RERA
What is Karnataka RERA and the RERA Act? A plain explainer
A plain explainer of the RERA Act, 2016 and the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority: what registration means and what the Act provides for buyers in Bengaluru.
Short answer
RERA is the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. In Karnataka, the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority applies it: promoters of covered projects must register before selling, and the Authority keeps a public website of records. The Act also sets duties for promoters and a complaint route. It describes what is required, not how any project performs.
What the RERA Act is
RERA stands for the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a central law. The Karnataka regulator's own About page describes its objective as reforming the real estate sector and encouraging transparency, accountability and financial discipline. It also says all sections of the Act came into force on 1 May 2017.
The Act asks each state or Union territory to set up a regulator. It also sets up an adjudicating officer and an Appellate Tribunal, which are covered in our guide on how to file a complaint. Each state frames its own rules under the Act. The portal says the Karnataka Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017 were notified on 10 July 2017.
The Karnataka authority and its portal
In Karnataka the regulator is the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority, usually shortened to K-RERA or Karnataka RERA. The portal says the Department of Housing, Government of Karnataka is the nodal department for implementing the Act in the state. Its appellate body is listed on the same portal as KREAT.
Section 34 of the Act lists the Authority's functions. These include registering and regulating projects and agents, publishing a website of records of registered projects for public viewing, and keeping a public database of promoters whose registration has been revoked or who have been penalised. Our guide on verifying a registration shows how to use that website of records.
What registration means
Under section 3, a promoter cannot advertise, market, book, sell or offer for sale any plot, apartment or building in a covered project without first registering it with the Authority. Section 3 also lists exceptions. For example, registration is not required where the land does not exceed five hundred square metres or the apartments do not exceed eight, inclusive of all phases, although the state government may lower those thresholds.
Where a project is developed in phases, the Act treats each phase as a stand-alone project that is registered separately. So a registration number is tied to a specific project or phase, and not to a brand or a whole township. The Act also requires real estate agents to register (section 9).
Registration is a filing, not an endorsement. The documents listed in section 4(2) cover matters such as the promoter's details, the sanctioned plan, the number and carpet area of units, and declarations on title and on the time period for completion. That list does not include price or resale value. A registration record is therefore a record of what was filed and its current status, and it says nothing about quality.
What the Act provides, in outline
The list below describes provisions on paper. It says what the law requires or allows. It does not say how well any provision works in practice, and we make no claim about that.
- Registration before sale or advertising of covered projects, with each phase registered separately (section 3).
- A declaration that seventy per cent of the amounts realised from allottees is deposited in a separate bank account to cover construction and land cost, with conditions on withdrawal (section 4(2)(l)(D)).
- Compensation and, if the person wishes to withdraw, return of the amount for losses from incorrect or false statements in an advertisement or prospectus (section 12).
- A limit on advance or application money taken without a registered written agreement for sale (section 13).
- Adherence to sanctioned plans and specifications (section 14).
- A right for the allottee to claim a refund with interest, or interest for each month of delay if staying in the project, when possession is not given as agreed (sections 18 and 19).
- A route to complain to the Authority or the adjudicating officer (section 31), with an appeal to the Appellate Tribunal (sections 43 and 44).
What the Act does not do
The Act does not set the price of a flat, and nothing in a registration says a project will be finished on time or built to a standard. It sets duties and remedies. Whether those duties are met in a given project is a matter of facts that the record, the agreement and, if needed, a complaint can bring out.
Extensions of a registration are possible only in the circumstances section 6 describes, and the portal publishes an extension status page. A new date on the record is information to read carefully, not a conclusion.
How to use this on our site
Start with the registration number for the exact tower you are shown, and look it up on the Karnataka RERA portal. Our registrations page lists the records we hold and the date we last checked each one, and the portal remains the live record. The next steps in our guides are the verification guide, the guide on status, phases and completion dates, and the complaint guide.
What we cannot tell you
- We cannot tell you how effective the Act or the Authority is, in general or for any project. We describe what the text provides, not how it works out.
- We cannot confirm that a promoter is meeting its duties. Only the portal records, the agreement and the regulator can show that.
- This is a plain-language summary of public texts and is not legal advice. The Act and the Karnataka Rules are the authority, and a qualified lawyer can read them against your papers.
- We read the Act as published on the Karnataka RERA portal and the portal's pages on the review date. The Karnataka Rules, 2017 are published on the portal as a Kannada scan, so we rely on the portal's English FAQ for what the Rules say.
Common questions
- What is Karnataka RERA?
- It is the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority, the state regulator that applies the RERA Act, 2016. It registers projects and agents, publishes a website of records and hears complaints.
- Is every project in Bengaluru covered by RERA?
- Not every project. Section 3 lists exceptions, including small projects up to the stated land and apartment limits, which the state may lower.
- Does a RERA number show that a project is good?
- No. It shows that the project, or a phase of it, was registered and what was filed. It says nothing about price or quality, and the status can change.
- Where do I read the Act itself?
- The Karnataka RERA portal carries a copy of the Act, and India Code carries the official text. Read the sections you rely on, not a summary.
Sources
Read against these official sources on 18 Oct 2026. Rates, fees and procedures change, so check the current position on each site.