The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 protects buyers of new projects. Here is what it covers and how to use it.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, known as RERA, was introduced to bring transparency to the sale of new homes and to give buyers a way to complain.
What RERA does#
- Requires most new residential and commercial projects to be registered with the state RERA authority before they are advertised or sold.
- Requires builders to publish project details, approvals, layouts and timelines on the authority's website.
- Requires a large share of the money collected from buyers to be kept in a separate account for that project.
- Sets out the buyer's right to a refund with interest, or compensation, if possession is delayed.
Your checklist#
- Ask for the project's RERA registration number and look it up on your state's official RERA website.
- Compare the promised possession date and the approved plan with what you are told on the site.
- Read the builder-buyer agreement; it should match the RERA format and the carpet area, not just the "super area".
- Keep every receipt and the agreement in one folder.
If something goes wrong#
Buyers can file a complaint with the state RERA authority for delays, deviations from the approved plan or defects reported within the defect liability period. The process is usually quicker and cheaper than going to a civil court.
An explainer video#
A note on resale homes#
RERA mainly protects buyers of new projects. For resale properties, due diligence on the title, the encumbrance certificate and the society's records remains your main protection.
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Super Admin
Mitti se Makan editorial team · 2 min read
