How to Verify a Project RERA Registration Before You Pay Anything
Yes, check it before paying anything. Section 3 of RERA bars a promoter from advertising, booking or selling units in a covered project until it is registered with the State authority. Search the project on your State RERA portal and match every detail.
This is the shortest useful check available to an Indian home buyer, it takes a few minutes, and a surprising number of people pay a booking amount without doing it. This guide explains what the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires, which projects are exempt, what the registration record tells you beyond the number itself, and a step-by-step method for checking it, including what to compare and which findings should stop you from paying.
Key takeaways
- Section 3 of RERA requires covered projects to be registered with the State authority before they are advertised, marketed, booked or sold.
- Small projects are exempt: land not exceeding 500 square metres, or not more than eight apartments including all phases.
- Section 11(2) requires advertisements to show the registration number and the authority's website address.
- The registration record shows the declared completion date, approvals and quarterly progress, which you should compare with what the sales team says.
- Use only the official State portal, found through a careful search, and never pay on the strength of a number alone.
What does Section 3 of RERA require?
Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 provides that a promoter shall not advertise, market, book, sell or offer for sale, or invite persons to purchase, in any manner any plot, apartment or building in a real estate project in any planning area without registering it with the Real Estate Regulatory Authority established under the Act.
Section 4 deals with the application for registration and what the promoter must submit, which is why registration also produces a body of disclosed information rather than just a number. Among other things, the promoter declares the time period within which it will complete the project and undertakes that a large share of the money realised from allottees will be kept in a separate bank account for that project.
Where a project is developed in phases, the Act treats each phase as a standalone project for registration. So a registration for Phase 1 does not cover a Phase 3 tower being sold today.
Which projects are exempt from RERA registration?
Section 3(2) exempts projects where the land proposed to be developed does not exceed 500 square metres, or the number of apartments proposed does not exceed eight, inclusive of all phases. The appropriate Government can lower those thresholds for its State. Projects that received a completion certificate before the Act came into force, and renovation or repair work that does not involve marketing or selling new units, are also outside the requirement.
A promoter relying on an exemption should be able to tell you which one applies and show the documents. An exempt project is not necessarily a bad one, but you lose the disclosure, escrow and complaint mechanism the Act provides, so the contract and your own checks have to do more work.
Why the check is worth more than the number
Confirming that a registration exists is the first benefit. The second is what the registration record contains: the declared completion timeline, details of the land title and approvals, sanctioned plans, the promoter's details and past projects, and in many States quarterly progress updates.
That gives you something to compare against what you have been told in the sales office. A declared timeline on the authority record that differs from the possession date in the brochure is a discrepancy worth raising before you pay, not after.
Advertising rules help you here. Section 11(2) requires every advertisement or prospectus to mention prominently the website address of the authority where the project details are entered, and to include the registration number. A hoarding or online listing that shows neither is a warning sign in itself.
How do you check a project's RERA registration?
- Identify the authority for the State where the project is located, since RERA is administered at State level. Note that Haryana has separate authorities at Gurugram and Panchkula, so check which one covers the project.
- Find the official portal by searching for your State's real estate regulatory authority, and confirm you are on a government site before entering anything.
- Search for the project by name, promoter or registration number, and check that the registration number matches the one on your brochure and booking form exactly.
- Confirm the phase, tower or block you are buying is covered by that registration.
- Compare the declared completion date with the possession date you have been given.
- Check whether the registration is current, and whether any extensions have been granted and why.
- Download the sanctioned plan and the title documents disclosed, and look for complaints or orders against the promoter where the authority publishes them.
What to compare on the record
| Item on the record | What it tells you | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Registration number and validity | Whether the project is registered and until when | Expired registration, or a number that differs from the brochure |
| Declared completion date | The date the promoter committed to the authority | A brochure possession date earlier than the declared date |
| Sanctioned plan and unit types | Approved layout, number of floors and carpet areas | Floors or towers being sold that are not on the plan |
| Quarterly progress updates | Construction and fund status reported by the promoter | Updates missing for several quarters, or little progress since launch |
| Complaints and orders | Disputes with existing buyers | Many unresolved orders, especially for refunds |
| Promoter's other projects | Track record on delivery | Several delayed or lapsed projects |
A worked example: what a ten-minute check can find
A couple in Pune is offered a 2 BHK in Tower C of a new project at ₹82 lakh, with possession promised in December 2027 and a booking amount of ₹4 lakh due this weekend. The brochure shows a registration number.
On the State portal, the number belongs to the project, but the registration covers Towers A and B only, with a declared completion date of June 2029. Tower C has no registration yet. The sanctioned plan shows 14 floors, while the sales team is offering units on the 16th floor.
Each of those findings matters. Tower C cannot lawfully be booked yet. The declared date is 18 months later than the promised one, so the December 2027 date would be a sales promise rather than a commitment the promoter has made to the authority. Floors beyond the sanctioned plan depend on a revised approval that may never come. The couple should not pay the ₹4 lakh until each point has a written answer, and the agreement for sale should carry the declared date and a sanctioned floor.
After the check: what to ask in writing
- Confirm the registration number, and that it covers the specific tower and floor you are being offered.
- Explain any difference between the declared completion date and the date in the sales material, and state which date will be in the agreement.
- Confirm the carpet area of the unit matches the figure disclosed on the record.
- Share the draft agreement for sale before any booking amount is paid.
- Confirm the bank account for payments is the separate project account referred to in the registration, and give its details in writing.
What the absence of registration tells you
If a project that appears to be covered is not registered, that is a substantial finding rather than a technicality. It means the promoter is marketing without the disclosure and oversight the Act contemplates, and it means the information you would otherwise be able to verify does not exist in a public record.
The Act treats this seriously. Under Section 59, a promoter who contravenes Section 3 is liable to a penalty of up to ten per cent of the estimated cost of the project, and continued non-compliance can lead to imprisonment for up to three years, a fine, or both. A builder willing to take that risk with the regulator is unlikely to take fewer risks with your money.
Extensions and lapsed registrations
Registration is granted for the period the promoter declared for completion. Section 6 allows the authority, on the promoter's application, to extend it where delay is due to force majeure, and also in reasonable circumstances without default by the promoter, for a period not exceeding one year in aggregate. During the pandemic years, many State authorities granted general extensions.
An extension does not by itself change the possession date in your agreement for sale. If the record shows a revised completion date well beyond the date the sales team quotes, ask which date will go into your agreement, and insist on a fixed date. If the registration has lapsed, ask what steps are under way to revive it, and do not pay until you have a clear answer.
Check the agent as well
Section 9 requires real estate agents who facilitate sales in registered projects to register with the State authority too. If a broker is handling your booking, ask for the agent registration number and check it on the same portal. An unregistered agent is not necessarily dishonest, but a registered one is accountable to the authority, and that matters if commitments made during the sale are later disputed.
Keep a screenshot or saved copy of the project page as it stood on the day you booked, including the declared completion date and the sanctioned plan. Records can be updated later, and a dated copy of what the regulator showed when you paid is useful evidence if the project changes.
A note on portals
This article deliberately does not list portal addresses. Government web addresses change, and a stale link in a legal article is worse than no link, both because it wastes your time and because incorrect addresses in this space are a known vector for fraud.
Search for your State real estate regulatory authority and confirm you are on an official site before entering anything. Be cautious about links received over WhatsApp or SMS that claim to show a project's registration. Where you are unsure, an advocate or a property professional in your State can point you at the right one.
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Review your builder-buyer agreement contractCommon questions
The builder gave me a registration number. Is that enough?
No. Verify it on the State authority record rather than relying on the number as stated. The point of the check is confirming the record exists, that it covers the phase you are buying, and comparing what it discloses, such as the completion date and sanctioned plan, against what you have been told in the sales office.
The project is not registered but the builder says it is exempt. What now?
Section 3 contains thresholds and exceptions, such as land not exceeding 500 square metres or not more than eight apartments, so exemption is possible. Ask which exception applies and confirm it independently with the plan approvals. A promoter who cannot answer that question clearly has told you something useful about how the rest of the transaction will go.
Can a builder take a booking amount before RERA registration?
Not for a project that requires registration. Section 3 prohibits advertising, marketing, booking or selling, including inviting people to purchase, before registration. Pre-launch offers and expressions of interest collected before registration are a well-known risk, because the buyer has neither statutory disclosure nor a clear remedy if the project changes or never starts.
What if the RERA registration has expired?
Check whether an extension has been applied for or granted, which the portal usually shows. A lapsed registration means the project is not currently authorised for sales, and it often signals a delay. Do not pay new money until the position is clear, and if you are already a buyer, record your concerns in writing to the promoter.
Does a RERA registration mean the project is safe?
No. Registration means the promoter has disclosed information to the authority and accepted the Act's obligations. It does not guarantee timely completion, quality or the promoter's finances. Treat registration as the minimum, then read the disclosed documents, check the promoter's track record and progress updates, and have the agreement reviewed before signing.
How do I complain if a project is selling without registration?
You can report it to the State RERA authority, which can act against an unregistered promoter under the Act. Keep copies of the advertisement, brochure, messages and any receipts. If you have already paid, take advice promptly, because recovering money from an unregistered project can be harder and the right forum depends on the facts.
Related guides
This article is general information about Indian law as of 2026-10-26, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an advocate–client relationship. Statutes and rules change, particularly under the Labour Codes, where State rules differ from State to State. Consult a qualified advocate about your own situation.