Every buyer has heard that they should check RERA. Very few actually do it properly. Most stop at asking the sales executive for a registration number and writing it down. The number is only the starting point. The value of RERA is in what the registration record contains, and that record is public, free and takes about fifteen minutes to read.
What RERA Is and Why It Matters to You
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act established regulatory authorities in each state to bring transparency and accountability to property development. Gujarat has its own authority, commonly referred to as GujRERA, with a public portal where registered projects and registered agents are listed.
In broad terms, promoters of qualifying projects must register before advertising or selling, must disclose project details and timelines, and must deposit a defined portion of amounts collected from buyers into a separate account to be used for that project construction and land cost. Real estate agents must also register. Exemption thresholds and procedural details exist and are updated from time to time, so confirm the current position on the official portal rather than relying on a general article, including this one.
Step by Step: Verifying a Project
- Ask the developer for the exact RERA registration number for the specific project and phase you are buying into. A phase matters. Developers register phases separately, and the number for phase one does not cover phase three.
- Go to the official Gujarat RERA portal directly. Do not use a link sent to you over WhatsApp or embedded in a brochure QR code.
- Search by registration number, or by promoter name and project name if you want to see everything that promoter has registered.
- Open the project record and read it, rather than just confirming it exists.
- Cross-check what you read against what the sales team told you. Where the two differ, the portal wins.
What to Actually Read in the Record
- Promoter identity: the registered entity name, which is often different from the marketing brand. Your agreement should be with the registered entity.
- Project completion date: the date declared to the authority. This is the legally meaningful date, not the one on the brochure.
- Approved plans and layout: compare unit count, tower count and layout against the sales presentation.
- Land details: survey numbers and area, which your advocate can match against the title documents.
- Encumbrance or mortgage disclosures on the project land.
- Progress reporting: promoters file periodic updates. Stale or missing filings are a signal worth taking seriously.
- Complaints and orders against the promoter, where the authority publishes them.
Red Flags That Should Stop a Booking
If a project is being actively marketed to you and cannot produce a valid registration for that phase, that alone is reason enough to walk away.
- The registration number covers a different phase or a different project by the same promoter.
- The completion date on the portal is materially later than what the sales team promised you verbally.
- The registered promoter entity does not match the entity named in the draft agreement.
- The unit configuration or carpet area you are being sold does not match the approved plans.
- Pressure to pay a large booking amount in cash or to sign before you have read the agreement.
- Refusal to share the draft agreement for sale in advance for your advocate to review.
Carpet Area: The Detail That Costs People Money
RERA standardised the use of carpet area, defined in the Act, as the basis for sale. Older marketing habits around super built-up area still creep back into conversations. Insist that pricing, the agreement and every cost sheet reference carpet area, and that the figure matches the registered project data. If a salesperson keeps steering you back to a larger built-up number, that is a signal about how the rest of the transaction will go.
Also Check the Agent
Real estate agents are required to be registered as well. It is a small check and it tells you whether the person handling your largest financial transaction is operating within the framework. Ask for the registration and verify it on the same portal. Any professional broker will hand it over without hesitation.
What RERA Does Not Do
RERA is a strong tool, not a guarantee. It does not verify that a project is a good investment, it does not stop delays from happening, and it does not replace independent legal due diligence on title. Registration means disclosure and accountability, not endorsement. You still need your own advocate to run the title search, review the agreement for sale and confirm approvals with the local authority.
Talk to The Shape Realtor
We check registrations, phases and completion dates as a matter of routine before we show a client anything, and we will walk you through the portal record on any project you are considering. Call +91 74900 61066 with a project name and we will look it up with you, or get in touch and browse our current listings.