How to Verify a Project's RERA Registration on Your State Portal — Step by Step

A builder's brochure can say anything. The state RERA portal cannot — it's the official record of whether a project is registered, what was promised, and whether the builder is keeping those promises. Learning to check a registration takes about ten minutes, and it's the highest-value ten minutes in any home purchase. Here's exactly how to do it.

Step 0: Know which state's portal to use

RERA is a central Act, but it's implemented by each state's own authority, and each authority runs its own portal. A project in Hyderabad is registered with Telangana's authority, not Maharashtra's. The major portals are:

• Maharashtra — MahaRERA: maharera.mahaonline.gov.in
• Telangana — TS-RERA: rera.telangana.gov.in
• Karnataka — Karnataka RERA: rera.karnataka.gov.in
• Tamil Nadu — TNRERA: tnrera.tn.gov.in
• Uttar Pradesh — UP RERA: up-rera.in
• Gujarat — Gujarat RERA: gujrera.gujarat.gov.in
• Delhi — Delhi RERA: rera.delhi.gov.in

If your state isn't listed, search the web for "[your state] RERA portal" — every state and union territory has one. Always use the official government portal, never a third-party site, for verification.

Step 1: Get the registration number (or at least the exact project name)

By law, the RERA registration number must appear in every advertisement, brochure, and hoarding for a registered project. Ask the builder's sales team for it directly — a genuine developer will share it instantly. If they hesitate, deflect, or say "registration is in process," pause everything. Marketing an unregistered project is itself a violation.

If you only have the project name, that's workable too — but get the exact spelling, including the developer's legal entity name, since similar-sounding projects are common.

Step 2: Open the portal and find the project search

On most state portals, the path looks like one of these:

• MahaRERA: Homepage → "Search" section → "Registered Projects" (you can search by project name, promoter name, or registration number). MahaRERA also publishes lists of lapsed and expired projects — worth checking.
• TS-RERA: Homepage → "Search Projects" → enter the project name or registration number.
• Karnataka RERA: "Projects" → "Registered Projects" → search by name or number.
• TNRERA: "Projects" → search registered projects by district, promoter, or project name.

Portals get redesigned periodically, so if the labels differ, look for words like "Registered Projects," "Project Search," or "Search." The function is always there.

Step 3: Confirm the registration is active

This is the most important check. A project can appear on the portal but still be a bad bet. Look for:

• Status: It should read "Registered" or "Approved" — not expired, suspended, revoked, or lapsed.
• Validity period: Registrations have an end date tied to the promised completion. If the validity has expired and the project isn't complete, the builder should have applied for an extension — check whether one was granted and why it was needed.
• Extensions: One extension for genuine reasons (say, a pandemic-era delay) is understandable. Multiple extensions are a red flag that the timeline was never realistic.

Step 4: Read the project details page

Click into the project and read what's uploaded. You're looking for:

• Promoter details: The legal name of the developing company. Compare it with the name on the brochure and the agreement — shell entities and name mismatches deserve questions.
• Project address and survey numbers: These should match the actual site location.
• Proposed completion date: Write this down. This is the date your delay-interest rights attach to.
• Sanctioned plans and layout: Check the number of towers, floors, and units. Compare with what's being sold — extra floors "to be added later" are a classic problem.
• Carpet areas: RERA portals list unit-wise carpet areas. Compare these with the sales team's figures.
• Quarterly progress reports: Promoters must upload these. Look at construction progress versus money collected. If 80% of the money is collected but only 30% of construction is done, be cautious.
• Approvals and commencement certificate: Confirm these are uploaded and valid.

Step 5: Check the complaints and orders section

Most portals publish complaints filed against projects and the authority's orders. Search the promoter's name here too. A pattern of similar complaints — delayed possession, extra charges, area disputes — tells you more than any brochure. Also check whether the promoter has other projects with lapsed registrations.

Step 6: Verify the agent as well

RERA requires real estate agents to register too. If you're buying through an agent, ask for their RERA agent registration number and verify it on the same portal. An unregistered agent operating openly is a sign of a casual attitude toward compliance all round.

Red flags to walk away from

• The project doesn't appear on the portal at all, but units are being sold.
• The registration number in the ad doesn't match any record, or belongs to a different project.
• Registration is expired or lapsed with no valid extension.
• The portal shows a different completion date than the brochure promises.
• Quarterly updates haven't been filed for a long time.
• The builder pressures you to book "before registration comes through" with a "special pre-launch price."

Any one of these is reason enough to stop and reconsider. A legitimate project has nothing to hide on its own regulator's website.

What if the portal information looks wrong?

Portals occasionally have data-entry errors — a misspelt project name, for instance. If a genuine project seems missing, try searching by the promoter's legal name or just the registration number. If the details on the portal contradict the brochure (different floor count, different completion date), ask the builder for a written explanation before proceeding. And if you suspect fraud — a fake registration number, for example — you can file a complaint with the state authority; most portals have an online complaint filing option.

Make it a habit, not a one-time check

Verification isn't just for booking day. Save the project page link and revisit it every few months until possession — watch the quarterly updates, note any extensions, and compare progress against the payment schedule in your agreement. Ten minutes now, and a few minutes each quarter, is the cheapest insurance in Indian real estate.

Start with verified projects and skip the detective work: browse RERA-registered listings on RERA Community, where registration details are part of every project profile.