1070+ property terms explained in plain words: RERA, land records (Fard, Jamabandi, 7/12, Patta), documents, law, tax, finance and state-specific vocabulary. Each term has its legal basis, an Indian example and a tip for agents.
Reviewed 16 October 2026 · 1073 terms · 14 topics
Also called: Qabza
The Hindi and Urdu word for possession or control of property. In deals it means who is physically holding the property. Sellers should deliver clear kabza, and buyers should ask who occupies it.
Example: A buyer pays an advance but finds the plot is occupied by a relative of the seller who refuses to leave.
Agent tip: Visit the property and ask who holds kabza before paying large sums. Mention it in the agreement.
Temporary construction using mud, bamboo, tin or thatch. Banks and authorities generally do not treat it as permanent housing.
Example: A tin-roof hut on rented land is kacha.
Agent tip: Kacha property is usually not eligible for home loans.
Related: Pucca Construction Home Loan
Also called: Kanaal
A land unit used in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. One kanal equals 20 marla, or 5,445 sq ft (about 505.86 sq m). Eight kanals make one acre.
Example: A one kanal plot is 5,445 sq ft, which is 605 gaj.
Agent tip: Agricultural land and large farmhouse plots in the Tricity are quoted in kanal. Always check the Jamabandi for the exact area.
A supervisory revenue official above the patwari in Punjab and Haryana. The kanoongo checks records and verifies mutation entries in his circle. The final order may be passed by a higher revenue officer.
Example: A kanoongo verifies the patwari's mutation entry before it goes for approval.
Agent tip: Know the hierarchy: patwari, kanoongo, tehsildar.
Also called: Manager of HUF
The head of a Hindu Undivided Family who manages its property and affairs. A karta can sell family property in some cases, such as legal need, but he cannot generally do so freely without the other members' consent.
Example: A karta in Amritsar sells an ancestral shop to pay a family debt. The buyer asks for proof of the debt and consent letters from adult coparceners.
Agent tip: When the seller signs as karta, ask for proof of legal necessity, and get adult members to sign as well.
Related: Hindu Undivided Family (HUF) Coparcenary Ancestral Property Joint Ownership
A land unit used in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam. In West Bengal one katha is 720 sq ft and 20 katha make one bigha. Other states use different sizes.
Example: A 3 katha plot in Kolkata is 2,160 sq ft.
Agent tip: Katha is not standard across states. Confirm the local measure with the revenue office before pricing.
The Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority, the regulator for Kerala. It is often written K-RERA, as is the Karnataka authority.
Example: A Kochi buyer checks the project on the Kerala RERA portal.
Agent tip: In Kerala, land is often priced per cent. Quote both cents and square feet.
Related: RERA Authority Cent
Also called: KFS
A standard one-page summary that a lender must give a retail borrower before the loan is taken, listing the amount, interest rate, all fees, charges, tenure, EMI and the annualised cost. It helps compare offers on equal terms.
Example: Two banks quote Jatin the same rate, but their key fact statements show different processing fees and insurance charges, so the real cost differs.
Agent tip: Collect the statement from each lender and compare the annual percentage rate, not just the headline rate.
Related: Annual Percentage Rate (APR) Processing Fee Home Loan
A Pune area in the eastern part of the city, known for an IT park, offices and many apartment complexes. It is a commonly discussed micro-market for professionals working in eastern Pune.
Example: Sneha, working in a Kharadi office, compares buying nearby with renting while her family decides.
Agent tip: In a hot rental micro-market, ask the owner about previous tenants and typical agreements before relying on estimates.
Related: Micro-market Office Space Rental Yield MahaRERA
A town in Mohali district, Punjab, west of Mohali on the road to Ropar, with fast-growing apartment and plotted projects.
Example: A buyer picks an affordable flat in Kharar.
Agent tip: Verify the approval authority and RERA number for each project.
Related: Tricity GMADA Mohali (SAS Nagar)
The number of an individual field or land parcel in the village map and revenue records of states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Example: A farm sale lists khasra numbers 24, 25 and 26. The buyer checks each against the village map.
Agent tip: Match each khasra number with the map and the Jamabandi. Missing numbers may mean part of the land is not covered.
Related: Jamabandi Survey Number Shajra
A document from the local body in Karnataka showing the property's khata number, owner and tax details. It is needed for property tax, loans and utility connections.
Example: A bank asks for the khata certificate and extract before approving a home loan.
Agent tip: Collect both the certificate and the extract, and confirm the type and name.
Related: Khata (Karnataka) Property Tax
A property record kept by the local body in Karnataka that links a property to its tax account. A-khata properties are in approved layouts. B-khata properties are in irregular layouts and have limits on loans and approvals. Bengaluru now uses e-Khata, and a limited-period scheme to convert B-khata to A-khata ran from November 2025.
Example: A buyer of a site in Bengaluru finds that the property has B-khata, so banks decline the loan.
Agent tip: Always ask for the khata type. B-khata can limit loans, building plan approvals and resale.
Related: Khata Certificate Property Tax Revenue Record
A revenue record in Uttar Pradesh and some other states that shows holdings and the cultivators or owners of each plot, with the khata and gata numbers.
Example: A UP buyer reads the khatauni to see who is recorded as the holder of a gata number.
Agent tip: Compare the khatauni with the sale deed. The names and area should be the same.
Related: Gata Number Revenue Record Mutation
Also called: Khatadar, Khatedari Right
A person recorded as the main land-holder of agricultural land in Rajasthan, Haryana and some other states, with rights against the state to hold and farm the land. Tenant farmers who farm another's land may also become khatedars.
Example: A farm near Alwar lists three khatedars. The buyer realises all three, and not only the broker's contact, must agree to the sale.
Agent tip: Ask for names of all khatedars from the jamabandi, then ask each to sign. A deed signed by one co-holder is risky.
Related: Jamabandi Khewat and Khatoni Apna Khata Joint Ownership
Also called: Khatiyan, Khatiyan Number
The Record of Rights in West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Bihar, recording the name of the holder, plot numbers (dag), area and nature of the land. A new khatian is prepared at each settlement or survey.
Example: In Burdwan, a buyer asks for the latest khatian and finds that the plot is jointly held by three siblings, though only one signed the sale agreement.
Agent tip: A khatian can list co-sharers. Insist that every recorded co-sharer signs the sale deed.
Related: Record of Rights (RoR) Dag Number (Plot Number) Mutation Banglarbhumi
Two numbers in north Indian land records. Khewat is the ownership holding number. Khatoni is the cultivation holding, which shows who is working the land.
Example: A Jamabandi entry reads "Khewat 45, Khatoni 60". A buyer checks both to see the owner and the cultivator.
Agent tip: When the cultivator is different from the owner, find out whether it is a tenant.
Related: Jamabandi Khasra Number Girdawari
Also called: Ghumaon
A traditional land unit in Punjab and Haryana, about one acre. Farm land is often bought and sold in killas, and the unit also appears in old revenue records and local land deals.
Example: A farmer near Rajpura sold two killas of agricultural land to a developer for a plotted colony.
Agent tip: Convert killas to acres or square yards in writing before quoting a price. Local usage can vary slightly.
Also called: किराया, Kirayedar
The Hindi word for rent. A tenant is a kirayedar and the person who rents out the property is a makaan malik. It is also used for the rent amount in verbal deals.
Example: A shop owner in Bareilly raises the kiraya every year by an agreed percentage.
Agent tip: Even with a trusted tenant, write the kiraya, increase and notice period in a rent agreement.
Related: Rent Agreement Tenant Landlord Leave and License Agreement
Also called: Cochin
A port and commercial city in Kerala, known for its IT park, a metro, backwater-view apartments and a large NRI buyer base. Property rules involve the coastal regulation zone and wetland protection in many places.
Example: An NRI in Dubai wants an apartment in Kochi and appoints a relative through a power of attorney to complete the process.
Agent tip: In Kerala, ask for the data bank and wetland status of land, and for coastal zone checks near the water. Do these before paying a token.
Related: Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Kerala RERA (K-RERA) NRI (Non-Resident Indian) Power of Attorney (POA)
A western Hyderabad locality near the Financial District, known for large land parcels sold by state agencies at auction and for new high-rise development. It is discussed as an emerging, high-profile micro-market.
Example: A buyer sees a new high-rise in Kokapet and asks the promoter for HMDA permission and a title report.
Agent tip: Land bought through auction has its own conditions, such as development timelines. Ask what terms the project land carries.
Related: HMDA TGRERA (Telangana) Micro-market Legal Title Report
The planning and development body for the Kolkata metropolitan area. It plans infrastructure and housing for the wider region, while building plan sanction in the city is by the municipal bodies.
Example: A buyer near New Town checks which body sanctioned the plan, the municipal corporation or a development authority.
Agent tip: Know which body plans and which sanctions in Kolkata. Ask the builder for both.
Also called: Kothi House
A north Indian word for a large independent house, often with a garden and boundary wall, standing on its own plot. In Punjab and Haryana, it usually refers to a house on a sizeable residential plot.
Example: A family sells their old kothi in Chandigarh's Sector 8 to a builder who plans to construct builder floors on the plot.
Agent tip: When a client asks for a kothi, confirm plot size, floors permitted and whether it is freehold.
Related: Independent House Bungalow Builder Floor
Also called: Know Your Customer Documents, ID and Address Proof
The identity and address documents that a buyer, seller, tenant or borrower gives so that a bank, registrar or builder can verify who they are. Common ones are PAN, Aadhaar and a passport or voter card.
Example: At the sub-registrar office in Zirakpur, the seller's PAN and Aadhaar are checked against the names in the deed before registration.
Agent tip: Make sure the name in each KYC document is the same as in the deed. A spelling difference can delay registration.
Related: Registration (Property) Sale Deed Affidavit Sub-Registrar
Also called: Know Your Customer
The identity and address papers collected from a buyer, usually PAN, Aadhaar, passport photo and address proof, with income proof if a loan is involved. Developers, banks and registration offices ask for them.
Example: Before booking, the agent collects the buyer's PAN, address proof and photographs and checks names match exactly across them.
Agent tip: Names should match across all papers. Small spelling differences cause delays at registration.
Related: Application Form (Booking Form) Home Loan Sale Deed
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