RERA Check Before You Book: Using the Karnataka Portal Step by Step
Paying a booking amount on the strength of a brochure is a gamble, but the Karnataka RERA portal removes most of the guesswork. It is free, it needs no login and it shows what the promoter has told the regulator. This article answers the questions a Bangalore buyer usually has: what to type, what the screen means and what to do when a project is missing.
What Happens When a Project Skips Registration?
Selling before registration breaks the law, and section 59 of RERA allows a fine of up to 10% of estimated cost. Money paid early, under any receipt heading, also misses the safeguards described further down.
If a project is nowhere to be found by name or number, the safe view is that it is unregistered. A line such as "RERA applied" only reports an application. The portal lets visitors report unregistered projects and shows a list of those under investigation, so a buyer who finds a problem has somewhere to go.
Who Must Register?
The Act's section 3 covers any promoter who wants to advertise, book or sell homes or plots. Small land parcels of up to 500 sq m are exempt, and so are projects of up to eight flats in total. Everything else sold to the public falls under the rule, which takes in towers, villa communities and layouts.
Each phase counts as a project in its own right. Every advertisement must therefore carry the number of the phase advertised, plus the regulator's website address.
The Search in Five Moves
The routine below follows the portal as of October 2026.
- Reach the portal by entering its address, never by a link forwarded by an agent.
- Select project search in the main menu.
- Type the registration number, or else the project or company name.
- Use district and taluk to separate projects with common names.
- Open the details of the row that fits the project being offered.
Registered names often differ from brand names. A development sold under a catchy name could be listed against the landowner's company, or just a phase label. If a name draws a blank, try the number or the promoter.
Reading the Search Results
The row gives answers before any tab is opened. This table explains each column.
| Column | Meaning for the buyer |
|---|---|
| Registration number and status | Approval status, and the number that belongs in every document |
| Promoter | The company that has to sign for the sale |
| Approved on | When bookings became lawful |
| Proposed completion | The date now promised to the regulator |
| Completion at registration | The first promise, before extensions |
| Extensions | Any added time, whether from COVID-19 relief, section 6 or a later order |
| Complaints and litigation | A link to the cases against the project |
Comparing the two completion dates shows how far the schedule has drifted. If the newest date is already behind us and nothing extends it, the registration has lapsed. The builder should answer in writing before any money is paid.
Opening the Full Record
Tabs split the record into themes. Promoter Details and Land Details say who is building and on which survey numbers, along with any partner or dispute. Project Details lists towers, units, approvals and amenities.
Bank Details names the project's account. Uploaded Documents holds the approved plan, the commencement certificate, a title report and a draft of the sale agreement. The rest of the tabs deal with complaints, later changes to the plan and, quarter by quarter, how the structure, finishing, infrastructure and amenities are progressing.
Before relying on the record, match four things. The survey numbers must agree with the agreement's schedule, and the account must be the one on the payment demand. The flat must fall within the listed units, and the latest quarterly report must be from the quarter that just ended.
What a Number Protects
Registration limits advances: no more than 10% of the cost may be taken before the written agreement exists and is registered. Seventy per cent of collections must be kept apart for land and building work. Delay gives buyers a route to K-RERA and a claim for a refund with interest.
A number is not a quality certificate. Title and price are unconfirmed and delays still occur, so quarterly reports and the complaint record fill in the rest.
Mistakes to Avoid
Buyers who fall into trouble have usually stopped the check halfway. Watch for these:
- Trusting a printed number without searching for it online
- Locating the brand but not the exact phase or tower sold
- Noting the number yet missing the dates, original and extended
- Passing over the complaints and the promoter's wider history
- Sending the booking money to a name that differs from the registered promoter
When the sale is routed through an agent, ask for the agent's K-RERA registration, which can be searched on the portal too. A project awaiting approval can be revisited in a few weeks.
