Understanding RERA: A Buyer's Guide

What RERA changed

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act made project registration compulsory, forced 70% of buyer money into a dedicated escrow account, standardised carpet-area definitions and created a complaints forum that does not require a civil suit.

How to read a project's RERA page

• Registration number and validity. An expired registration means the promoter must apply for extension; ask why.
• Sanctioned plan and approvals uploaded as documents — compare them with the brochure layout.
• Quarterly progress updates. Slow or missing updates are the single best early warning of a stalled project.
• Litigation disclosure. Pending cases are listed. Read them.

Three clauses buyers miss

1. Carpet area vs super built-up. Price must be quoted on carpet area. Recompute the per-sqft rate yourself.
2. Interest on delay. RERA prescribes symmetric interest — the same rate applies to you and to the promoter.
3. Structural defect liability. Five years from handover for the promoter to repair defects at no cost.

What RERA does not do

It does not verify title quality, it does not guarantee construction standards beyond declared specifications, and it does not protect purchases in unregistered plotted layouts below the size threshold.

Practical advice

Screen with RERA, then diligence with your own lawyer. Registration is a floor, not a ceiling — UrbanEarth publishes the registration number on every project page, and we will hand over the approval set on request.