RERA Karnataka: How to Check a Bangalore Project Before You Buy

Every apartment project in Bengaluru with more than eight units or a plot area above 500 sq m has to be registered with RERA Karnataka before the builder can advertise or sell a single flat. That registration is public, and the portal behind it holds far more than a number. This guide walks you through checking a project on rera karnataka properly, what to read once you are inside, and what you can do if the builder lets you down later.

It takes about 20 minutes per project. That is a small price for what is usually the largest cheque of your life.

What RERA Karnataka is and why it matters to buyers

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 created a regulator in every state. Karnataka's is the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA), and its website is rera.karnataka.gov.in. It covers projects in Bengaluru and across the state, whether the layout was approved by BDA, BMRDA, the Greater Bengaluru Authority's city corporations (the old BBMP) or a local planning authority.

For you as a buyer, registration means three practical things:

• The builder has filed its approvals, land title documents, layout plan and a declared completion date with a government body.
• The builder must deposit 70% of the money collected from buyers into a separate project account and use it only for that project's land and construction.
• You get a forum to complain, claim interest on delay or ask for a refund, without going straight to a civil court.

A project that is not registered (when it should be) is a hard stop. Do not pay a token amount, however attractive the pre-launch price sounds.

How to check a project on the RERA Karnataka portal, step by step

The portal layout changes from time to time, but the flow has stayed broadly the same.

1. Ask the builder or sales team for the RERA registration number. In Karnataka it usually looks like PRM/KA/RERA/1251/…/PR/…. It should also be printed on every brochure, hoarding and online ad.
2. Go to rera.karnataka.gov.in and open the section for registered or approved projects (labelled something like "Project Registered" or "Search by Project").
3. Search by the registration number, the project name or the promoter (builder) name. Try more than one: some projects are registered under the landowner's or a joint-venture company's name, not the brand you know.
4. Open the project entry and click through to the full details. You will see the promoter profile, project details, uploaded documents and quarterly updates.
5. Download and save the key documents as PDFs. Pages occasionally go offline for maintenance, and having your own copy helps if there is a dispute years later.

If the number on the brochure does not match the name on the portal, or the project is listed in a different phase from the one you are being sold, ask for a written explanation before going further.

What to look for once you open the project page

Most buyers stop at "yes, it is registered". The useful information is a layer deeper.

Proposed completion date

This is the date the builder has legally committed to. Compare it with what the sales team is promising. If they say "possession in 2027" but the portal says December 2028, the portal date is the one you can enforce. Also check whether the registration has been extended. K-RERA can grant extensions, and a project already on its second extension tells you something about how it is being run.

Quarterly progress reports

Registered builders must file a progress update every quarter, within 15 days of the quarter ending. These show the percentage of work done per tower, approvals status, the number of units booked and sometimes site photographs. Look for:

• Gaps in filing. Several missed quarters is a warning sign.
• Construction percentage that barely moves from one quarter to the next.
• Bookings that are very low compared to the stage of construction, which can mean cash-flow pressure.

Approvals and land documents

Check that the sanctioned building plan, commencement certificate, environmental clearance (for larger projects) and title documents are uploaded. Note the plan sanction authority and the number of floors approved. If you are being sold a flat on the 22nd floor and the sanctioned plan shows 18, stop there.

Promoter details and past projects

The promoter section lists directors, the company's registered address and, often, past projects. Search the portal for those older projects too and check whether they were completed on time and have occupancy certificates.

Litigation and complaints

Builders are required to disclose pending cases related to the project land. Separately, search the portal's complaints and orders section using the project or promoter name. A handful of complaints is normal for a large builder. A pattern of orders for delay interest or refunds on the same project is not.

Carpet area and common areas

RERA requires flats to be sold on carpet area, the usable area inside your walls. Compare the carpet area on the portal for your unit type with the figure in your cost sheet. Super built-up area can still be mentioned, but the price per sq ft should be checked against carpet area too.

Your rights as a buyer under RERA

Knowing these before you sign makes you a much harder person to brush off later.

• No more than 10% before the agreement. A builder cannot take more than 10% of the flat cost as advance or application fee without first signing a registered agreement for sale with you.
• Delay interest or full refund. If the builder fails to give possession by the date in your agreement, Section 18 lets you either withdraw and get a refund with interest, or stay and claim interest for every month of delay until handover. Under the Karnataka rules, this interest is set at SBI's highest MCLR plus 2%.
• Structural defects for five years. If structural defects or poor workmanship show up within five years of possession, the builder must fix them at no cost, within 30 days of being told.
• No plan changes without consent. Changes to the sanctioned plan or common areas need the consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees (other than the builder), apart from minor changes.
• Title and handover. The builder must hand over the common areas and documents to the residents' association once it is formed.

How to file a complaint with RERA Karnataka

If things go wrong after you have booked, start with a written complaint to the builder and keep every email. If that does not work:

1. Gather your documents: allotment letter, agreement for sale, payment receipts, bank statements and all correspondence.
2. Go to the complaints section of rera.karnataka.gov.in and register as a complainant.
3. Fill in the complaint in Form N, giving the project's registration number, what went wrong and what relief you want (refund, interest, possession, rectification).
4. Upload supporting documents and pay the complaint fee, which has been ₹1,000. Check the portal for the current amount before you file.
5. Track hearings and orders on the portal. The Act asks the authority to dispose of complaints within 60 days, though in practice it can take longer.

If you disagree with the order, you can appeal to the Karnataka Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. Orders are binding, and the authority can recover dues from the builder as arrears of land revenue.

Red flags that should make you pause

• The sales team cannot or will not give you the RERA number.
• The project name on the portal is different and nobody can explain why.
• Quarterly updates have not been filed for six months or more.
• The completion date has already been extended, and the builder is offering steep "limited period" discounts.
• Land title is in someone else's name with no development agreement uploaded.
• You are asked to pay a large portion in cash or to an account other than the one named in the agreement.

Checking a project on RERA Karnataka is one of the few due diligence steps you can do yourself, for free, from your phone. If you would like a second pair of eyes, Skyros Estates can go through the RERA file, approvals and title documents with you before you book a site visit or pay a token.