Starting a Homestay in Karnataka

01 / Executive finding

The practical starting point

• Karnataka's current Department of Tourism page identifies the “Notified Homestay Guidelines (29-04-2026)” and the Homestay Circular dated 27-04-2026 as the live category-specific instruments. The Department separately describes them as the Revised Guidelines 2025 and states that the guidelines apply to homestays in the state. The underlying statutory framework is the Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act, 2015 and the Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Rules, 2016. [S1, p.4 §§1–2; S2, pp.1–7; S4, §§8–10; S5, rr.1–3]
• The published homestay definition is narrow: it is a privately owned residence, including a residence in a farm or plantation, in which the owner or the owner's immediate family—expressly spouse or children—is physically residing in the same residence. The definition labels homestay a “non-commercial activity.” [S1, p.4 §2(i)]
• The guidelines state that they extend to the whole of Karnataka and that registration is compulsory to operate a homestay. The statutory Act uses somewhat different wording—registration of tourism trade in a “tourist destination”—so the exact statutory foundation for universal statewide application should remain visible as a hierarchy question, although the current category-specific Department guideline plainly directs statewide registration. [S1, p.4 §1(ii),(iv); S4, §8(1),(3)]
• A homestay must offer at least 1 and at most 6 lettable rooms, with at least 2 beds under the definition and no more than 12 guest beds overall. Operational rules additionally cap a room at 3 beds excluding children's cots, prohibit dormitory operation and bunk beds, and cap the establishment at 12 adult guests at any one time. [S1, p.4 §2(i); p.10 §5(3); S2, Annexure I ¶2]
• Ownership and residence are substantive restrictions, not merely documents: jointly owned property may be used with the required co-owner affidavit/consent, but rented, leased or sub-let residences cannot be registered as homestays. An owner with several houses may register only one, and it must be the house where that owner lives. [S1, p.5 §3.1]
• Owner absence cannot simply be cured by putting a caretaker or professional operator on the premises. The current guideline separately describes Bed & Breakfast as the owner-absent model in which a designated agent/operator resides at the establishment and labels B&B commercial; however, it expressly says separate B&B guidelines shall be issued. Those separate current guidelines were Not stated in the current official material reviewed. [S1, p.4 §2(ii)]
• The application is addressed to the Deputy Commissioner of the relevant revenue district. District Assistant/Deputy Director Tourism staff verify and coordinate the case; site verification involves representatives of the DC, Superintendent of Police, CEO Zilla Panchayat/Project Director DUDC, and AD/DD Tourism; an Approval Committee chaired by the DC decides approval or rejection. [S1, pp.5–8 §§3.2–3.3; Annexure 4, pp.21–24]
• The current guideline says the registration/renewal fee is non-refundable and “as notified by the Government” and is to be paid through the portal payment gateway, with a district-level fallback while that facility is unavailable. The current homestay-specific rupee amount was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. A generic ₹500 application fee appearing under the 2016 Tourism Trade Rules should therefore not be published as the settled 2026 homestay fee without the current fee notification. [S1, p.9 §§3.5–3.6; S5, r.3 — applicability conflict]
• Initial registration is stated to be valid for 5 years. Renewal may be granted for further periods not exceeding 5 years at a time, using the same process, and the homestay should apply at least 3 months before expiry. [S1, p.9 §§3.7–4]
• The most consequential process conflict is timing. The current guideline says certificate issuance/rejection is to be completed within 45 working days and says “deemed approval” follows after 45 working days. The controlling Act, however, says the prescribed authority shall verify the application within 90 days, and no equivalent automatic-operating entitlement was located in the Act. Applicants should not treat day 46 as permission to operate without a certificate. The official sources are not aligned. [S1, p.8 §3.3(7); S4, §10]
• Tourism registration does not establish that the site's title, proposed construction, occupancy/building use, fire position, food operation, GST treatment, environmental status, foreign-guest compliance or other address-specific permissions are lawful. Even the registration certificate says it is for registration/recognition of the homestay; separate grading is contemplated. [S1, Annexure 5 pp.25–26; S9, r.17]
• Foreign-guest reporting is now governed centrally by the Immigration and Foreigners Rules, 2025. “Accommodation” expressly includes a home stay; the keeper must electronically retain prescribed foreigner particulars for at least one year and transmit Form III electronically no later than 24 hours after arrival, with departure information likewise within 24 hours after departure. [S9, r.17(1)–(7), p.28 of Gazette PDF]
• There is enough official evidence to define the central Karnataka homestay model and build a serious pre-screening checklist, but not enough to publish all fee, entity-structure, B&B, grading, transition and implementation claims as settled. The primary 29 April 2026 PDF itself also requires final page-level verification rather than reliance on the discovery mirror. [S1/S14 source-control finding]

02 / Document chronology

Use the current rules and implementation

1. 12 July 2007 — Athithi Karnataka Home Stay scheme. The historical material contemplated owner residence, treated homestay as non-commercial, used a maximum of five rooms and contained an older classification/fee structure. It remains downloadable inside an old Department tourism-policy PDF. It is not safe to use these numerical or fee provisions as current. [S13]
2. 2015 — Karnataka Tourism Trade (Facilitation and Regulation) Act, 2015. Karnataka Act 21 of 2015 created the statutory framework for registration, recognition and grading of tourism trade, inspection, statistics, cancellation, offences and appeals. [S4]
3. 25/31 January 2017 — Karnataka Tourism Trade Rules, 2016. Notification TD 159 TTT 2015 was issued 25 January 2017 and published on 31 January 2017; the rules extend to the whole state and came into force on Gazette publication. [S5, r.1]
4. Tourism Policy 2020–26 and related earlier operational material. Older policy/guidelines remain discoverable online. They were checked as historical material but are not adopted here as the current controlling homestay instrument.
5. Karnataka Tourism Policy 2024–29. This is the “present policy” expressly referenced in the current homestay guideline. Current investment material lists “Support for Homestays” separately from the enumerated Capital Investment Subsidy and Interest Subsidy project categories. [S1, p.4 §2(vi); S7, p.6]
6. 27 April 2026 — Homestay/B&B safety and security circular. It upgrades operational, police-verification, emergency, inspection and safety protocols. [S2]
7. 29 April 2026 — Notified Homestay Guidelines. Current Department pages identify this as the notified guideline governing homestay registration. [S1]
8. 03 September 2026 — Department web pages reviewed/updated. The official Homestay Guidelines release and homestay-list page were reviewed by the Department on 3 September 2026 and continued to point users to the April 2026 instruments. This provides strong evidence that those documents remained the Department's operative public materials at the research date.

Supersession conclusion

The 2026 Department material is plainly presented as the current revised/notified regime, and its substantive rules are inconsistent with several 2007 figures. However, an express gazette clause stating that the 2007 Athithi GO is “repealed,” “rescinded” or “superseded” was Not stated in the current official material reviewed. The safe public treatment is therefore: > Use the 29 April 2026 notified guideline for current applications; do not combine it with old Athithi room limits, annual grading fees or classification rules. Formal express rescission of the 2007 GO remains unconfirmed.

03 / Category definitions

Choose the right accommodation category

04 / Eligibility decision tree

Check whether the applicant and property qualify

Step 1 — Establish the exact address and local-body category.

• Record village/town/city, taluk, revenue district, survey number, PIN, coordinates and whether the property falls under a Gram Panchayat or Urban Local Body.
• If the location is inside or near protected forest, eco-sensitive, coastal/CRZ, heritage or other specially regulated land, the tourism category cannot decide those permissions. → Confirm this in writing with the authority for the affected land/building regime.
• If the exact land/building regime has not yet been checked: → Not established in the published material Step 2 — Establish title/possession.
• Privately owned residence, title/RTC/Khata capable of verification → proceed.
• Joint ownership with all owners identifiable and consent affidavit available → proceed subject to inspection. [S1, p.5 §3.1; pp.15–16 Annexure 1]
• Rented, leased or sub-let residence → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition of Karnataka Homestay. [S1, p.5 §3.1]
• Ownership/revenue-land status unclear → Confirm this in writing with the authority Step 3 — Who is the applicant?
• Individual owner → proceed.
• Owner's spouse or child with government relationship evidence → proceed. [S1, Annexure 1]
• Another relative, company, LLP, partnership, trust, society, caretaker or unrelated authorised person → the form does not expressly establish eligibility. → Confirm this in writing with the authority Step 4 — Who physically lives at the property?
• Owner lives there → proceed.
• Owner's spouse or child lives there → potentially within the definition; proceed.
• Owner lives elsewhere and only caretaker/operator lives there → This does not appear to fit the published route.
• Owner absent but designated operator resides on premises → Consider another accommodation category, specifically the published B&B concept, but separate B&B rules were not located. [S1, p.4 §2] Step 5 — Who will operate/contracts with guests?
• Resident owner/spouse/child → clearest published route.
• External management company assisting while resident owner/family remains → legal division of registration-holder and operator is not expressly addressed. → Confirm this in writing with the authority
• External operator replaces resident owner/family → This does not appear to fit the published route; possible B&B route requires separate clarification. Step 6 — Check room/bed plan.
• 1–6 lettable rooms, total ≤12 beds, ≤3 beds per room excluding child cots, no dorm/bunks, ≤12 adults → proceed.
• 0 guest rooms → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition
• >6 lettable rooms or >12 guest beds/adults → does not appear to fit the published homestay definition
• Separate cottages are on the same plot/survey number → may be acceptable under the operational guideline.
• Separate guest cottages sit on a different survey number → This does not appear to fit the published route unless authority says otherwise. [S1, p.10 §§5(3)–(4)] Step 7 — Existing/proposed status.
• Existing residence, title/building position verified, resident host established → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks, subject to application and inspection.
• Running unregistered property otherwise meeting the definition → registration is required; continuing operation without valid approval is described as illegal. → This appears to fit the published route, subject to the remaining checks, but current operation needs immediate compliance review. [S1, p.12 §5(25)]
• Bare land/no residence yet → Not established in the published material for registration at land-only stage; first establish lawful residential development.
• Building under construction → Not established in the published material for registration before it can satisfy the residence/inspection requirements.
• Existing property with owner absent → Consider another accommodation category rather than Homestay. These are research classifications, not approval decisions.

05 / Applicant and operating structures

Set the ownership and operating structure

Important distinction: the Act's use of “person, company, association or firm” in enforcement/statistics provisions proves that such entities can be regulated under the Tourism Act; it does not prove that all such entities satisfy the narrower 2026 definition of a Homestay registration holder.

06 / Property and classification standards

Prepare the property for inspection

07 / Documents and declarations

Assemble the application file

Application-form fields

Annexure 1 records: applicant and owner names; relationship; owner Aadhaar and PAN; contact information; website/social links; Karnataka Tourism Society membership; homestay name/address; taluk/district/PIN; longitude/latitude/Google Maps link; total bedrooms; bedrooms offered to tourists; room and bathroom sizes; attached-bathroom status; tourism activities; and current registration details on renewal. [S1, Annexure 1 pp.14–15]

Download the Karnataka property and application checklist ↓

08 / Application and inspection process

Follow the application and inspection process

The inspection architecture and committee composition are unusually explicit. The Approval Committee comprises the DC as chair, CEO ZP, SP, PD DUDC, ESCOM Executive Engineer, relevant hotel/homestay/tour-operator association representatives, AD/DD Tourism as Member Secretary and any additional representatives nominated by the DC. Quorum is chair/delegate, Member Secretary and at least two others. [S1, p.8 §3.3(4)] The four inspection forms specifically test: ownership/revenue-land status; criminal antecedents and working CCTV; GP Khata/ULB Property ID; and conformity of the application/operational requirements. [S1, Annexure 4 pp.21–24]

Processing-time warning

S1 says 45 working days and “deemed approval.” The Act requires verification within 90 days. These propositions are not silently reconciled here. See §17.

09 / Fees, timelines, validity and renewal

Confirm fees, timing and certificate validity

Legacy certificates

No blanket conclusion should be made that an old Athithi Karnataka classification or annual payment automatically continues on its historical terms. Current 2026 applications and renewals should be screened against S1. A specific transition order for legacy certificates was Not stated in the current official material reviewed.

10 / Operating duties after registration

Run the registered homestay correctly

Registration and public display

The homestay must maintain valid Tourism registration and display its certificate prominently. The 27 April circular also requires applicable licences to be displayed at reception/main entrance with validity visible. Operation without valid registration/approval is described by the guideline/circular as illegal. [S1 p.11–12 §§5(22),(25); S2 pp.2,7]

Rates, billing and guest communication

The resident owner/spouse/child must clearly explain facilities and rates. The safety circular adds a printed rate card for activities/services. Under the Tourism Act, charging above the displayed price/tariff, failure to display price/tariff and failure to give a cash/credit memo are “malpractices.” [S1 p.10 §5(7); S2 Annex I ¶6; S4 §2(g)(ii)–(viii)]

Breakfast and food

Breakfast is mandatory; additional meals may be sold on request. Including the fixed breakfast cost in room tariff is only a recommendation, and local cuisine is described as desirable. [S1 p.10 §5(8)] That tourism obligation does not itself answer FSSAI/FoSCoS classification. Current central KoB material was checked, but an explicit “Karnataka Homestay” KoB was Not stated in the material reviewed. Food compliance must therefore be separately determined from the actual food operation. [S8]

Domestic guests

Every Homestay must keep a physical or electronic check-in/check-out register and obtain a scanned/photocopied identity document containing address and date of birth for domestic guests. An express general retention period for these domestic guest records was Not stated in the material reviewed in S1/S2. [S1 p.11 §5(11)]

Foreign guests

For foreign guests, the Tourism guideline requires passport details and compliance with police-prescribed reporting. The central 2025 Immigration Rules now provide the controlling accommodation-keeper mechanism:

• foreigner/OCI particulars recorded on arrival/departure;
• records maintained electronically for at least one year;
• available for inspection by specified authorities;
• Form III transmitted electronically within 24 hours after arrival; and
• departure details transmitted electronically within 24 hours after departure. “Accommodation” expressly includes “home stay.” [S9 r.17]

CCTV

Reception CCTV is mandatory under S1, and data must be retained at least 30 days. The police inspection form checks whether working CCTV is present. [S1 p.10 §5(10); Annexure4 p.22]

Staff

The 27 April 2026 circular says all permanent and contract staff backgrounds must be verified at the local police station, with verified credentials maintained physically/digitally at the property for inspection. [S2 p.2 §6] A fixed frequency for re-verification after hiring was Not stated in the material reviewed.

Safety

The circular requires prominent emergency information, police integration/random inspections and SOS-app QR display. It directs the Women & Child Development Department to design/deliver mandatory training for hospitality staff on gender sensitisation, POSH, POCSO and incident response. [S2 pp.2–4 §§5–12]

Complaints

A feedback register and complaint register with action taken must be maintained. The ordinary Homestay document does not set a specific retention period for these registers. [S1 p.11 §5(12)]

Waste and environment

Proper waste-management facilities must meet applicable laws; waste segregation, recycling, renewable energy and proper disposal are encouraged. The Safe & Honourable Tourism undertaking also contains environmental commitments. [S1 pp.11,20; S2 pp.6–7]

Local employment

Hiring local persons and procuring locally is encouraged, not stated as mandatory. [S1 p.11 §5(21); S2 Annex I ¶24]

Tourism statistics

Act §19 creates a broad duty on each owner or operator of tourism trade, whether registered or not, to furnish statistical information at prescribed intervals/form. The 2016 Rules' located implementation wording does not clearly establish a Homestay-specific periodic form/frequency for the present regime. Accordingly: Homestay-specific monthly/periodic tourism-statistics frequency: Not stated in the current official material reviewed. [S4 §19; S5]

Tax and records

The Homestay guideline's “non-commercial” label does not displace central tax law. GST registration, rates and invoice treatment require separate analysis of the actual supplier, turnover, nature of accommodation/food supplies and applicable current GST provisions. [S1 p.10 §5(2); S10]

11 / Adjacent approvals and dependencies

Close the approvals outside Tourism

Local-body implementation gap

Annexure 6 of the current guideline identifies UDD 31 MNE 2025(E) regarding Homestays but literally leaves the headings for a Rural Development & Panchayat Raj Department GO and a Revenue Department GO as “To be inserted.” This is a material publication-quality gap in the controlling document itself. [S1, Annexure6 pp.31–33]

12 / Incentives, subsidy and funding

Evaluate incentives without assuming sanction

A. Current Homestay “support” under Karnataka Tourism Policy 2024–29

Official programme/source: Karnataka Tourism Policy 2024–29; current Department investment summary. Eligible applicant/location: Homestays are named under “Support for Homestays”; complete eligibility mechanics were Not stated in the material reviewed in the reviewed current policy summary. Eligible expenditure: Not stated in the material reviewed. Assistance type/formula: Current Homestay-specific cash percentage/ceiling/formula Not stated in the material reviewed. Bank route: Not stated in the material reviewed. Application timing: Not stated in the material reviewed for Homestay-specific support. Sanction authority: Not stated in the material reviewed for the Homestay-specific support. Current applications open?: NOT CONFIRMED. Automatic?: No. Nothing located supports treating the policy heading as an automatic entitlement. The policy summary lists “Support for Homestays” under concessions/support, while its Capital Investment Subsidy list names adventure tourism, agri tourism, caravan projects, convention centres, cruise tourism, budget/premium hotel projects, houseboats, MICE venues, wellness centres and wayside amenities; its displayed Interest Subsidy list likewise does not identify Homestay as a category. A general tourism subsidy should therefore not be imported into the Homestay guide merely because the property is tourism accommodation. [S7, pp.6–7]

B. Domestic property-tax, electricity, water and utility treatment

Official basis: Current Homestay guideline §5(2). Eligible unit: A registered/qualifying Homestay under current guideline. Assistance: Guideline states that because Homestay is a non-commercial extension of domestic activities, property tax, electricity, water and other statutory/utility charges are to be at domestic rates. Ceiling/formula: Not expressed as a monetary subsidy. Implementation: Relevant local body/utility; electricity note directs owners to current KERC/ESCOM order. Automatic?: The guideline establishes the policy position, but it should not be represented as an automatic bill adjustment without the account-level process. [S1 p.10 §5(2); Annexure6 p.27]

C. Old policy incentives

Old Tourism Policy 2020–26 or Athithi Karnataka benefits must not be republished as current merely because old PDFs remain online. No current Homestay-specific headline subsidy percentage should be used unless a live 2024–29 scheme/order establishes:

• eligible applicant;
• eligible district/category;
• eligible capex;
• percentage;
• monetary ceiling;
• application-before-investment requirements;
• financing/bank conditions;
• sanction authority;
• budget availability; and
• current application status. At present those elements were Not stated in the current official material reviewed.

13 / Business implications

Translate the rules into a workable project

Before selecting or acquiring a property

For each candidate, establish before commercial assumptions are made:

1. exact survey/address/local-body jurisdiction;
2. title and co-ownership;
3. whether possession is ownership or lease;
4. identity of intended Homestay applicant;
5. which owner/spouse/child will actually reside there;
6. whether the proposed operating model is genuine Homestay or more closely resembles B&B;
7. total and lettable room/bed configuration;
8. whether cottages remain on the same survey number;
9. present building/planning status;
10. forest/CRZ/heritage/environmental overlays; and
11. whether a separate management entity is expected to contract with guests or staff. A property should not be valued commercially on a six-room Homestay assumption if the proposed structure requires a lessee or absentee owner, because those facts directly conflict with the published Homestay route. [S1 pp.4–5]

Before construction or renovation

Tourism registration is not building permission. For bare land, new construction, extra cottages or major renovation, local architectural/planning/building analysis must precede reliance on future Homestay registration. The same-survey rule for guest cottages is particularly important to concept design. [S1 p.10 §5(4)]

Registration holder versus operating entity

The current material does not establish a clean right to separate the Homestay registration holder from a professional operating company. The certificate template says the property is “owned and operated by” a named Mr/Mrs/Ms, while the eligibility and definition focus on the owner/spouse/child. [S1 Annexure5 p.25] Accordingly, the project team should not assume that a management contract automatically allows it to become:

• registration holder;
• statutory “operator” for all purposes;
• substitute resident host; or
• lessee of a Homestay. A management agreement can allocate commercial responsibilities between private parties, but it cannot by itself cure the guideline's owner-residence or no-lease restrictions.

LLP/company structures

An LLP, company or partnership may be useful for investment, staffing, procurement, branding, technology, reservation or management relationships, but no located current Homestay provision establishes that such an entity can hold the Homestay registration in its own name. Written Tourism Department confirmation is needed before using entity ownership/operator separation as a core deal assumption.

Property-development scope

Local approval determines whether proposed alterations, cottages, kitchens, parking, signage, pools, access works, wastewater systems or activity infrastructure can legally be built. The Homestay guideline is not a substitute.

Property-assessment/commercial-planning file

Each opportunity should therefore contain at minimum:

• title matrix;
• survey and local-body map;
• owner/resident-host matrix;
• current building documentation;
• proposed room/bed schedule;
• land/environment constraint screen;
• Tourism-category fit;
• food-service plan;
• guest-reporting system;
• staff/employer model;
• utility/tax status;
• capex dependent on local permission;
• pending authority questions;
• contingency if Homestay route fails and another accommodation category is needed; and
• explicit distinction between registration eligibility and commercial viability.

Questions to resolve before proposing business terms

Before the project team proposes ownership, investment, revenue-share, lease, management or operating terms, determine:

• Who owns the land and house?
• Who will be Homestay applicant?
• Who will physically reside there?
• Who will receive guest bookings/payment?
• Who will employ staff?
• Who is responsible for FSSAI, GST and foreigner reporting?
• Does the intended agreement amount in substance to a lease/sub-let?
• Can the intended operator structure be accepted in writing by Tourism?
• What happens to registration on sale, death or change of ownership?
• What capital expenditure requires prior local permission?
• What happens commercially if Tourism classifies the unit as B&B/other accommodation rather than Homestay? No fixed ownership percentage, capital contribution, revenue share, occupancy or return can be responsibly derived from the regulatory sources.

14 / Official-source conflicts

Resolve conflicting official instructions

Conflict 1 — 45 working days / deemed approval versus statutory 90-day verification

Source A: Current Homestay guideline, p.8 §3.3(7), says issuing/rejection is to be completed within 45 working days and says “Deemed approval shall be given” after that period. [S1] Source B: KTTF Act §10 provides for inspection/registration and says the prescribed authority shall verify the application within 90 days. [S4] Dates/hierarchy: The Act is superior legislation; S1 is newer category-specific executive material. Express override located?: No amendment to §10 expressly creating the Homestay 45-day deemed-approval right was located. Finding: The official sources are not aligned. Practical effect: Treat 45 working days as the current Department's published process standard, but do not advise an owner to begin operating merely because the 45th working day has passed without a certificate. Affected properties: All new/renewal Homestay applications facing delay. Written answer should come from: concerned district DC/AD-DD Tourism and, for statewide publication, the Secretary/Commissioner, Department of Tourism.

Conflict 2 — Current Homestay fee versus generic Rules fee

Source A: S1 p.9 says registration/renewal requires a non-refundable fee “as notified by the Government”, without stating the rupee amount. [S1] Source B: The 2016 Tourism Trade Rules contain a generic prescribed application-fee framework historically read as ₹500. [S5 r.3] Dates/hierarchy: Rules are statutory subordinate legislation; S1 is later, category-specific implementation material. Express 2026 fee notification located?: No. Finding: The official sources are not aligned / CURRENT HOMESTAY AMOUNT NOT CONFIRMED. Practical effect: Do not publish ₹500 as the current Karnataka Homestay registration fee unless the current portal or a 2026 fee notification is verified. Affected properties: All applications/renewals. Authority: Department of Tourism Commissioner/Secretary and district AD/DD.

Conflict 3 — Guideline “final and binding” interpretation versus statutory appeal

Source A: S1 §10 says matters of interpretation/dispute/contention are referred to Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary Tourism and that the decision is final and binding. [S1 p.13] Source B: KTTF Act §29 confers an appeal on a person aggrieved by an order/decision of prescribed/competent authority, within 30 days, with disposal within two months. [S4 §29] Hierarchy: Statutory appeal cannot silently be erased by guideline language. The provisions may concern different stages—interpretation by Secretary versus appeal from an authority's order—but S1 does not explain this. Finding: OFFICIAL SOURCES NOT FULLY ALIGNED. Practical effect: Public guidance should preserve the statutory appeal right rather than stating “no appeal.” Authority question: Confirm whether a DC Approval Committee rejection is an appealable prescribed/competent-authority order and identify the current Appellate Authority.

Conflict 4 — Statewide compulsory Homestay registration versus “tourist destination” terminology in Act

Source A: S1 expressly extends throughout Karnataka and says Homestay registration is compulsory. [S1 p.4] Source B: KTTF Act §8 frames mandatory registration around tourism trade in a “tourist destination”, a defined/notified concept. [S4 §8] Express reconciliation located?: No category-specific statutory amendment was located in this research. Finding: OFFICIAL TEXT USES DIFFERENT SCOPE LANGUAGE. Practical effect: Operationally, an applicant should follow the current statewide Department guideline; the guide should not attempt to construct a narrower exemption outside notified tourist destinations without authoritative confirmation. Authority: Secretary/Commissioner Tourism.

Conflict 5 — Local trade-licence exemption versus incomplete enabling annexure

Source A: S1 p.10 expressly states that Homestays are not required to obtain a trade licence from concerned local authorities. [S1 §5(2)] Source B/incompleteness: Annexure 6 identifies UDD GO UDD 31 MNE 2025(E) but the RDPR and Revenue Department GO headings remain literally “To be inserted.” [S1 Annexure6 p.33] This is not a direct textual contradiction, but the current primary instrument does not itself contain a complete set of the cross-department orders on which statewide local implementation may rely. Finding: IMPLEMENTATION SOURCE SET INCOMPLETE. Practical effect: the guide may report the Tourism guideline's no-trade-licence statement, but should add that this does not waive separate building/food/fire/environmental permissions and that local implementation should be checked where disputed. Affected: Gram Panchayat and ULB properties.

Conflict 6 — Tourism statistics

Source A: Act §19 broadly binds every owner/operator of tourism trade, registered or unregistered, to supply statistics at prescribed intervals/form. [S4 §19] Source B: The implementation material reviewed under the 2016 Rules does not clearly establish a current Homestay-specific frequency/form; S1 itself does not specify one. Finding: IMPLEMENTATION DETAIL NOT ALIGNED/Not stated in the material reviewed. Practical effect: You should say a statutory information duty exists, but not invent a monthly return.

Conflict 7 — Historical Athithi scheme versus current 2026 guideline

Historical material used a five-room model and old grading/fees. The current guideline uses up to six rooms and expressly says separate grading will be provided. [S13 vs S1] Finding: The old provisions are not appropriate current application standards, but an express rescission order for the 2007 scheme was Not stated in the material reviewed.

15 / Unresolved questions for the authority

Take the remaining questions to the authority

1. Current fee: S1 §3.5 says the Homestay registration/renewal fee is “as notified by Government.” What is the current notification/order number and rupee amount for new registration and renewal as at September 2026?
2. 45-day deemed approval: How should S1 §3.3(7)'s 45-working-day “deemed approval” be reconciled with KTTF Act §10's 90-day verification provision? Does deemed approval legally permit operation before an actual certificate is issued?
3. Statutory scope: What notification or legal provision connects the KTTF Act's “tourist destination” wording in §8 with S1's compulsory statewide Homestay registration requirement?
4. 2007 scheme: Does the 29 April 2026 notification expressly supersede/rescind GO No. KaSamVaPra 32 PraVaE 2007 dated 12 July 2007? If so, please provide the rescission/supersession provision.
5. B&B: S1 §2(ii) states that separate Bed & Breakfast guidelines shall be issued. Have they been notified? If yes, what order/date applies to owner-absent properties run by an agent or professional operator?
6. Company/LLP ownership: Can a privately held company, LLP or partnership that owns a residential building be the Homestay registration holder if a promoter/director/partner physically resides there, or must title and registration be in an individual's name?
7. Professional management: May a resident individual owner remain Homestay registration holder while a professional management company handles reservations, staff, marketing, distribution, guest communication and collections? Which activities would cause the unit to be regarded instead as a B&B/commercial accommodation?
8. Management versus lease: What contractual rights would cause a Homestay management agreement to be considered a prohibited “rented / leased / sub-let” arrangement under S1 §3.1?
9. Inheritance/sale: What procedure applies to death of the registration holder, inheritance, gift, sale, partition or change of ownership during the five-year certificate period? Is amendment possible or is fresh registration mandatory?
10. Other amendments: What procedure and fee applies to a change in Homestay name, number of rooms, operator/manager, contact details or other material facts after registration?
11. Joint title: Must every co-owner sign the S1 §3.1 consent affidavit? Must it be notarised or executed on specific-value stamp paper?
12. Applicant residence proof: Annexure 1 asks for “proof of residence of the Applicant.” Must that document contain the Homestay's address, or is ordinary residential proof elsewhere sufficient where the applicant is moving into the property?
13. Revenue land: Annexure 4 asks the DC representative “Is it revenue land?” What substantive eligibility consequence follows from a “Yes” answer, and what land/conversion documents are required?
14. Building permissions: Are sanctioned-plan, completion/occupancy or property-use documents required by Tourism or the approval committee even though they are absent from Annexure 1's upload list? How are older rural buildings treated?
15. Fire: Is any category of Homestay universally required to obtain a Karnataka Fire & Emergency Services NOC, and if so, what threshold determines it?
16. Trade licence: What is the complete official text of UDD 31 MNE 2025(E), and which RDPR and Revenue Department orders were intended for Annexure 6 pp.33, currently marked “To be inserted”?
17. Utility rates: What current KERC/ESCOM procedure should a registered Homestay follow to obtain/retain the domestic tariff described by S1 §5(2)?
18. Property tax/water: What corresponding GP/ULB procedure implements S1's domestic property-tax and water-charge treatment?
19. Statistics: Under KTTF Act §19 and current Rules, what statistical return, frequency and submission channel currently applies specifically to Homestays?
20. Classification: Has the “separate classification/grading scheme” promised by S1 §3.1 and Annexure5 been issued? If so, are grades mandatory or voluntary, and what fees/checklists apply?
21. FSSAI coordination: Has Karnataka Tourism/FSSAI issued any KoB clarification specifically for a non-commercial Homestay that must serve breakfast?
22. Legacy certificates: What transition/renewal treatment applies to Homestays registered under an earlier Athithi/2020–26 regime whose certificate remains unexpired?
23. Portal requirements: What are the present file type/size limits, current payment amount and all post-login declarations in the Homestay application workflow?