RERA Basics Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Know

Buying your first home in India usually means handing over a large deposit to a builder months or years before the flat exists. For decades that gap is where buyers got burned: shifting deadlines, shrinking flat sizes, money diverted to other projects. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, known as RERA, was passed in 2016 to close that gap. It does not make a bad project good, but it gives you a public record to check and a legal route if things go wrong.

This guide walks through what RERA is, how to confirm a project is registered before you pay, the specific protections it gives you, and how to use your state RERA website. None of this takes long, and skipping it is how people lose lakhs.

What RERA actually is

RERA is a law, and under it each state and union territory runs its own Real Estate Regulatory Authority with its own website and registration system. Maharashtra calls its body MahaRERA, Karnataka has K-RERA, Uttar Pradesh has UP-RERA, and so on. The law is central but the regulator you deal with depends on where the property is. So a flat in Pune is governed by Maharashtra's authority, not by some single national portal.

The core idea is registration plus disclosure. A builder, called the promoter in the law, cannot advertise, market, or sell units in a covered project until that project is registered with the state authority. Registration forces the builder to upload approvals, the layout, the carpet area, the number of units, and a committed completion date onto a public page. That page is yours to read for free.

RERA covers most residential and commercial projects above a size threshold, commonly land over 500 square metres or more than 8 units, though the exact trigger can vary by state. Very small projects and pure renovation work may fall outside it. If a builder tells you their project is exempt, treat that as a reason to ask harder questions, not to relax.

Check the project is registered before you pay anything

This is the step that matters most and the one people skip because the sales office feels official. A glossy showroom, a brand name, and a smiling agent prove nothing. The only thing that counts is the live registration on your state RERA website. If you are still weighing whether to buy at all, our honest rent vs buy math is worth reading first, because the RERA check only makes sense once you have decided to purchase.

Ask the builder for the project's RERA registration number. A registered project has one, and they are required to display it on every advertisement and brochure. Then go to the state authority's website yourself and search for that number. Do not rely on a screenshot the agent shows you. Confirm the project name, the builder name, the registered completion date, and that the approvals are uploaded and current.

• Get the RERA registration number in writing, not just spoken at the desk.
• Open the official state RERA website directly and search the number yourself.
• Match the builder name, project name, tower, and registered end date to what you were told.
• Read the uploaded approvals and check whether earlier projects by the same builder were delivered late.
• Note any complaints or orders against the promoter, which many state portals list publicly.

What protections RERA gives you

Three protections matter most to a first-time buyer: how your flat is measured, when it must be delivered, and what happens if the builder is late. Each one targets a specific old trick.

First, carpet area. RERA defines the price in terms of carpet area, the actual usable floor space inside your walls, not the inflated super built-up area that includes a share of the lobby, staircase, and lift. For years builders quoted super built-up to make the rate per square foot look lower while charging you for space you never walk on. Under RERA the sale must be on carpet area, so you can compare two projects honestly. Carpet area is separate from stamp duty, which is charged on the agreement value and varies by state, covered in our guide to stamp duty and registration charges.

Second, delivery timelines. The completion date the builder commits to at registration is binding, not a soft target. They cannot quietly push it and treat the new date as the deal. Third, penalties for delay. If the builder misses the committed date, you are entitled to interest on the money you have paid for every month of delay, or you can withdraw and ask for a full refund with interest. The interest rate is prescribed and is meant to be the same rate, both ways, that the builder would charge you for a late payment.

There is also a money-handling rule. A defined share of what buyers pay, commonly 70 percent, must sit in a separate project-linked bank account and be used only for that project's land and construction. This is meant to stop the old habit of using your money to finish someone else's tower. It is not foolproof, but it is a real constraint that did not exist before.

How to check the state RERA website

Every state authority has a public website with a project search. The exact menus differ, but the path is similar everywhere, and you do not need to register or log in to look up a project.

• Search for your state's RERA name, for example MahaRERA, UP-RERA, or K-RERA, and open the official government site, not a lookalike.
• Find the registered projects or project search section.
• Enter the RERA registration number, or search by project name, builder name, and district.
• Open the project page and read the registered details: promoter, approvals, carpet areas, number of units, and the proposed completion date.
• Check the complaints or orders section for anything filed against that builder.

If a project you are being sold does not appear at all, that is a serious red flag. Either it is not registered, which means the builder is selling in breach of the law, or you have the wrong number. Either way, do not pay until it is resolved in writing.