Buyers in a stalled project near Devanahalli spent two years writing letters to their developer and receiving apologies. When they finally filed with the regulator instead, the shape of the problem changed entirely. There was now a body obliged to decide their matter within a defined period, an officer with judicial standing to hear the substance, and a mechanism for recovering money if an order went unpaid. The letters had never had any of that behind them. Knowing how the process actually works is what turns a grievance into a remedy.

The short answer. Under Section 29 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, the authority should endeavour to dispose of complaints as expeditiously as possible and not later than sixty days from filing, recording its reasons where that is not possible. Disputes under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 go before an adjudicating officer who is or has been a District Judge, and unpaid interest, penalty or compensation is recoverable as an arrear of land revenue. The trade off: the machinery is real, but it engages only when you file, and only where the project falls within the Act.

When must a project be registered for any of this to apply?

Before selling begins, not after. As the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs sets out in its official FAQs on the Real Estate Act, under Section 31 the promoter is required to register its project with the respective Real Estate Regulatory Authority before any advertising, marketing, booking, selling, offering for sale, or inviting persons to purchase in the project.

That list is deliberately wide. It captures the advertisement, the soft launch, the pre booking, and the invitation to express interest, not merely the moment a sale deed is signed. For a buyer, it means that any of those activities happening on an unregistered project is already outside what the Act permits, and it is the earliest point at which you can tell that something is wrong.

How quickly must the authority decide a complaint?

Within sixty days, as a target with a reasoned exception. The Ministry FAQs record that Section 29 provides the authority should endeavour to dispose of questions or complaints as expeditiously as possible but not later than sixty days from the date of filing. Where a matter could not be disposed of within that period, the authority is required to record its reasons for the delay.

The wording repays attention, because it is framed as an endeavour rather than an absolute guarantee. A buyer should therefore expect the sixty days to function as a strong benchmark rather than a deadline that automatically produces an outcome. What it does provide is a reference point: once that period has passed without a decision, you have a concrete basis on which to ask about the status of your matter rather than waiting indefinitely and wondering whether the delay is normal.

That requirement to record reasons is worth noticing. It does not guarantee a decision in sixty days, but it does mean delay has to be explained on the record rather than simply happening. For buyers used to open ended waiting, a defined period with a duty to justify overruns is a materially different environment from correspondence with a builder.

Who decides your complaint?

It depends on what you are complaining about. The Ministry FAQs state that the adjudicating officer is a quasi judicial person mandated to adjudicate on disputes arising under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19, and that this officer shall be a person who is or has been a District Judge. Those four sections cover false advertising, plan changes and defect liability, delayed possession, and allottee rights, which between them capture most buyer complaints.

The FAQs also describe how such disputes are weighed. The adjudicating officer is to have regard to the amount of disproportionate gain or unfair advantage, the amount of loss, the repetitive nature of the default, and other factors necessary in furtherance of justice. A complaint that documents a pattern affecting many buyers therefore lands differently from one framed purely as a personal misfortune.

What happens if an order is ignored?

The Act treats non payment as a recoverable public debt. The Ministry FAQs record that if a promoter, allottee or real estate agent fails to pay any interest, penalty or compensation imposed by the adjudicating officer, the regulatory authority or the appellate authority, the amount becomes recoverable as an arrear of land revenue, meaning it can be collected through government mechanisms similar to recovering unpaid taxes or dues.

Separate penalties attach to defiance itself. The FAQs note that under Section 63, a promoter who fails to comply with the orders of the authority is liable to a penalty for every day of default, and under Section 64, failure to comply with orders of the Appellate Tribunal can attract a daily penalty cumulatively extending up to 10 percent of the estimated cost of the project, or imprisonment up to three years, or both.

The final row is the one buyers most often underestimate. An award that cannot be enforced is of limited value, and the Act's decision to route recovery through land revenue machinery is what gives an order practical teeth. It also explains why some promoters settle once a matter is genuinely filed rather than allowing an order to be passed against them, since the consequences of an unpaid award reach well beyond the individual dispute.

Can you use the consumer forum instead?

You can choose, but you cannot do both. The Ministry FAQs are clear that the laws of the country do not permit forum shopping, so an aggrieved person can approach only one of the two forums for disputes over the same matter. They also record that the proviso to Section 71 permits a complainant to withdraw a complaint regarding matters under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 from the consumer forum and file it with the adjudicating officer appointed under the Act.

Choosing deliberately at the outset therefore saves time, and switching later is only possible in the specific way the proviso allows. It is also worth remembering that the regulator's remit is the project and the promoter. Grievances against your lender follow an entirely separate route, which we set out in our guide to complaining about a home loan lender to the RBI Ombudsman. Two different problems, two different forums, and mixing them wastes months.

What makes a complaint strong?

Documents, dates, and a specific ask. The rights you are asserting are usually defined in the Act, so the work lies in showing what was promised, what happened, and what you want done about it. A complaint that identifies the provision, the breach, and the remedy sought is far easier to decide than a narrative of frustration.

Precision about the remedy matters as much as precision about the breach. A buyer who wants a refund with interest is asking for something different from a buyer who wants the project completed and compensation for the wait, and the two lead to different outcomes. Deciding which you actually want, before you file, avoids the common situation in which a complaint succeeds on the facts but delivers a result the complainant never really wanted. Build that file from the beginning of the purchase rather than at the point of dispute. Your agreement, the disclosures you relied on, your payment receipts, and your written exchanges with the promoter are the raw material. Our guide to RERA Section 19 rights and duties covers what you are entitled to request along the way, and requesting it early is what makes the record exist at all.

A complaint preparation checklist

Work through these seven steps before filing with the authority.

1. Confirm the project is registered, since the Act's routes depend on it.
2. Identify which section your grievance falls under, such as 12, 14, 18 or 19.
3. Assemble the agreement, receipts, disclosures and written exchanges by date.
4. State the breach in a few precise sentences rather than as a long narrative.
5. Say clearly what remedy you are seeking, whether refund, interest or rectification.
6. Decide between the regulator and the consumer forum, and use only one.
7. Note the filing date and track the sixty day period from it.

If you are still at the selection stage, choosing a well documented project reduces the chance of ever needing this. Reading a specific development's published detail, such as our coverage of Brigade Uttarahalli on Kanakapura Road, is a reasonable place to start that comparison.

Frequently asked questions

How long does the authority take to decide a complaint? Section 29 provides that the authority should endeavour to dispose of questions or complaints as expeditiously as possible but not later than sixty days from the date of filing. Where that is not possible, the authority is required to record its reasons for the delay.

When must a builder register a project? Under Section 31, the promoter must register the project with the respective authority before any advertising, marketing, booking, selling, offering for sale, or inviting persons to purchase in the project. Selling activity on an unregistered project is outside what the Act permits.

What if the builder does not pay what is ordered? The Ministry FAQs record that unpaid interest, penalty or compensation imposed by the adjudicating officer, the regulatory authority or the appellate authority becomes recoverable as an arrear of land revenue, collectible through government mechanisms similar to recovering unpaid taxes or dues.

Can I file with both RERA and a consumer forum? No. The Ministry FAQs state the laws of the country do not permit forum shopping, so you may approach only one forum for the same dispute. The proviso to Section 71 does allow withdrawing a complaint under Sections 12, 14, 18 or 19 from a consumer forum and filing it with the adjudicating officer.

Last updated 2026-07-25. PropNewz Team.