Before 2016, buying an under-construction flat in India meant trusting a builder’s brochure, a verbal delivery promise, and whatever paperwork the developer chose to hand over. Projects routinely ran years behind schedule, buyers had almost no formal recourse, and the actual carpet area delivered often differed meaningfully from what was marketed. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, or RERA, was introduced specifically to fix this imbalance, and a project’s RERA registration number is now one of the few things that genuinely tells you whether a developer is playing by the rules.
This guide explains what RERA actually protects you from, and walks through exactly how to verify a project’s registration on your state’s portal before you commit any money.
What RERA Actually Is
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, requires developers to register any qualifying project with their state’s regulatory authority before advertising, marketing, or selling a single unit. A project generally requires registration if its land area exceeds 500 square metres or if it has more than 8 apartments, though the exact interpretation of these thresholds can vary slightly by state. Once registered, a project falls under a set of legally binding disclosure and financial rules that did not exist in any enforceable form before RERA came into effect.
What RERA Registration Actually Protects You From
Mandatory Disclosure of Project Details
RERA requires developers to publicly disclose complete project details, layout plans, government approvals, land title status, and the developer’s own track record, all accessible on the state RERA portal. This is a meaningful shift from the pre-RERA era, where much of this information depended entirely on what a developer chose to share.
The 70 Percent Escrow Account Rule
This is arguably RERA’s most consequential financial safeguard. Developers are required to deposit 70 percent of funds collected from buyers into a separate escrow account, usable only for the construction and land costs of that specific project. Withdrawals from this account require certification from an engineer, architect and chartered accountant confirming the corresponding stage of construction has genuinely been completed. Before RERA, developers could freely divert buyer funds from one project to finance a different, unrelated project, a practice that directly caused many of the multi-year delays and stalled projects that plagued the sector.
Accountability for Delivery Timelines
Registered developers must declare a realistic project completion date, and missing it triggers a compensation obligation, generally calculated at an interest rate in the range of 9.45 to 10.75 percent annually on the amount the buyer has paid, until possession is actually handed over. This gives buyers a genuine, legally enforceable remedy rather than an open-ended wait with no consequence for the developer.
A Formal Grievance Redressal Mechanism
RERA-registered projects come with access to a structured complaint process through the state Real Estate Regulatory Authority, with a target resolution window of around 60 days, giving buyers a defined path to escalate disputes rather than relying purely on civil litigation, which in India can take years to resolve.
How to Check RERA Registration: Step by Step
Step 1: Identify Your State’s RERA Portal
Each state operates its own RERA portal, since real estate regulation under the Act is implemented at the state level. Maharashtra’s portal, MahaRERA, is widely regarded as one of the most comprehensive, with a dedicated mobile app alongside its website, while states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat operate their own equivalent portals under names like K-RERA, UP RERA and Guj RERA.
Step 2: Navigate to the Registered Projects Search Section
Once on the correct state portal, look for a section typically labelled “Registered Projects” or “Project Search.” This is where the state authority’s actual database of approved projects lives, distinct from any general information pages on the site.
Step 3: Search Using the Project Name, Developer Name, or Registration Number
If you already have the project’s RERA registration number, searching directly by that number generally gives the most accurate, unambiguous result, since project names can sometimes overlap or be spelled slightly differently across marketing material and the official filing. If you do not yet have a registration number, searching by project name, developer name, or locality should surface it, provided you enter the details precisely, since even a minor spelling variation can return no results on some state portals.
Step 4: Review the Full Project Details, Not Just the Registration Status
Once you locate the project, go beyond simply confirming it exists in the database. Check the registration’s expiry date, the disclosed developer track record, the approved layout and unit count, and the declared completion timeline. Cross-check these details against what the developer’s own marketing materials and sales team are telling you, since discrepancies between the two are a meaningful red flag worth raising directly with the developer before proceeding. If you are also comparing this project’s pricing against similar options in the area, our guide to comparative market analysis covers how to use RERA-disclosed carpet area figures for a fair price comparison across projects.
What to Do If a Project Is Not RERA Registered
A project might legitimately fall outside RERA’s requirements if it is genuinely below the size threshold, or if it was completed before May 1, 2017, when the Act came into force. If neither exemption applies and the project still shows no registration, ask the developer directly for a written explanation before proceeding any further, and treat an unsatisfactory answer as a serious warning sign rather than a minor administrative gap. Avoid making any payment until the registration status is fully clarified, and if you remain unconvinced, you can file a complaint with the relevant state RERA authority highlighting the unregistered status, or simply explore other verified, RERA-compliant projects in the same area instead.
What RERA Registration Does Not Guarantee
It is worth being clear-eyed about the limits here. RERA registration confirms regulatory compliance, mandatory disclosures, and access to a grievance mechanism, but it does not guarantee the project will be profitable as an investment, nor does it eliminate every possible risk, including genuine construction delays for reasons outside a developer’s direct control. Many state RERA portals also publish details of past orders and disputes involving specific promoters, which can offer useful insight into a developer’s track record beyond the registration status alone. If you are weighing a property purely as an investment, our real estate investment guide covers the additional factors worth evaluating alongside RERA compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is RERA registration mandatory for every real estate project in India?
Not every project. Registration is generally mandatory if a project’s land area exceeds 500 square metres or if it has more than 8 apartments, though the exact thresholds and interpretation can vary slightly by state. Projects completed before May 1, 2017 are also exempt.
How do I find my state’s official RERA portal?
Each state operates its own portal, such as MahaRERA for Maharashtra, K-RERA for Karnataka, and UP RERA for Uttar Pradesh. Searching for your state name along with “RERA” typically surfaces the correct official government portal, which should always end in a .gov.in domain.
What does the RERA escrow account rule actually protect me from?
It requires developers to deposit 70 percent of buyer funds into an account usable only for that specific project’s construction and land costs, preventing the common pre-RERA practice of diverting one project’s funds to finance a different, unrelated project, which was a major cause of stalled developments.
What should I do if a project claims to be RERA registered but I cannot find it on the portal?
Ask the developer directly for the exact registration number and cross-check it precisely on the official state portal, since minor name spelling differences can cause a search to return no results. If the number genuinely does not exist in the database, treat this as a serious red flag and avoid making any payment until the discrepancy is resolved.
Does RERA registration guarantee a project will be delivered on time?
Not automatically, but it creates a legally enforceable consequence for delay. Registered developers must declare a realistic completion date, and missing it obligates them to pay compensation, generally in the range of 9.45 to 10.75 percent annually on amounts already paid, until possession is handed over.
