How to Check a RERA Registration in Karnataka
Before you pay a booking amount for a new apartment in Bengaluru, it is worth spending ten minutes checking whether the project is registered with the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority (K-RERA). This guide explains what RERA is, how to search the official portal, which details deserve a close look, and where registration stops being a safeguard.
What RERA is and why it matters
RERA is the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a national law. Each state sets up its own authority and rules. In Karnataka that is K-RERA, working under the Karnataka Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017.
The central rule is in section 3 of the Act. A promoter (the builder or developer) may not advertise, market, book or sell flats in a project until it is registered. Very small projects are exempt under the Act: land of up to 500 square metres, or no more than eight apartments, counting all phases together. If a project is built in phases, each phase needs its own registration.
Registration brings duties that protect buyers:
- Advertisements must carry the registration number and the authority's website address.
- A promoter cannot take more than 10% of the cost as an advance until a written agreement for sale has been signed and registered.
- 70% of the money collected from buyers must go into a separate bank account and be used only for that project's construction and land costs.
- The promoter must keep a public project page updated.
How to look up a project
- Open rera.karnataka.gov.in. The site may open in Kannada. Use the language option at the top to switch to English.
- Open the project status service, which is the "Know Project Status" button on the home page and also sits under the Services menu.
- Fill in at least one search box. The form accepts project name, promoter name, application number, registration number, district and taluk. A registration number gives the most exact match. If you search by name, try a short fragment, and choose Bengaluru Urban or Bengaluru Rural as the district.
- Read the results table, then click the "View Project Details" icon on the right row to open the full project page.
The promoter named on the portal is the legal entity that registered the project. It is often a separate project company, not the brand printed on the hoarding. One Whitefield project we looked up is registered under a company whose name differs from the developer brand it is sold under, so search by registration number or ask the seller for the exact legal name.
What to check on the project page
The results table shows the registration number, promoter, project name, status, location, dates and a complaints or litigation column. The detail page adds tabs for promoter details, project details, uploaded documents, complaints, quarterly updates and completion details.
| What to check | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Registration number and status | The number matches your brochure and draft agreement. Status should read approved. Rejected, withdrawn, revoked or transferred entries need an explanation. |
| Promoter | The legal name matches the seller in your agreement. Past projects from the last five years, including delays and pending cases, are meant to be disclosed. |
| Proposed completion date | Compare the date at registration, any extension entries, and the possession date in your agreement. |
| Approvals and plan | Sanctioned plan, commencement certificate, approving authority, land area, number and type of apartments, and carpet area. |
| Money | The project bank account for the 70% share. The portal warns buyers to pay only into the RERA-approved account. |
| Quarterly updates | Construction progress, photographs, bookings and approvals. Karnataka's rules require an upload within 15 days after each quarter ends. |
| Complaints | The complaints tab on the project, plus the promoter-wise complaint reports in the portal's complaints section. |
Red flags
- The project cannot be found by number, promoter or name, and the seller cannot give a registration number.
- The number in the advertisement does not match the portal, or the project name matches but the promoter does not.
- Only one phase or tower is registered, but you are being sold a different one.
- The registered completion date has passed, with no extension shown, and construction is clearly unfinished.
- You are asked to pay more than 10% before a registered agreement for sale, or to pay into an account other than the project account.
- Quarterly updates are missing or old, or the photographs do not match what you see on site.
- The agreement's plan, carpet area or amenities differ from the approved plan on the portal.
The portal also publishes a list of projects it says are unregistered and under investigation, with a warning to the public. Checking that list takes a minute.
What registration does and does not guarantee
Registration gives you legal footing. If a buyer relies on an advertisement or model flat that turns out to be false, the Act provides compensation, and a buyer who wants to withdraw can get the money back with interest. If the promoter fails to hand over on the agreed date, you can ask for a refund with interest or, if you stay, interest for each month of delay. Structural and workmanship defects reported within five years of possession must be fixed within 30 days. Any aggrieved person can file a complaint with the authority, and giving false information at registration can draw a penalty of up to 5% of the project cost.
Registration does not mean the project is well built, will finish on time, is fairly priced or is financially sound. K-RERA does not endorse any project. Much of the information on the project page is uploaded by the promoter, so treat it as a starting point and compare it with what you see on site. A registration number also does not replace checking the land title and the sanctioned plan with a lawyer, and the registered completion date can legitimately move, because the authority is allowed to extend a registration, for example after events such as floods or other natural calamities. Check the extension entries and ask what each one was for.
If you have a dispute, ask a lawyer how the Act applies to your agreement.
Key points
- Do not book or pay a token amount until you have found the project on rera.karnataka.gov.in and matched the registration number and promoter to your papers.
- Read the completion date, extension entries, quarterly updates and complaints, not just the word "registered".
- Pay only into the project account named on the portal, and not more than 10% before a registered agreement for sale.
- Registration gives you legal remedies, not a guarantee of quality or delivery. Have a lawyer check title and approvals.
Sources
- https://rera.karnataka.gov.in
- https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/viewAllProjects
- https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/unregProjectList
- https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/Real_Estate_Act.pdf
- https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/KARNATKA_FAQs.pdf
- https://dpal.karnataka.gov.in/storage/pdf-files/Kanunu%20padakosha%20PDF%20Files/The%20Karnataka%20Real%20Estate%20(Regulation%20and%20Development)%20Rules,%202017%20(Eng).pdf
This guide is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with a lawyer, chartered accountant or your bank before you decide.