How to check a project's RERA registration properly before booking

Key takeaways

• A RERA number on a brochure is a starting point, not proof that your tower or plot phase is covered.
• Large projects are often registered phase by phase, and each phase has its own registration and completion date.
• Quarterly updates on the RERA website let you compare reported progress with what you see on site.
• RERA disclosures are declarations by the promoter; they are not a legal title opinion.
• RERA gives buyers specific rights, including limits on advance payments and remedies for delay.

What does RERA registration prove, and what does it not?

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, known as RERA, requires most new residential projects to be registered with the state's real estate regulatory authority before they are advertised or sold. In Karnataka, that is the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority, which runs the official website rera.karnataka.gov.in.

Registration means the promoter, which is the developer or landowner selling the project, has filed details of the land, approvals, plans, unit sizes and completion timeline, and accepted ongoing obligations. It gives you a public record to check claims against.

It does not mean the regulator has verified the title, inspected construction quality or approved the price. There is no such thing as 'RERA approved land' or a 'RERA approved price'. Treat the RERA page as the promoter's sworn disclosure, and verify the important parts independently.

Which projects must be registered?

Under the Act, a project generally must be registered if the land proposed for development is more than 500 square metres, or if it has more than eight apartments, counting all phases. Plotted developments are covered too, not just apartments. Projects that were ongoing when the Act came into force and had not received a completion certificate also had to register.

Real estate agents who sell in registered projects must also be registered with RERA. If a broker is selling a project to you, you can check the agent's registration on the same website.

If a project that should be registered is not, or is being sold before registration, treat that as a serious warning. Smaller projects below the threshold may be legally exempt, but then you lose RERA's disclosure and remedies, so your own document checks matter even more.

Step by step: finding and reading the project on rera.karnataka.gov.in

Get the registration number from the developer's written material. By law, advertisements for registered projects must show it along with the RERA website address. Then go directly to the official website; do not rely on a link sent by the seller.

• Search the registered projects list by registration number, project name or promoter name.
• Check that the promoter's name matches the company or person who will sign your agreement.
• Open the project details and note the registration date, declared completion date and any extension.
• Download the uploaded documents: approvals, sanctioned building or layout plan, land title documents and any development agreement with landowners.
• Check the unit inventory: the number and types of flats or plots, their carpet areas, and how many are booked.
• Look for the latest quarterly update and construction progress.
• Search for complaints and orders involving the project and the promoter.

Does the registration cover your tower or phase?

This is the check buyers most often miss. Large projects are frequently developed in phases, and the Act allows each phase to be registered as a separate project with its own number and completion date. The RERA number on a hoarding or brochure may belong to Phase 1, while the unit you are being offered is in a later phase that is registered separately, or not yet registered at all.

Match the tower name or number, the floor count and your unit number against the phase's disclosed plan and inventory. Check the number of units in that phase against the sanctioned plan. If amenities such as the clubhouse or pool are being promised, see whether they sit in your phase or in a future phase that may be built much later.

For a plotted project, match your plot number and dimensions to the layout plan uploaded for that phase. If you cannot find your unit or plot in any registered phase, do not pay a booking amount until the developer shows you exactly where it is covered. A sales team saying the registration is 'coming soon' is not enough.

Reading the completion date and quarterly updates

The completion date on the RERA page is the date the promoter declared to the regulator. It is often different from the 'possession date' a sales executive mentions. Your agreement for sale should be consistent with the RERA date, and you should note any extensions the project has already been granted.

Promoters must update their project page every quarter with booking status and the status of construction and approvals. Compare the latest update with what you see on site. If the update says the structure is complete but the site shows only a few floors, or if updates have stopped for several quarters, ask why in writing.

Also compare the reported number of units sold with the developer's sales pitch. A project claiming that 'only a few units are left' should show that in its booking data.

Checking land, approvals and the promoter's history

Use the uploaded documents as a checklist, not as clearance. Confirm that the land is owned by the promoter or covered by a registered joint development agreement with the landowners. Check whether any mortgage on the land is disclosed and how buyers' units will be released from it. Confirm the sanctioned plan's approval authority, date and number of floors.

Then look at the promoter's track record. Search the RERA website for the promoter's other registered projects and see whether they were completed on time or needed repeated extensions. Look for complaints and orders, and read a few to understand what buyers complained about. Court cases can be searched on the official eCourts services portal.

An independent property lawyer can review the title and development agreement documents and give a written opinion. That is separate from, and more useful than, the RERA registration itself.

Your rights under RERA once you book

Knowing your rights helps you spot pressure tactics. These are general features of the Act; your agreement and the state rules set out the details.

• Advance limit: the promoter cannot take more than 10% of the flat or plot cost as an advance or application fee before signing a registered agreement for sale with you.
• Carpet area: the agreement must state the carpet area of the unit as defined under RERA.
• Separate account: a large share of money collected from buyers, 70% under the Act, must be kept in a separate bank account and used for that project's land and construction costs.
• Plan changes: the promoter cannot make changes to the sanctioned plans and specifications disclosed to you without the consent required under the Act.
• Delay: if possession is not given as per the agreement, you can seek interest for the delay or, if you choose to withdraw, a refund with interest.
• Defects: the promoter is responsible for fixing structural defects reported within five years of possession.
• Complaints: you can file a complaint with Karnataka RERA if the promoter does not meet these obligations.

Questions to put to the developer in writing

After checking the RERA page, send your questions by email so the answers are on record. Vague or verbal answers to these are themselves useful information.

Remember that RERA does not cover everything you care about. Water supply, flood risk, traffic and the real commute sit outside the registration, so check them separately.

• Which RERA registration number covers my tower and unit, and what is its declared completion date?
• Has the project already received any extension, and why?
• Is the land owned by you, or developed under a joint development agreement, and is any part mortgaged?
• Which amenities are in this phase, and when will the rest be built?
• What is the carpet area of my unit as per RERA, and does it match the agreement?
• When do you expect to apply for the occupancy certificate for this tower?

Checklist

• Get the RERA registration number in writing from the developer.
• Open rera.karnataka.gov.in directly, not via a link from the seller.
• Confirm the promoter name matches the party signing your agreement.
• Confirm the registration covers your exact phase, tower and unit or plot.
• Note the declared completion date and any extensions granted.
• Read the latest quarterly update and compare it with the site.
• Download the sanctioned plan, approvals and land title documents.
• Check for a joint development agreement and any disclosed mortgage.
• Check whether promised amenities fall in your phase.
• Review the promoter's other projects for delays and extensions.
• Search complaints and orders against the project and promoter.
• Check the selling agent's RERA registration if a broker is involved.
• Pay no more than 10% before a registered agreement for sale.

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Official sources

• Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA)
• eCourts Services, Government of India
• Kaveri Online Services, Karnataka (encumbrance certificates)

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and rates change; confirm on the official portal and with an independent property lawyer before you pay.