This guide takes them in that order. The rents are ours, read in October 2026. The rules come from the Acts and government pages, each with the date we checked it.
Step 1. Know the cash you need on day one
The deposit, not the rent, is the big number. What owners asked for a deposit, at the median, in gated societies: 3.9 to 5.6 months of rent (read 7 Oct 2026 to 20 Oct 2026). No law caps it at these rents. It comes back at the end, on the terms in your agreement.
Rent ₹30,000. Deposit ₹1,17,000 (3.9 months). First month ₹30,000. Stamp duty ₹500. Society move-in about ₹7,500. On the day: ₹1,55,000.
Rent ₹34,000. Deposit ₹1,39,400 (4.1 months). First month ₹34,000. Stamp duty ₹500. Society move-in about ₹7,500. On the day: ₹1,81,400.
Rent ₹48,545. Deposit ₹1,94,180 (4 months). First month ₹48,545. Stamp duty ₹500. Society move-in about ₹7,500. On the day: ₹2,50,725.
Rent ₹57,250. Deposit ₹2,34,725 (4.1 months). First month ₹57,250. Stamp duty ₹500. Society move-in about ₹7,500. On the day: ₹2,99,975.
Rent ₹62,500. Deposit ₹2,56,250 (4.1 months). First month ₹62,500. Stamp duty ₹500. Society move-in about ₹7,500. On the day: ₹3,26,750.
Stamp duty: for an agreement up to one year, 0.5% of the average annual rent plus the deposit, capped at ₹500 (Department of Stamps and Registration, Karnataka). At these rents the cap applies. Society move-in: about ₹2,500 as a charge and about ₹5,000 as a refundable deposit, commonly quoted (ADDA, level 3). Each society sets its own. Not in the total: flights or movers, cleaning, curtains, appliances. We hold no figure for these.
On a flat outside a gated society the rent is lower: a 1 BHK flat asks a median ₹13,000 to ₹20,000 across the nine areas (NoBroker, read 7 Oct 2026). The deposit is still several months.
- Ask to pay the deposit in two parts.
- Ask who pays stamping and registration. It is often split.
- Put the painting clause in the agreement now, not at the end.
Step 2. Know the rules that apply
No, not at these rents. The two-month cap people quote is from the central Model Tenancy Act, which Karnataka has not adopted. The Karnataka Rent Act does not apply to a home above ₹3,500 a month in the main city areas (section 2; checked 27 Sep 2026).
Jail terms under the Rent Act became fines. Deposits, rent rises, tenancy length and registration did not change (Karnataka Act 7 of 2026, in force 8 Jan 2026).
No. Registration is required only above one year. Up to eleven months it is optional, though it gives you stronger proof (Registration Act 1908, sections 17 and 18).
0.5% of the average annual rent plus the deposit, capped at ₹500, up to one year. One to ten years: 1% of the total rent, and registration becomes compulsory (Department of Stamps and Registration, Karnataka).
The owner. You give ID copies and sign the form. There is no online tenant service on Seva Sindhu as of 12 Oct 2026.
When your agreement says. No Karnataka law fixes the number of days, so write it in.
Yes, if you are an individual paying more than ₹50,000 a month to a resident owner and not under tax audit: 2%, against the owner's PAN. 20% if the owner has no PAN (Income Tax Department).
We are not lawyers and this is not legal advice.
Papers to keep ready before you view: a government photo ID such as Aadhaar or passport, a passport size photo, proof of work such as an offer letter or employee ID, your last address and a reference.
Step 3. Choose the area before the home
Start from the office. A cheaper home on the wrong side of the Outer Ring Road costs an hour a day.
Look first at Bellandur and Marathahalli. Society 2 BHK Bellandur ₹57,250, Marathahalli ₹48,545. 1 BHK flat Bellandur ₹20,000 (39 listings), Marathahalli ₹17,000 (195 listings).
Look first at Marathahalli and Bellandur. Society 2 BHK Marathahalli ₹48,545, Bellandur ₹57,250. 1 BHK flat Marathahalli ₹17,000 (195 listings), Bellandur ₹20,000 (39 listings).
Look first at Whitefield and Mahadevapura. Society 2 BHK Whitefield ₹47,000, Mahadevapura ₹40,000. 1 BHK flat Whitefield ₹14,000 (212 listings), Mahadevapura ₹15,000 (131 listings).
Look first at Mahadevapura and Marathahalli. Society 2 BHK Mahadevapura ₹40,000, Marathahalli ₹48,545. 1 BHK flat Mahadevapura ₹15,000 (131 listings), Marathahalli ₹17,000 (195 listings).
Look first at Kudlu and HSR Layout. Society 2 BHK Kudlu ₹46,000, HSR Layout ₹45,500. 1 BHK flat Kudlu ₹13,000 (159 listings), HSR Layout ₹15,000 (161 listings).
Getting around while you look: the metro is ₹11 to ₹95 a trip from 9 Feb 2026 (The News Minute, 5 Feb 2026); an auto ₹36 for the first 2 km and ₹18 a km after (South First, 15 Jul 2025).
Step 4. Let us help you decide
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01
You send your office, your budget and who is moving
One message is enough to start.
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02
We send the areas and the societies that fit
With the asks we read, the deposit owners ask there, and the distance to your office.
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03
You choose
Ask us anything about a society before you visit.
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04
We introduce a broker we trust
A broker who covers that area or society shows you homes and handles the agreement.
Tell us your office, your budget and who is moving. We send you the areas and the societies that fit, with the asks we read and the distance to your office. When you have chosen, we introduce a broker we trust in that area to show you homes.
Related
Sources
Where it comes from. Level 1 is a government page, level 2 established press, level 3 a portal's explainer. Our own read of public listings is named as ours.
- Sthãna register, society read: Square Yards and NoBroker, one society at a time, 7 Oct 2026 to 20 Oct 2026. The figure per area is the middle of the societies' own medians, as each area page prints it. Our own read of public listings.
- Sthãna register, area flat read: NoBroker owner listings within 2.5 km of each area's centre, active in the 90 days to 7 Oct 2026. Our own read.
- Department of Stamps and Registration, Karnataka, stamp duty and registration, https://igr.karnataka.gov.in, level 1
- Karnataka Rent Act 1999, section 2, and Karnataka Act 7 of 2026, checked 27 Sep 2026, level 1
- ADDA, move-in charges, https://adda.io/blog/2021/04/moving-in-to-a-gated-community-residential-rent-agreement/, level 3
- The News Minute, metro fares, 5 Feb 2026, https://www.thenewsminute.com/amp/story/karnataka/metro-travel-in-bengaluru-to-get-costlier-with-5-fare-revision-starting-feb-9, level 2
- South First, auto fares, 15 Jul 2025, https://thesouthfirst.com/karnataka/auto-fares-revised-in-bengaluru-effective-from-august-1/, level 2
- Registration Act 1908, sections 17 and 18, India Code, level 1
- Seva Sindhu, Police and Security Services list, https://sevasindhu.karnataka.gov.in/Category/Police_Security_Services.html, level 1, checked 12 Oct 2026
- Income Tax Department, FAQs on the Income-tax Act 2025, level 1