BESCOM Name Change and New Connection: The 2026 Bangalore Playbook

“Owning a flat in Bengaluru means nothing until the electricity bill agrees with you.”

• Tariq Sallam, on the paperwork that comes after the paperwork

Here is a very Bengaluru moment. You have spent months on a home loan, a sale deed, a sub-registrar queue and a khata transfer. You finally move in, put the kettle on, and the first BESCOM bill arrives addressed to a man called Ramesh who sold you the flat in March. Ramesh is now in Mysuru. Ramesh is not paying your bill. And until his name comes off that RR number, half the things you want to do (Gruha Jyothi, a load increase, a clean resale file) quietly stall.

The other version of this story is worse: you built a house, or bought a new flat, and there is no permanent meter at all, just a temporary connection on a commercial tariff that makes every fan feel like a luxury purchase.

The good news is that 2026 is the year BESCOM finally got its act partly together. Name changes for e-Khata properties can now be finished online in minutes, new connections run through one portal with a legal deadline attached, and the occupancy certificate (OC) knot that blocked lakhs of homes has been loosened for smaller houses. In this guide I walk you through both jobs, the BESCOM name change and the new electricity connection, with the documents, the fees, the timelines and the traps.

What Is a BESCOM Name Change and When Do I Need One?

A BESCOM name change (officially a name transfer or change of ownership) moves the electricity account, identified by its RR number, from the previous owner or occupant to you. You need it whenever the person using and paying for the power is no longer the person on the bill.

The common triggers are buying a resale flat or house, taking possession of a new apartment that is still billed in the builder's name, inheriting a property, a partition or gift within the family, and long-term tenants who want the bill in their own name. The connection itself does not change. Same meter, same wires, same security deposit, which travels with the connection. Only the name and the legal responsibility move.

Why bother, if the lights work anyway? Because the account holder is the person BESCOM treats as the consumer. Dues, deposit refunds, load changes, disputes and subsidy registrations all follow that name. Leaving it in the seller's name is like keeping your car registered to the previous owner: fine until the day it very much is not.

How Do I Change the Name on My BESCOM Bill Online?

If your e-Khata mutation has been approved, the fastest way is the link BESCOM sends you by SMS: open it, verify with OTP, check the property details it has already pulled, complete Aadhaar e-KYC, e-sign and pay. Reported in April 2026, the whole thing is designed to take under ten minutes.

This is the single biggest improvement in the process in years. Because the e-Khata database and BESCOM now talk to each other, the system already knows that the property has a new owner, so it does not ask you to prove it all over again. Later reports in 2026 said this digital transfer was being extended to urban areas across BESCOM's districts, not only Bengaluru.

• 1. Finish your e-Khata mutation first. If you have not transferred the khata after buying, do that before anything else. Our e-Khata guide explains how.
• 2. Watch for the SMS. It carries a request ID and a link to the BESCOM portal. It goes to the mobile number in your e-Khata records, so make sure that number is yours and Aadhaar-linked.
• 3. Verify and review. Log in with OTP and check that the RR number, address and owner details match your property.
• 4. Aadhaar e-KYC and e-sign. This replaces the old indemnity bond on stamp paper and the wet-ink power supply agreement.
• 5. Pay online and download. The fee reported for this route is about Rs 1,300, covering processing, digital stamp duty and the agreement. Download the confirmation and keep it with your sale deed.

What If My Property Is Not on the e-Khata Route?

Then you apply the regular way: on the BESCOM portal's name change service or on Seva Sindhu, with your RR number, proof of ownership, an indemnity bond and cleared dues. It works, it is just slower and more document-heavy.

This route applies to properties whose e-Khata is not done yet, older B-khata or panchayat properties, inheritance cases, and occupants such as tenants. BESCOM's Conditions of Supply (clause 36.01) set out what proves your claim, and the list is longer than most people expect.

Documents for the regular name change

• RR number: Printed on any recent bill. This is the account you are transferring.
• Ownership proof: Registered sale deed, partition deed, khata extract, succession or heirship certificate, or a will, depending on how the property came to you.
• Consent of the existing consumer: A signed letter from the person currently on the bill, if you can get it. If you cannot (the seller has vanished, or passed away), the indemnity bond carries more weight.
• Indemnity bond from you: Covers BESCOM if anyone later disputes the transfer. On the offline route, the stamp paper is commonly reported as Rs 500 each for the bond and the power supply agreement.
• No arrears: Every rupee due on the RR number must be cleared first. Check this before you hand over the final payment to the seller, not after.
• ID and address proof: Aadhaar works best, since it ties into e-KYC.

Fees and time on this route are less tidy. A Seva Sindhu processing fee of around Rs 618 is commonly quoted, plus gateway charges, and approval usually lands in two to four weeks. Your new name shows up from the next billing cycle after approval.

“Clear the seller's electricity dues before registration day. Afterwards, they are your dues with his name on them.”

• Tariq Sallam

Can Tenants Put the BESCOM Bill in Their Own Name?

Yes, for domestic connections, an occupant can apply with proof of occupancy such as a registered lease deed, the latest rent receipt or a valid power of attorney, under BESCOM's rules. In practice most landlords prefer to keep the account, and most tenants are happy to let them.

Where it matters for tenants is Gruha Jyothi, Karnataka's free electricity scheme of up to 200 units a month. It is linked to the person living there, not the person who owns the flat. When you move out, delink yourself from the old RR number on Seva Sindhu, then link the new one. Forgetting this is the number one reason a tenant's first bill in a new house is a nasty surprise.

How Do I Apply for a New BESCOM Electricity Connection?

Apply online on the BESCOM portal (Apply Online, new low tension connection), on Seva Sindhu, or through the BESCOM Mithra app: choose the domestic category, enter the premises and load, upload documents, pay the application fee, then pay the demand note after inspection.

• 1. Register and pick the service. Mobile OTP login, new connection, domestic tariff (LT-2a for homes).
• 2. Enter the load. Most flats sit between 2 and 5 kW. Do not over-declare: the fixed charge on your bill is per kW, every month, forever.
• 3. Upload documents and pay the application fee. You get an application number. Write it down; you will quote it everywhere.
• 4. Site inspection. A BESCOM engineer checks the wiring, earthing and meter position. In the city this usually happens within a few working days.
• 5. Pay the demand note. This covers the security deposit, service line and meter charges. Paying it is what starts the legal clock.
• 6. Meter fitted, RR number by SMS. Your first bill follows in the next cycle.

What Documents Do I Need for a New Connection?

You need identity proof, proof that you own or legally occupy the premises, a wiring test report from a licensed electrical contractor, and a passport photo. For a newly built building, you may also need an occupancy certificate unless your house falls in an exempt category.

• Identity: Aadhaar, passport, voter ID, PAN or driving licence.
• Ownership: Sale deed, khata certificate or extract, latest property tax receipt, or an allotment letter.
• Tenancy: Rent agreement plus the owner's no-objection letter. If the owner will not sign, an indemnity bond is the commonly accepted fallback.
• Wiring test report: Signed by a licensed electrical contractor with their licence number. BESCOM will not energise without it, so chase your electrician for this on day one.
• Building approvals: OC or completion certificate for new buildings, or proof that you qualify for the exemption described below.

Do I Need an Occupancy Certificate for a BESCOM Connection?

For most new buildings, yes, following the Supreme Court's December 2024 direction that utilities should go only to buildings with a completion or occupancy certificate. But smaller houses are now exempt: the government order under Section 241(7) of the Greater Bengaluru Governance Act exempts ground plus two (or stilt plus three) houses on plots up to 1,200 sq ft.

In June 2026 BESCOM said the relaxation, now covering homes on plots up to 2,400 sq ft, would let around one lakh households move from temporary to permanent supply, with close to 1.5 lakh conversion applications pending. Apartments, commercial buildings and bigger plots still need the OC. The details have shifted several times since 2024, so confirm what applies to your plot at your BESCOM sub-division before you file.

How Much Does a New BESCOM Connection Cost?

There is no single figure. You pay a small application fee, then a demand note that bundles a refundable security deposit (roughly two months of expected consumption, scaled to your load), service line charges and the meter. The smart meter is the item that surprises people.

BESCOM made smart meters compulsory for new and temporary connections from 15 February 2025. At the time the price was reported as about Rs 4,800 for a single-phase smart meter and about Rs 8,500 for a three-phase one, several times the cost of the old static meters. Prices have been argued over in the High Court and may have changed, so check the current figure on your demand note.

• Application fee: Small, paid online when you submit.
• Security deposit: Refundable when you surrender the connection. Keep the receipt; it is your money.
• Service line and meter: Higher if the line has to be extended to reach your plot.
• Agent fees: Zero. Nobody at BESCOM is entitled to an extra payment to fit your meter.

How Long Does BESCOM Take, and What If It Is Late?

Under the Electricity (Rights of Consumers) Rules, as amended in 2024, a complete and paid application must be energised within 3 days in metropolitan areas like Bengaluru, 7 days in other municipal areas and 15 days in rural areas. Cases needing a line extension follow KERC's longer standards.

If the deadline passes, call 1912 with your application number, then escalate to the Assistant Executive Engineer of your sub-division, whose name appears on the portal. Still stuck? File a written complaint with BESCOM's Consumer Grievance Redressal Forum. KERC's performance standards provide for compensation when the company misses its timelines, so put everything in writing.

What Should I Do Right After the Name Change or New Connection?

Register or relink Gruha Jyothi, set up autopay, and file every receipt with your property papers. Those three things save you most of the future grief.

• Gruha Jyothi: It does not switch on by itself for a new RR number. Apply on Seva Sindhu. A brand-new connection with no usage history is commonly given a default eligibility of about 58 units until your own average builds up.
• Autopay and alerts: Link the RR number in the Mithra app or your bank so a missed bill never becomes a disconnection notice.
• Paper trail: Keep the transfer confirmation, deposit receipt and wiring report with your sale deed. Your future buyer will ask, and so will their bank.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Fees, rules and portals change, so confirm the current position with BESCOM or on Seva Sindhu before you apply. Same city, new stories, always.

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