How to Verify a Builder's Track Record in Maharashtra

The promoter's own filing is the starting point

A promoter applying to register a project with MahaRERA must list the projects it launched in the past five years, completed or still being built, under section 4(2)(b) of the RERA Act. That list is the promoter's declaration about itself, and it is public on the project's page at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in.

Open each project on the list. Compare its declared completion date with whether it was completed, and read any extensions and complaints recorded against it.

Go and see two finished projects

Pick two completed projects from the list and visit. Ask residents three things: when they got possession against the date in their agreement, whether the society has been formed and the land conveyed to it, and how the builder dealt with defects after handover. Look at the lifts, the water tanks and the terrace.

Under section 14(3), structural or workmanship defects reported within five years of possession must be fixed free of charge within 30 days. Residents who tried to use that know how the builder behaves when it costs money.

Read the title declaration for the new project

The promoter must declare on affidavit that the land is free from all encumbrances or give details of each one. Have an advocate compare that declaration with the title deeds and the sub-registrar's index, and search the promoter's name on eCourts for land and consumer disputes.

Check how the project handles money

The promoter must put 70% of buyers' money into a separate account used only for the project's construction and land. The promoter cannot take more than 10% of the cost before a registered agreement for sale. A builder asking for more at booking, or asking you to pay into a different account, is telling you something about how the rest of the project will run.

Read the agreement against the brochure

In Maharashtra the agreement for sale must follow the MahaRERA model form. Amenities, parking and the possession date that are not written into it do not bind the builder. Changes to the sanctioned plans after you book need the written consent of two-thirds of the allottees under section 14(2), so an amended plan you never agreed to is a question for MahaRERA.

If things go wrong later

If the builder misses the possession date in the agreement, section 18 lets you withdraw with a refund and interest, or stay and receive interest for every month of delay. You can file a complaint with MahaRERA against the promoter, or against an agent, under section 31.

JebuK Properties holds MahaRERA agent registration A031222602911 and checks RERA status and shortlists properties with buyers at no charge.