loan appears here. It is the single most critical document for a buyer.

What the EC contains

  • All registered sale deeds, mortgage deeds, and gift deeds
  • Release deeds and partition deeds
  • Outstanding mortgages and loans registered against the property
  • Names of all parties in each transaction
  • Document numbers and registration dates for every transaction

Step by step

How to get the EC online

  1. 1

    Open Kaveri Online Services at kaverionline.karnataka.gov.in and register or log in as a citizen user.

  2. 2

    From the services menu choose Encumbrance Certificate, then EC Search.

  3. 3

    Enter the district, taluk, village or SRO, and the survey number or property identifier.

  4. 4

    Set the search period. For a purchase, search at least the last 15 years; 30 years is safer.

  5. 5

    View the free information copy after OTP verification, or tick the digitally signed option and pay the fee for a legally valid certificate.

Anashwar Docs runs this sequence for you against the government portal and returns the PDF in 10–20 min. Open the document portal.

What goes wrong

Common EC mistakes

  • Online records generally begin at April 2004. Anything older needs a manual search at the Sub-Registrar office — and pre-2004 is exactly where most title defects hide.

  • A Nil EC (Form 16) does not mean the property is clean. It means nothing was registered in that window at that SRO. Widen the period and check adjacent SROs.

  • The EC lists only registered transactions. Unregistered agreements to sell, oral partitions, court attachments and tax dues do not appear.

  • Property descriptions vary between deeds. If the survey number was renumbered after a re-survey, a search on the current number can silently miss earlier entries.

  • The free information copy is watermarked and not accepted by banks. Only the digitally signed copy is.

Stuck right now

EC troubleshooting

Symptoms we hit running this retrieval against the government portal, and what each one means.

SymptomWhat it means and what to do
Nil EC returned (Form 16)Not a clean chit. Widen the search period and confirm you searched the correct Sub-Registrar office for the property location.
Nothing before 2004Expected — Kaveri holds digitised records from around April 2004. Earlier periods need a manual register search at the SRO.
Property description does not matchThe survey number may have been renumbered at re-survey, or you searched an adjoining parcel. Verify the identifier against the current RTC.
Mortgage shows with no releaseThe charge is very likely still live. Ask for the registered release deed and find it yourself on the EC before completing.
Free copy rejected by the bankThe information copy is watermarked and not legally valid. Apply for the digitally signed certified copy and allow processing days.
Chain jumps from one owner to anotherA transfer was never registered, or it happened by inheritance or partition. Read the Mutation Register alongside.

Not enough on its own

What to pull alongside the EC

No single Karnataka record proves title. Ownership is established by reading the revenue records, the registration record and the survey record together — a gap between any two of them is the thing worth finding before you pay.

FAQ

EC — common questions

What does the Encumbrance Certificate actually show?

The EC lists every registered transaction on a property — sale deeds, mortgage deeds, gift deeds and release deeds. If there is an unpaid bank loan registered against the property, it appears here.

What is the difference between Form 15 and Form 16?

Form 15 is issued when registered transactions exist in the period searched. Form 16, a "Nil EC", is issued when no registered transactions were found. A Nil EC is not a clean chit — it only covers the period and office you searched.

How many years of EC should I check before buying?

At minimum 15 years. For any significant purchase, 30 years is the standard due-diligence window because it covers the limitation period for most adverse claims.

Can I get an EC for the period before 2004?

Not through the online portal. Kaveri holds digitised records from roughly April 2004. Earlier periods require a manual search of the register at the relevant Sub-Registrar office.

In depth

Guides covering the EC

Buying Guide

A-Khata vs B-Khata: what the difference actually costs a buyer

B-Khata property is cheaper for a reason. The discount is the market pricing in a financing problem, a construction problem and an exit problem that the seller is hoping you will not price.

Read guide

Land Records

E-Khata in Karnataka: from E-Aasthi record to signed certificate

The E-Khata is mandatory for registration, home loans and plan approval. Most rejections have nothing to do with the application — they are problems in the underlying E-Aasthi record.

Read guide

Land Records

Encumbrance Certificate in Karnataka: how to read one, not just download it

Everyone tells you to get an EC. Almost nobody tells you that a clean EC is not a clean title — and that the years it does not cover are exactly where the problems live.

Read guide

Buying Guide

Grant land and PTCL in Karnataka: the defect that survives every resale

Most title risks are visible in the Encumbrance Certificate. This one is not, it survives multiple honest resales, and a good-faith purchaser is not protected.

Read guide

Vijayapura Market

Land records in Vijayapura district: taluks, SROs and the Bijapur name problem

Vijayapura throws two problems no state-level guide covers: a taluk reorganisation the portals lag behind, and a city that answers to two names across forty years of documents.

Read guide

Vijayapura Market

Vijayapura plot prices by zone: what 113 live listings actually ask

Published rate tables for Vijayapura are guesswork. This one is computed from our own live listing book — 113 plots quoted per square foot across 11 zones, with the sample size shown for each.

Read guide

Anashwar Docs

Get your EC now.

Enter the survey number. We fetch it from Kaveri Online and return the official PDF in 10–20 min.