RERA
How to file a RERA complaint in Karnataka (Form, steps, status)
How a Bengaluru buyer can file a complaint on the Karnataka RERA portal: who can complain, the online form fields, documents to keep, checking status and the bodies that hear appeals.
Short answer
To file a RERA complaint in Karnataka, register as a complaint user on the Karnataka RERA portal, log in, and complete the online form with the respondent, the nature of the complaint, the facts, the relief you want and supporting documents. Pay online, note the complaint number, and use it to track the complaint. The Act and the regulator decide who hears it and how.
Who can complain, and about what
Section 31 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 says any aggrieved person may file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer for a violation or contravention of the Act or of the rules and regulations made under it. The complaint can be against a promoter, an allottee or a real estate agent. So a buyer can complain about a promoter, and a promoter can also complain about an allottee.
The same section says that, for this purpose, a person includes an association of allottees or a voluntary consumer association registered under any law. The Act leaves the form, the manner and the fee for filing to the rules, so the portal's current form is the thing to follow.
Which of the two bodies receives a particular complaint depends on the subject. Under section 71, the adjudicating officer is the body for compensation under sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 of the Act. Section 12 deals with false statements in advertisements, section 14 with sanctioned plans and specifications, and section 18 with the return of money and interest when possession is late. Section 19 deals with the rights and duties of allottees. The portal's form asks you to select the complaint section and the nature of the complaint, so you do not have to decide this alone.
What to gather before you start
The portal's user manual says you will fill in the facts of the complaint and the relief you seek, and attach supporting documents, each with a caption. The manual does not list which documents to attach, so the list below is our practical suggestion, not an official checklist.
- The registration number and the portal record of the project, saved with the date you viewed it.
- Your agreement for sale or allotment letter, and any draft you were sent.
- Payment receipts and bank statements that show what you paid and when.
- Brochures, advertisements or messages that you relied on, with dates.
- Emails, letters and notes of calls with the promoter or agent about the issue.
- Your own short timeline of events, in date order.
Step by step on the portal
These steps follow the Complaint Registration user manual published on the Karnataka RERA portal. Screens can change, so treat the portal's current screens as the final word.
- Open the Karnataka RERA portal and choose Complaint Registration, which opens the complaint login page.
- If you have not used it before, choose New User and enter your name, phone number and email address. The manual says the login details are sent to your email, and you then reset the password with an OTP.
- Log in. The complaint registration form opens. Fill in all the mandatory and applicable details about yourself and click Next.
- In the respondent details, select who the complaint is against, the complaint section and the nature of the complaint.
- If the project is registered with RERA, type its name and pick the registered project from the drop-down list. If it is not registered, enter the project name and the promoter name yourself.
- Fill in the complaint subject, the facts of the complaint and the relief you are seeking, attach your supporting documents with captions, complete the respondent details and submit to preview.
- Check the preview. The manual says you can print the details for your own records.
Payment and your complaint number
After the preview the portal opens a payment page. The manual says RERA accepts payment only through e-payment, using the Treasury Unified Gateway and net banking through the listed banks. The Act leaves the fee to the rules, and the amount can be revised, so we do not print one here. Read the amount on the portal at the time you file, and check the current rule.
Keep the receipt and the payment reference number. After payment a confirmation page appears, and the manual says the complaint number generated there is the one you use to track the complaint. Save a copy of the confirmation page.
The portal's FAQ on the Karnataka Rules refers to a prescribed complaint form called Form N. The user manual we read describes only the online route, and if the portal or the Authority asks for a prescribed form or an extra document, follow that instruction.
How to check the status of a complaint
The portal has a complaint status page, listed under Services as Complaint Status. When we opened it, the search asked for at least one of four items: project name, promoter or company or firm name, temporary complaint number, or complaint number. It also showed overall counts by stage, such as disposed and under process, which change from day to day.
The portal also lists complaints under process, daily cause lists for the adjudicating officer and for the Authority, and search pages for orders of the Authority, the adjudicating officer and Lok Adalat. There are separate reports of complaints by promoter and by project. Which entries you see for your own complaint depends on where it has reached, so we cannot say what any one search will show.
What happens next, as the Act describes it
The Authority has powers under the Act to call for information and to conduct inquiries (section 35), to issue interim orders (section 36), to issue binding directions (section 37) and to impose penalty or interest for contraventions (section 38). The adjudicating officer is a person who is or has been a District Judge (section 71). Section 71 also says the application should be dealt with as expeditiously as possible and disposed of within sixty days, and that reasons must be recorded in writing if it is not. Please read that as what the Act says, not as a promise about any case, and check the current rule.
A person aggrieved by a direction, decision or order of the Authority or the adjudicating officer can appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal (sections 43 and 44). On its portal the Karnataka regulator lists this body as KREAT. Section 44 says an appeal is to be preferred within sixty days of receiving a copy of the order, and the Tribunal may accept a late appeal if it is satisfied there was sufficient cause. Section 43(5) adds that a promoter's appeal is not entertained until the promoter has made a deposit set out in that sub-section.
Section 58 provides a further appeal from the Appellate Tribunal to the High Court on specified grounds, within sixty days of the communication of its order, with the same allowance for sufficient cause. The Act also bars civil courts from entertaining matters that the Authority, the adjudicating officer or the Appellate Tribunal is empowered to decide (section 79). Whether you also have another remedy for your situation is a question for a lawyer.
What we cannot tell you
We are a reader's guide to public records, not a law firm and not part of the regulator. We cannot say whether your complaint will succeed, how long it will take, what relief you may receive, or which route suits your facts. We also cannot see your complaint or its status.
For a specific dispute, ask a qualified property lawyer to read your agreement and your papers before you file.
What we cannot tell you
- We cannot tell you the outcome of any complaint, or how long it will take. Where the Act sets a period for a body to decide, we cannot promise that it is met in any case.
- We cannot advise you on legal strategy, on which body to choose or on whether to also use another remedy. That needs a qualified lawyer who has read your papers.
- We do not print the filing fee or any appeal fee, because these are set by rules that can change. Read the amount on the portal when you file.
- The steps come from the portal's user manual and pages as we read them on the review date. The portal can change, and its current screens decide.
Common questions
- Who can file a RERA complaint in Karnataka?
- Under section 31 of the Act, any aggrieved person can file against a promoter, an allottee or a real estate agent, and an association of allottees or a registered voluntary consumer association counts as a person.
- Where do I file a complaint with Karnataka RERA?
- On the Karnataka RERA portal, through Complaint Registration. You register as a complaint user, log in, complete the form, attach documents and pay online.
- How do I check the status of my RERA complaint?
- Use the Complaint Status page on the portal and search by complaint number, temporary complaint number, project name or promoter name. Use the complaint number you received after payment.
- Can I appeal against a RERA order?
- The Act allows an appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal against an order of the Authority or the adjudicating officer, within the period in section 44. Ask a lawyer about your own deadline.
Sources
Read against these official sources on 18 Oct 2026. Rates, fees and procedures change, so check the current position on each site.