RERA Explained: What Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Check

RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) exists because, before 2016, buyers routinely paid for under-construction flats that were delayed by years or never delivered at all, with almost no recourse. Every state now has its own RERA authority and website, and every project above a minimum size must be registered before it can be advertised or sold.

What to check before you pay anything

The RERA registration number. Every legitimate project has one, and it should be listed in every advertisement and brochure. Search it on your state’s RERA website — the listing will show the promoter’s details, the promised completion date, and the project’s approved layout.

The promised completion date. This is the single most useful number on the RERA page. If a project is already behind this date, that’s a visible, official warning sign — not just something the sales team can talk around.

Carpet area, not super built-up area. RERA requires builders to quote price per square foot of carpet area (the actual usable floor space) rather than the inflated “super built-up area” figure that used to be standard. If a quote is still in super built-up terms, ask for the carpet area conversion directly.

Where your money actually goes. RERA requires 70% of funds collected from buyers to be kept in a separate escrow account, usable only for that project’s construction and land costs — meant to stop builders from funding a new project with money collected for an existing one. You can ask the promoter which account this is and confirm it’s project-specific.

Past project history. The RERA website lists a promoter’s other registered projects. A builder with a history of delayed handovers on previous projects is a real, checkable signal — not something you have to take on faith from a sales brochure.

What RERA does and doesn’t fix

RERA gives you a formal complaint mechanism and defined penalties for delays, and it made project information genuinely public for the first time. It does not eliminate delays entirely, and enforcement speed varies by state. Treat RERA registration as a minimum bar to clear, not a substitute for your own due diligence — site visits, checking the builder’s other completed (not just registered) projects, and getting your sale agreement reviewed before signing still matter.

A five-minute search on your state’s RERA portal before a site visit can save months of frustration later.