RERA explained: what it is and what it means for a home buyer

This is general information, not legal advice. Each state runs its own RERA authority with its own rules and website. Check the current rules with your state's authority or a lawyer.

RERA stands for the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. It is a national law meant to make buying a home from a builder more transparent and to give buyers a place to complain. Each state sets up its own authority to register projects and handle disputes.

What the law asks of builders

• Register a project with the state authority before advertising or selling it, if it is above the size the law sets.
• Publish key facts about the project: who the promoter is, the approvals held, the layout, the promised completion date and its progress.
• Sell by carpet area, the usable floor area inside the walls, so that buyers can compare fairly.
• Keep a large share of the money collected from buyers in a separate account for that project, so it is used for that project and not moved elsewhere.
• Answer for delay and for defects: the law provides for interest or compensation when possession is late, and for fixing structural defects for a period after handover.

Why a registered project is more credible

Registration means the builder has put the project's approvals, plans and timeline on a public record, and can be held to them. It gives you a number to check, a paper trail to compare against what you were told, and an authority to approach if things go wrong. A project that avoids registration when it should register is a warning sign.

How to check a project

1. Ask for the RERA registration number. Genuine projects show it in their advertising.
2. Search the number on your state RERA authority's official website.
3. Compare the promoter's name, the project name and address, the completion date and the status with what you were told.
4. Read the approvals listed there, and check them against the documents in our checklist.

What RERA does not do

• It does not guarantee quality, the price or that the project will finish on time. It gives you remedies if it does not.
• Small projects and some older, completed ones can fall outside it, depending on the state's rules.
• It covers the project, not the neighbourhood, and it does not replace checking the land's title.

If a Bhavano listing shows a RERA number, still check it on the state's website. We do not verify it for you, as explained on our Trust and Safety page. Browse apartments for sale, and read our guide on ready-to-move or under-construction flats before you decide.