Pune flat buyers urged to check project record on MahaRERA before paying booking amount

A flat you like, an appealing sample flat, a friendly sales team and a brochure showing gardens, a clubhouse, a swimming pool, a gym, a children's play area and a nearby metro station can leave any buyer in Pune feeling happy. But before paying the booking amount, one more website should be checked: MahaRERA.

MahaRERA, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority, was set up under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016. Keeping the real estate sector within the rules, transparency, registration, disclosure of information and monitoring of complaints come under its remit. MahaRERA itself says people can view details of registered projects, builders' names and project completion status online. Even so, many buyers make one of the biggest expenditures of their lives after looking only at the builder's website, the sales office, the sample flat and Google reviews.

The difference matters. A builder's website tells you what the builder wants to sell. MahaRERA carries what the promoter is required to disclose under the rules. That does not mean everything there proves a project good or bad. It simply gives buyers a more organised source against which to test a salesperson's claims.

First, find the right project and the right phase. Large builders may have several projects, phases and towers in Pune, with similar names, a separate registration for each phase, and a legal promoter that is a different company. So do not search only by the builder's brand name. Search the official MahaRERA website by project name, promoter name or other details. If many results appear, do not open the first link. Match the project name, promoter, location, phase, registration number and project status. Note down the registration number and keep it with the brochure, quotation, cost sheet, floor plan, agreement draft and payment schedule. If a salesperson gives a number, search for it separately, because the number printed in a brochure need not belong to that flat's project.

The brand on a hoarding may differ from the legal promoter recorded on MahaRERA. Your legal relationship is with that company, not with the logo. Write down the project name, promoter, registration number, location and phase, and match them against the booking papers. If something does not match, ask questions before going ahead. Also ask whether the tower or phase your flat is in falls under this registration.

Check the registered completion date and compare it with what the salesperson promises. Different dates are not automatically a problem, but the reason should be clear and given in writing. Also look at the project's quarterly updates. MahaRERA's quarterly reporting framework covers details such as physical and financial progress, changes in the building plan, bookings, parking and changes in the professionals associated with the project. Compare the progress shown online with the actual work at the site.

If a project's period has been extended, do not panic; find out why. Check complaints too, but a complaint does not mean fault has been established. Form a view not from the number of complaints but from reading their cause, who filed them, what the outcome was and what the order says. A large project with thousands of flats may have more complaints than a small one.

Also look at the approved plan and the commencement certificate, because the brochure reflects the builder's marketing view while the approved plan shows what was actually approved. A site visit and independent legal and financial advice are also necessary, because construction quality, traffic, how the society is run and future prices cannot be learned from MahaRERA. Twenty to 30 minutes is enough for a first screening, 1 to 2 hours for serious consideration, and a purchase involving a large sum may take several hours and professional help. Opening MahaRERA before booking is the most direct step.