Guide · RERA
How to check a project under RERA before you book
Ten minutes on the regulator’s website, done before you pay anything, is the best habit a first-home buyer can build.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) requires most new projects to be registered with the state authority before they are advertised or sold. In Karnataka that authority is K-RERA. Registration does not mean the authority vouches for the builder. It means the builder has filed its promises on the public record, where you can read them and hold the builder to them.
Step 1
Find the registration number
RERA (s.11) requires the number to appear on every advertisement and brochure. If you cannot find it, ask in writing. A registered project has nothing to hide here.
Step 2
Look it up yourself
Search the number on the Karnataka RERA website. Do not rely on a screenshot or a link someone sends you. Our step-by-step page shows what to search for and where.
Step 3
Match the details
Check the builder’s name, the project name, the address and the land survey numbers match what you were told. Note the proposed completion date the builder filed. That is the date the law holds them to.
Step 4
Read the filed documents
Look at the approved plan, the carpet area of each unit type and the quarterly progress updates. RERA (s.2(k)) defines carpet area as the net usable floor area inside your walls, so compare homes on that figure.
Step 5
Keep the 10% rule in mind
Under s.13, the builder may not take more than 10% of the cost as an advance before a registered agreement for sale. Illustrative: on a ₹70 lakh home, that is at most ₹7 lakh before the agreement is registered.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask
Does every project need RERA registration?
Most do. RERA (s.3) exempts projects where the land is 500 square metres or less, or where there are eight apartments or fewer, and projects that had a completion certificate before the Act began. If a large new project says it does not need registration, ask why in writing.
Does RERA guarantee my builder will finish on time?
No law can guarantee that. What RERA does is give you a remedy. If the builder fails to hand over by the agreed date, s.18 lets you withdraw and get a refund with interest, or stay and receive interest for every month of delay.
Where does my money go after I pay?
RERA (s.4) requires the builder to keep 70% of the money collected from buyers in a separate bank account and use it only for that project’s land and construction costs.
Is this the same as the /verify/rera page?
This guide is the habit: when and why to check. The <a href="/verify/rera">verify page</a> is the walk-through of the website itself.
Want someone to walk this with you?
The Reeva team helps first-home buyers through every one of these steps. Ask for a callback.