RERA exists so buyers don’t have to trust a builder’s word alone. Most people know the acronym. Few actually check it.
Here’s how, in under ten minutes.
- Visit your state’s RERA portal (Jharkhand’s is rera.jharkhand.gov.in. )
- Search the project by name or the promoter’s name, not just the builder’s brand name, since legal entity names often differ. A registered project will show a RERA registration number, the promised completion date, and — critically — quarterly progress updates the builder is legally required to file.
Check three things specifically.
First, does the registration number on the builder’s marketing material match what’s on the portal? Mismatches happen more often than you’d expect.
Second, is the completion date on the portal the same one you were verbally promised? Sales teams sometimes quote optimistic timelines that don’t match the legal filing.
Third, look at the escrow account details. RERA requires 70% of buyer payments to sit in a separate account used only for that project’s construction, not diverted elsewhere.
If a project isn’t listed at all, that’s not automatically a scam, smaller developments sometimes qualify for exemptions, but it means you’re buying with meaningfully less legal protection, and you should ask the builder directly why.
This isn’t paperwork for paperwork’s sake. It’s the difference between a contract you can enforce and a promise you’re hoping holds up. Ten minutes on a government website is a small price for that certainty, especially compared to what’s at stake in a home purchase.
Ask before you sign. Not after.