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The Bangalore Apartments Federation (BAF), representing over 1,400 RWAs, has urged the State government to introduce the Karnataka Apartment Ownership and Management Act (KAOMA) in the upcoming Belagavi session. BAF says the outdated 1972 Act no longer meets the needs of Bengaluru's growing apartment communities, leaving many homeowners in a 'legal vacuum.' The proposed law seeks clear transfer of ownership and UDS from builders to buyers, defined rules for forming and running owners' associations, and time-bound mechanisms to resolve disputes on conveyance, maintenance and redevelopment. With no dedicated authority for grievance redressal today, BAF says KAOMA is essential to provide clarity, protect owners' rights and modernise apartment governance across Karnataka.
The Bangalore Apartments Federation, which claims to represent more than 1,400 apartment and villa Resident Welfare Associations across Bengaluru, has formally requested that the State government table the Karnataka Apartment Ownership and Management Act (KAOMA) during the upcoming legislative session in Belagavi. The Federation argues that the existing Apartment Ownership Act of 1972 has become obsolete, and its failure to reflect modern realities has left thousands of homeowners facing legal uncertainty and administrative chaos. Advertisement
BAF leadership pointed out that for years they have campaigned for a comprehensive legal framework. They noted that manifestos of both major political parties had promised reforms, but the repeated delays have undermined homeowners' protection. According to BAF, the present situation amounts to a 'legal vacuum' affecting lakhs of flat owners across the city.
BAF's proposal for the new law includes several non-negotiable provisions such as mandatory and unequivocal transfer of property rights and undivided share (UDS) from builder/promoter to individual flat-owners once units are sold and well-defined legal provisions for formation, registration and functioning of owners' associations, including powers to enforce bye-laws. It also seeks a structured, time-bound mechanism for resolving disputes around conveyance, maintenance, common-area ownership and redevelopment and clearer statutory norms to manage redevelopment or amalgamation of ageing apartment complexes, ensuring owners' rights are protected under a unified legislation rather than relying on fragmented laws.
Experts and resident-association members have long argued that the 1972 law was drafted when apartment living was rare, and never envisioned the large-scale multi-unit developments that now define Bengaluru's residential landscape. Over decades, the city has witnessed explosive growth in multi-unit residential projects, both in terms of scale and complexity, however legislation has not kept pace. The result, critics say, is widespread confusion over applicable regulations, delays or refusal in property handovers, and multiple litigations over basic issues including transfer of ownership, common-area maintenance and governance of associations.
Moreover, the lack of a dedicated regulatory authority under the existing law has denied apartment owners a reliable institutional mechanism for grievance redressal. With no uniform act covering various aspects of apartment living, many homebuyers have been forced to approach civil courts, often prolonging disputes for years.
With the next legislative session in Belagavi due soon, BAF's appeal carries a clear implication: the matter must be addressed during that session. The Federation insists that the proposed KAOMA must finally be enacted to bring clarity and legal protection to apartment owners across Karnataka. Delays, they argue, only serve to deepen the crisis and continue to disadvantage homeowners trapped in conveyance limbo.
BAF hopes that KAOMA, once enacted, will unify governance under a single statute, provide transparent legal ownership rights, and facilitate smoother redevelopment or maintenance of older complexes thereby offering long overdue relief to lakhs of Bengaluru residents currently waiting for resolution.
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