• Home
  • Financial
  • Waste Charges Stall Bengaluru Apartments' Property Tax Payments
Financial

Waste Charges Stall Bengaluru Apartments' Property Tax Payments

  • by- Zaid
  • Apr 14, 2026
Huge clusters of apartment blocks are usually first off the ground when it comes to paying annual property tax. This year, the start has been underwhelming in the first fortnight as the definition and calculation of bulk waste generators are shrouded in mystery.
Waste Charges Stall Bengaluru Apartments' Property Tax Payments

Bengaluru, April 14: Confusion surrounds solid waste management (SWM) charges, particularly for apartment complexes generating over 100kg of waste a day.

The Problem

While bulk waste generators are eligible for exemption, they are required to declare their status on the property tax portal – a process far from straightforward. With no guidance on the portal, many users are seeking external help to complete the process.

Key Statistics

  • Declared bulk waste-generating complexes: ~5,600 (including commercial)

  • These account for a not-significant percentage of overall properties in the city

Resident Concerns

Goutham Kamath, a resident of an apartment on Kanakapura Road, said: "The key issue is that no household has been systematically measuring waste so far. Now, we are asked to declare exact daily quantities. Even management committees do not have this data. Without clarity on authorised vendors or proper guidance, residents are looking at penalties if they submit incorrect data."

Ravindranath Shenoy, another resident, said: "Filing property tax this year is not the main issue, but the process is still confusing as we have to enter waste-related details, which we don't have. Some residents are guessing and entering numbers. My bigger concern is that last year, we were charged solid waste management fees despite managing waste ourselves. There's still no clarity on refunds."

Federation's View

Satish Malya, president of Bengaluru Apartments' Federation, said: "The system lacks logic. It expects individual flat owners to declare waste, even though this is managed at the apartment level through maintenance. Because of unrealistic inputs, people are ending up with inflated charges of ₹40,000 to ₹60,000 in some cases. There is no clarity on responsibility or pricing, and it feels like the process has been rolled out without proper thought."

Demands

Residents and citizen groups are urging authorities to:

  • Simplify the SWM section

  • Allow flexible data entry

  • Expand vendor options

  • Provide clear guidelines for a smoother tax-filing process