Essential safety checklist before you sign the booking amount

Amenities are registered under YOUR phase — not a future one

On the MahaRERA portal, check the phase-wise registration. If the pool, clubhouse or play area sit under a future phase (e.g. Phase 4, 2031), the builder can legally delay them for years — or swap them for another residential tower, leaving you in a permanent construction zone.

The Commencement Certificate (CC) covers your floor

Download the CC from the documents tab and read the floor approvals — BMC/TMC/PMC issue them in stages (plinth, 14th floor, etc.). If you're booking the 24th floor but the CC is cleared only to the 14th, and FSI clearances stall, your flat legally cannot be built.

The sanctioned layout matches the sales brochure

Compare the brochure with the Sanctioned Layout Plan on MahaRERA — boundary walls, open plots, parking zones. Section 14 bars plan changes without 2/3 buyer consent, but builders carve out 'new phases' on adjacent land to raise density and block your light and ventilation.

No active litigation on the project

Open the 'Litigation Details' tab on the project's MahaRERA page. A land-title dispute, a tenant-clearance fight (in redevelopment), an environmental violation or a court stay order can freeze construction overnight and lock your capital for years.

Your money goes to the 70% escrow account

MahaRERA mandates 70% of collections into a designated escrow account used only for that project's land and construction. If you're asked to pay a different/subsidiary account to 'speed up registration', the builder may be diverting funds — the #1 cause of projects stalling mid-way across Maharashtra.

Project is RERA-registered and the status is Active

Not lapsed, revoked or in abeyance. Check the MahaRERA portal — a de-registered project can freeze your money.

Carpet area is stated in square metres

RERA mandates carpet-area pricing. If you're quoted on super built-up / saleable area, you're paying for space you can't use.

Clear title & development rights

Confirm the land title is clear and the builder has the right to develop and sell — ask for the title certificate and search report.

No mortgage / encumbrance on your specific flat

Builders sometimes mortgage units to banks. Your flat must be free of encumbrance before you pay.

Builder's delivery track record

How many past projects did they finish on time? How many complaints/orders against them on RERA?

Definite possession date in writing

Reject 'tentative' or 'endeavour' dates. A firm date is what makes a delay claim enforceable under Section 18.

Approvals in place (IOD, CC, environment, fire)

Missing approvals are the #1 cause of multi-year delays.

Construction matches what's promised

Cross-check the builder's stage claims against the project's MahaRERA progress.

No demand beyond 10% before agreement registration

RERA bars the builder from taking more than 10% of the price before a registered Agreement for Sale.

Construction-linked payment plan

Avoid front-loaded plans. Each instalment should follow a real construction stage.

Pay only to the company account, never an individual

Use traceable means to the project's official account — your evidence if anything goes wrong.

Know the true all-in cost

Stamp duty, GST, registration, parking, club, maintenance, NOI/mortgage fees — get them all before you commit.

Agreement reviewed for one-sided clauses

Watch for heavy forfeiture on cancellation, vague possession escapes, and unilateral plan-change rights.

Symmetric delay interest

The rate the builder charges you for late payment must equal what it pays you for delay (SBI MCLR + 2%).

5-year defect liability & conveyance timeline

Both are your right under RERA — make sure they're written in.

Get the allotment letter in writing

Never pay a large sum on a verbal booking. The allotment should state flat no., carpet area and price.

Keep every receipt

Each payment, by traceable means, to the company account — your evidence if anything goes wrong.