RERA

It is a central law that regulates the sale of real estate projects and protects home buyers, and each state or union territory sets up its own Real Estate Regulatory Authority to run it. In everyday use, “RERA” also means that state authority, as in MahaRERA or GujRERA, and “the RERA number” means a project’s registration number.

How it works

According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs FAQ (2025) (PDF), opens in a new tab, the Act received the President’s assent on 25 March 2016. Part of it came into force on 1 May 2016, and the sections on registration and the duties of promoters and agents on 1 May 2017. The ministry’s FAQ, citing the Act’s sections, explains that:

• Projects register first. Under section 3(1), a promoter must register a project with the state authority before advertising, marketing, booking, selling or offering it for sale. Under section 3(2), projects on land up to 500 square metres, or with up to eight apartments across all phases, are exempt, as are projects that had a completion certificate before the Act began.
• Agents register too. Under section 9, a real estate agent who sells registered projects must register with the authority, in each state where it operates. The definition is broad enough to cover web portals that sell flats or plots.
• Advertising is broad. Under section 2(b), any medium used to solicit a sale, including SMS and email, counts as advertisement, and under section 12 the promoter is responsible for the accuracy of what its advertisements say.
• Advances are capped. Under section 13, a promoter cannot take more than 10% of the price as an advance or application fee without first signing an agreement for sale.

Project details and updates are published on the state authority’s website, where buyers can check them.

Why it matters for sales teams

Everything a sales team says about a project is part of how it is marketed. Prices, carpet areas, amenities and possession dates should match what the promoter has registered and published, whether a salesperson, a channel partner or a voice agent says them. Buyers ask for the RERA number, often before a site visit, and a team that can give it at once starts from trust.

For lead qualification, registration status is also a filter on the other side: some buyers will consider only registered projects, and saying so early saves a wasted visit.

Example

A buyer calling about a new tower in Thane asks, “Is this project MahaRERA registered?” The right answer is the registration number and the authority’s website, taken from the project’s own documents, not “yes, of course”. If the number is not in the material the caller is working from, the honest answer is to send it after the call.

Common confusions

• RERA the Act vs the authority. The Act is national; the authorities are state bodies with their own rules and websites.
• Project registration vs agent registration. A registered project does not register the brokers selling it. Each agent registers separately.
• RERA vs the DPDP Act. RERA governs the project and its sale. How buyers’ personal data is handled falls under the DPDP Act.
• RERA registration vs building approvals. Registering with the regulator is separate from the planning and building approvals a project needs from local authorities.

This entry is a summary as of September 2026, not legal advice.