Karnataka Tables Apartment Bill Mandating Single Association for Each Housing Project

The Karnataka Apartment (Ownership and Management) Bill, 2026 was tabled in the legislature during the ongoing Monsoon Session on Wednesday, August 19, stipulating that no fully completed apartment complex project can maintain multiple associations within the same premises.

The final version of the Bill removed an earlier draft proposal presented on July 15 that had recommended forming a federation to manage shared infrastructure across multiple associations. Under the new Bill, every project must have a single registered association, though the association may allow the formation of subcommittees if needed. For phased developments, the majority required to form an association will be based on the first phase, with occupants of subsequent phases being added to the existing association upon completion.

The legislation also requires promoters to form and register an association with the competent authority within three months from the date a majority of flats are allotted. While previous provisions only allowed the competent authority to penalise non-compliant promoters, the new Bill empowers the authority to directly cause the association to be formed and operationalised.

In terms of amenities, the final Bill bars any person other than flat owners from accessing community and commercial facilities on a regular or commercial basis. A previous draft provision that allowed external access with the approval of two-thirds of flat owners present and voting has been removed.

The Bill provides mechanisms for associations to recover unpaid common expenses, along with prescribed interest and costs, through bylaws or by seeking directions from the competent authority. It also mandates the dissolution of an apartment's executive committee during redevelopment once the scheme is approved by the second appellate authority, after which members must form a new committee.

Under the proposed law, the state government must notify the appointment of one or more local or planning authority officials, or another senior-scale Group A officer, as the second appellate authority within three months of the Act's commencement. For projects where sale agreements were executed prior to the Act but sale deeds remain pending, the new provisions will take effect at the time the sale deed is executed.