RERA — the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 — is a central law implemented at the state level to bring transparency and accountability to real estate transactions, following years of buyers being exposed to delayed projects, misleading advertisements, and diverted funds with little recourse. In Maharashtra, it's implemented and enforced by MahaRERA, the state's real estate regulatory authority.
Under the Act, any residential or commercial project on land larger than 500 sq. meters, or with more than eight apartments, must be registered with the state RERA authority before the developer can advertise, market, or accept any booking amount from buyers.
RERA registration isn't a formality — it comes with binding obligations that materially protect buyers. Registered developers must deposit at least 70% of the funds collected from buyers into a separate escrow account, and withdrawals from that account require certification from an engineer, architect, and chartered accountant confirming the withdrawal is proportionate to actual construction progress. This is designed specifically to prevent the historical problem of developers diverting one project's funds to another.
Registered projects must also file quarterly progress updates on the public MahaRERA portal, giving buyers an independent way to track whether construction is actually on schedule rather than relying on the developer's own claims. If a project misses its registered completion date, the developer is liable to pay buyers interest for the delay, or in some circumstances a full refund with interest.
Every legitimately registered project has a unique RERA registration number (in Maharashtra, typically in the format P51900XXXXXX for Mumbai-region projects). You can verify this directly on the MahaRERA website (maharera.mahaonline.gov.in) using the project search feature, searching by project name, developer name, or the registration number itself printed on the builder's brochure or advertisement.
The project's MahaRERA page will show its registered completion date, the promoter's details, and — importantly — the quarterly progress filings, which let you cross-check the developer's public claims against what they've actually disclosed to the regulator. Never accept a registration number quoted verbally without independently searching for it yourself.
As a buyer, RERA gives you the right to accurate project information disclosed at registration (carpet area — not built-up or super built-up area — is now the standard buyers must be quoted, which itself ended a long-standing source of buyer confusion), the right to compensation for possession delays, and the right to file a formal complaint directly with MahaRERA against a developer for issues including delayed possession, deviation from approved plans, or non-delivery of promised amenities.
You also have the right to a copy of all sanctioned plans, layout plans, and specifications as part of the Agreement for Sale, and the developer cannot make structural alterations to your unit or the common areas without your consent once the agreement is signed.
If a project should be registered (based on its size) but isn't, or if a developer asks for booking or token money before showing you a valid registration certificate, treat this as a serious red flag rather than a minor procedural gap. Accepting payment before registration is itself a violation of the Act, and buying into an unregistered project forfeits most of the protections described above.
If you've already paid money into an unregistered project, or a registered project is materially deviating from its filings, you can file a complaint on the MahaRERA portal, which has the authority to direct refunds, compensation, or corrective action. This is a meaningfully more accessible recourse than pursuing a civil suit independently.