Site Visit Checklist for Buying a Flat in Bangalore: What to Ask and Check

A brochure and a sample flat can make any project look good. The site visit is where you find out what the brochure leaves out. This site visit checklist for buying a flat in Bangalore covers what to ask the builder, what to look at with your own eyes, and when to go back so you see the project on a bad day, not just a good one.

Print it, or keep it open on your phone. Ask every question, write down every answer, and ask for anything important in writing.

Before You Go: Do Your Homework

Fifteen minutes of research before the visit makes the conversation far more useful. You will know which answers to double-check instead of taking the sales team's word for everything.

• Look up the project on the RERA Karnataka website. Note the registration number, promised completion date, the approved number of floors and units, and any complaints. Our guide on RERA Karnataka checks shows how.
• Check the builder's past projects. Were they handed over on time? Did they receive an occupancy certificate? A quick visit to one older project tells you more than any review site.
• Check the location on a map: distance to your office, schools, the nearest metro station and the nearest hospital.
• Note the plan sanctioning body. Inside city limits it is usually the GBA corporations (earlier BBMP); in peripheral areas it may be BDA or BMRDA and a local planning authority.

Questions to Ask the Builder About Approvals

Approvals decide whether you get clean ownership, a loan, a Khata and water and power connections. Do not move to price talk until these are clear.

• Which authority sanctioned the building plan, and can I see a copy? Check that the number of floors on site matches the plan.
• What is the land title history, and is it converted for residential use? Ask for the title documents your lawyer can review.
• Is there an environmental clearance? Larger projects need one.
• When will the occupancy certificate (OC) be issued? Ask for a realistic timeline and what happens to your payments if it is delayed. A flat without an OC can face problems with the Khata, power, water and resale.
• Which banks have approved the project for home loans? Bank approval is a useful second opinion on the paperwork, though not a substitute for your own legal check.

Questions About Area, Price and Payments

• What is the carpet area? Under RERA, flats must be sold on carpet area, the usable floor area inside your walls. Ask for carpet, built-up and super built-up figures separately, and work out the loading.
• What does the quoted price include? Ask for a full cost sheet: base price, floor rise, preferred location charges, car parking, clubhouse, legal fees, GST, BESCOM and water deposits, and the maintenance deposit. Our guide on hidden costs of buying a flat lists the usual extras.
• What is the payment plan? For under-construction flats, check that payments are linked to construction stages, not dates. Stage-linked plans protect you if work slows.
• What is the maintenance charge per square foot, and for how long is the advance? Many projects collect one or two years of maintenance upfront at handover.
• Is car parking covered, open, stacked or mechanical, and is it allotted in writing?

Questions About Water, Power and Daily Living

In Bangalore, water is the question buyers forget and residents regret. Ask directly where it will come from.

• Is there a Cauvery water connection, or is it planned? Many areas, especially the 110 villages added to the city in 2008, are getting supply through the Cauvery Stage V project, but not every project is connected yet. Ask whether the builder has applied and paid for it.
• If not, what is the backup? Borewells, tanker supply or both? How deep are the borewells, and how did they hold up in the dry summer of 2024? Tanker water adds steadily to maintenance costs.
• Is there a working sewage treatment plant (STP), and is treated water reused for flushing and gardens?
• What is the power backup? Is it 100% for every flat or only for lifts and common areas? How many kW per flat? What is the BESCOM load sanctioned per unit?
• How many lifts per tower, and is there a service lift?
• Is there EV charging in the parking, or provision for it?

Site Visit Checklist for Buying a Flat: What to Inspect

Now walk the site slowly. If the project is under construction, wear closed shoes and ask for a guided tour of the actual tower, not just the sales gallery.

Construction quality

• Look at exposed concrete for honeycombing (small holes and gaps), visible rust on steel, and cracks in finished walls.
• Check whether work looks active. Count workers on site and see whether material is being delivered. A quiet site on a weekday is worth a question.
• In a finished or near-finished tower, check plaster finish, tile alignment, door and window frames, and fittings.

Light, ventilation and layout

• Visit your actual floor and facing if possible. Note which rooms get morning or evening sun and whether an adjacent tower blocks the view or light.
• Check cross-ventilation: do windows open on two sides of the flat?
• Look at the distance between towers. Close towers mean less privacy and less light on lower floors.

Drainage, flooding and the approach road

• Look at where rainwater will go. Is the site lower than the main road? Low-lying plots near lakes and storm-water drains, around Bellandur, Mahadevapura and parts of Sarjapur Road and Yelahanka, have seen flooding during heavy rain.
• Check the basement ramp and drainage. Basements flood in many Bangalore projects during the monsoon.
• Drive the approach road. Is it a proper tarred road of reasonable width, or a narrow internal lane? Is a road-widening or new road actually approved, or just promised?
• Note what is next door: a quarry, a garbage dump, an industrial unit, high-tension power lines or a large empty plot that could become another tower.

Visit Twice: Rush Hour and in the Rain

Most site visits happen on a calm weekend morning, which is exactly when a location looks its best. Go back at least once at a time that matches your real life.

• At peak traffic. Drive from the site to your office between 8:30 and 10:30 am, or come back between 6 and 8 pm. Outer Ring Road, Hosur Road, Sarjapur Road and the Hebbal flyover can turn a 12 km trip into an hour or more.
• In or right after heavy rain. Bangalore's monsoon, roughly June to October, shows you waterlogging on the approach road, seepage in the basement and how the site drains. Nothing else gives you this information.
• At night. Check street lighting, how safe the walk from the main road feels, and noise from nearby roads, bars or construction.

Sample Flat vs the Flat You Will Actually Get

Sample flats are designed to sell. They are often furnished with smaller-than-normal furniture, have false ceilings and premium fittings, and sometimes skip a wall or column that will exist in the real flat.

• Ask which fittings and finishes in the sample flat are part of the standard specification and which are upgrades.
• Ask for the specification sheet in writing and match it against the sample: flooring brand and size, bathroom fittings, windows, doors, electrical points.
• Measure a room or two with a tape and compare with the floor plan.
• Check whether the sample flat's layout matches your exact unit. Corner units, end units and units near the lift core often differ.
• Take photos and videos of the sample flat. They are useful if the handover quality falls short.

A good site visit is mostly about asking the uncomfortable questions and going back when it is inconvenient. If you would like company on the visit, or a second pair of eyes on the cost sheet and approvals, the Skyros Estates team is happy to help.