24 July 2026
RERA in one page: what that registration number on a listing actually guarantees
A RERA number is not a quality certificate. It is a set of specific, enforceable obligations — and knowing which ones tells you exactly what to check.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act came into force in 2016 and every state now runs an authority under it. Buyers see the registration number in advertisements and read it as a stamp of approval. It is not that. It is narrower and, used properly, more useful.
What has to be registered. A promoter cannot advertise, market, book or sell any unit in a project above the prescribed threshold without registering it with the state authority — broadly, projects over 500 square metres of land or more than eight apartments, with ongoing projects that had not received a completion certificate at commencement also brought in. Real estate agents must register separately. If a project or an agent quotes no number, that is the finding, and it is enough on its own.
The escrow rule. Seventy per cent of the money collected from buyers for a project must be deposited in a separate bank account and drawn only for that project's land and construction cost, certified by an engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant at each withdrawal. This is the provision aimed squarely at the practice of funding project B with project A's buyers. It is also the one worth asking about when a project stalls.
Carpet area is the legal basis of sale. The Act defines carpet area as the net usable floor area within the walls, excluding the external walls, shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah and exclusive open terrace, but including the internal partition walls. Sale must be on that number. Super built-up may still be quoted alongside; it cannot be the basis.
What the promoter is bound to. The sanctioned plans, layout and specifications registered with the authority cannot be altered without buyer consent in the manner the Act prescribes. Delay in handing over possession attracts interest to the buyer at the prescribed rate. Structural defects and defects in workmanship notified within five years of possession must be rectified at the promoter's cost, or compensation paid.
What it does not do. RERA does not vouch for the builder's finances, the quality of the construction, the resale value, or whether the possession date is realistic. It does not cover a resale flat between two individuals. It does not make an unregistered project illegal to build — only illegal to market and sell.
How to use it in ten minutes. Go to your state authority's portal — up-rera.in for Uttar Pradesh, and each state runs its own — and search the registration number. You should be able to see the registered project details, the promoter, the sanctioned plans, the declared completion date, the quarterly progress updates the promoter is obliged to file, and any complaints and orders against the project. A promoter who has stopped filing quarterly updates is telling you something.
If the number does not resolve on the official portal, do not proceed on the strength of a certificate shown to you on a phone screen.