Transfer
Moving the entitlement to you
- Concerns the certificate and its current balance
- Involves the issuing authority's transfer process
- May require bifurcation if only part is being taken
- Says nothing about whether you can use it on your site
Understand TDR
Understand before you buy.
The terms are connected. The decisions are project-specific. This page is orientation, not a determination.
01 · Source land
Land for a public purpose
Road widening is one example. Eligibility and the applicable process need authority review.
02 · Recorded entitlement
Development Rights Certificate
A DRC records entitlement. Its current balance and transfer history matter.
03 · Receiving project
Potential additional floor area
Use depends on the receiving site’s rules and permissions. Extra floors are not automatic.
A worked example
Where the number comes from.
One illustrative site, to show what the figures on the buyer form actually describe.
- Plot area
- 12,500 sq ftThe receiving site.
- Base FAR
- 1.75Floor area without TDR: 21,875 sq ft.
- Permissible FAR
- 2.5Floor area if fully achieved: 31,250 sq ft.
- The gap
- 9,375 sq ftThe additional floor area being sought. Not the same as the DRC quantity required.
Read this carefullyThese are illustrative figures, not a determination. The gap is the additional floor area being sought — it is not the same as the DRC quantity required, which the competent authority determines, and it does not mean that quantity is permissible on any particular site.
The distinction that catches people
Transfer is not utilisation.
Two separate processes, two separate decisions. Completing one says nothing about the other.
Utilisation
Being permitted to use it here
- Concerns your receiving site and its rules
- Depends on zone, permissible FAR and site conditions
- Assessed by the authority for that site
- Can be refused even when a transfer was completed
Due diligence
Know what to check.
Six things that change the answer for a specific project.
- Whole or partial DRCA requirement may be met by a whole certificate or part of one. Part availability may need bifurcation or another authority-prescribed process.
- Current balance, not original entitlementThe original entitlement is not the available balance. Previous transfers or utilisation reduce what remains.
- Transfer is not utilisationAcquiring entitlement and obtaining permission to use it on a receiving site are separate processes with separate requirements.
- Reference value is not priceA reference value is not a confirmed market price. Any percentage-based quote needs a clearly stated basis.
- Receiving-site rules govern usePermissible FAR, zone and the receiving site's own conditions determine whether additional floor area can actually be used.
- Authority processing appliesEligibility, transfer and utilisation all involve the competent authority. Timelines and requirements are case-specific.
Units
Four measures, one conversation.
Both enquiry forms accept these. Mixing them up is the most common avoidable error.
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 sq m | 10.7639 sq ft · 0.00989 guntha · 0.000247 acre |
| 1 guntha | 1,089 sq ft · 101.17 sq m · 0.025 acre |
| 1 acre | 43,560 sq ft · 4,046.86 sq m · 40 guntha |
Convert
- sq m
- 1,161
- guntha
- 11.48
- acre
- 0.28696
Arithmetic only. It says nothing about entitlement, eligibility or what quantity a site may use.
Glossary
The words, plainly.
Twelve terms that appear throughout this site and on both enquiry forms.
- TDR
- DRC
- FAR
- Source land
- Receiving site
- Available balance
- Bifurcation
- Transfer
- Utilisation
- Reference value
- Zone
- Guntha
- TDRTransferable Development Rights
- Development potential recorded when land is given up for a public purpose, which may be used on a different site instead of the original one.
See also DRC, Source land
- DRCDevelopment Rights Certificate
- The certificate that records an entitlement. What matters in practice is its current balance and its transfer history, not the figure it was originally issued for.
See also Available balance, Bifurcation
- FARFloor Area Ratio
- The ratio of permitted floor area to plot area. A plot of 10,000 sq ft at FAR 2.0 permits 20,000 sq ft of floor area. Sometimes written FSI.
- Source landWhere the entitlement came from
- The land surrendered for a public purpose — road widening is one common example. Eligibility and the applicable process are for the authority to determine.
- Receiving siteWhere it would be used
- The project the additional floor area is intended for. Its zone, permissible FAR and site conditions govern whether entitlement can actually be used.
See also Utilisation
- Available balanceWhat is left on the certificate
- The portion of the original entitlement not yet transferred or utilised. Never assume the original figure is still available.
See also DRC
- BifurcationSplitting a certificate
- The authority-prescribed process for making part of a certificate usable separately. Needed when only a portion is being offered or acquired.
- TransferAcquiring the entitlement
- Moving the entitlement from the holder to someone else through the authority's process. Completing a transfer does not by itself permit use.
See also Utilisation
- UtilisationPermission to use it
- Approval to apply the entitlement as additional floor area on a specific receiving site. A separate question from transfer, with separate requirements.
See also Transfer, Receiving site
- Reference valueNot a market price
- A published or notified value used as a basis for calculation. It is not a confirmed market price, and any percentage-based quote needs its basis stated clearly.
- ZoneThe land-use classification
- The planning classification of a site, which shapes what may be built and whether additional floor area can be used there.
- GunthaA land measure
- A unit in common use around Bengaluru: 1 guntha is 1,089 sq ft, and 40 guntha make an acre. Entitlement quantities are usually expressed in sq ft or sq m instead.
FAQ
Common questions
- Do I need to know the exact quantity before enquiring?
- No. Locality, planning authority and project context are enough to start. Identifying the missing figures is part of the review.
- Will my seller enquiry be publicly visible?
- No. A submission remains an enquiry for business review and publishes nothing. A holder may separately authorise an anonymised card afterwards, which carries no certificate number, identity or document, and which they can withdraw.
- Can a certificate be reserved for me?
- No. Nothing is reserved, blocked or guaranteed by making an enquiry. Availability and suitability require individual checks.
- Do I upload my DRC?
- Not at this stage. The initial form does not collect DRC numbers, holder identities or documents. Any record review requires a separately agreed, controlled process.
- Does buying TDR guarantee extra floors?
- No. Transfer and utilisation are separate. Whether additional floor area can be used depends on the receiving site's zone, permissible FAR and conditions, as assessed by the authority.
- Is the original entitlement on the certificate what I can buy?
- Not necessarily. Previous transfers or utilisation reduce the available balance, so the current balance and transfer history are what matter.
Next step
Start with your project.
General education, not a determination of eligibility or legal, valuation, architectural or planning advice. Figures on this page are illustrative arithmetic. Eligibility, quantities, pricing and authority processes require case-specific review.