In the second week after a Kokapet handover, a Hyderabad buyer we will call Anitha found that the covered parking bay she had paid for and the clubhouse promised in her brochure were simply not there. She had emails, a signed sale agreement, and payment receipts. What she did not have was a clear idea of where to take the grievance. If you are in the same position with an under construction or recently handed over flat in Telangana, this guide walks through how the complaint route works under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, and what the Telangana authority expects from you.

The short answer. A home buyer in Hyderabad files a real estate grievance online through the official Telangana complaints portal at complaints-rera.telangana.gov.in, and the matter is heard either by the Regulatory Authority or by an Adjudicating Officer. The Authority issues directions and enforces compliance, while the Adjudicating Officer decides money compensation under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 of the Act. The trade off is scope versus time. A plain compliance direction can move faster, but a compensation claim needs fuller evidence and usually takes longer, and any appeal has to be lodged within 60 days.

Where does a Hyderabad buyer actually file a RERA complaint?

You file online through the official Telangana complaints portal at complaints-rera.telangana.gov.in, which the state authority links from its main website. Telangana runs a dedicated complaints system rather than asking buyers to email a grievance and hope for a reply. You create an account, complete the complaint form, upload your documents, and pay the prescribed fee shown on the portal at the time of filing. Because the fee and the exact form fields are set by the authority and can be revised, confirm the current amount on the portal itself instead of relying on second hand figures.

Filing online matters for a practical reason. A portal submission gives you a dated acknowledgement and a complaint number, which is your proof that the clock has started and that the grievance is on record. Keep that acknowledgement, your login, and every uploaded file in one place. If the builder later claims you never raised the issue, a timestamped complaint number settles the argument. Buyers who instead send a WhatsApp message or a single email often have nothing to show for it months later, which is exactly the gap the formal portal is designed to close.

The legal basis sits in Section 31 of the Act, which allows any aggrieved person to file a complaint with the Authority for a violation or contravention of the law by a promoter, allottee, or agent. You do not need a lawyer to start the process, and you do not need to wait for other buyers to join you. A single allottee can file on the strength of their own agreement.

Who hears the case, the Authority or the Adjudicating Officer?

It depends on what you are asking for. If you want the promoter directed to do something, for example fix a disclosure, comply with a sanctioned plan, or follow the registered terms, that is the Regulatory Authority's territory. If you want money paid to you as compensation for a loss, that is decided by an Adjudicating Officer under Section 71, whose specific job is to adjudge compensation for claims that fall under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19. Telangana publishes separate cause lists and orders for the Authority and for the Adjudicating Officer, which reflects this split.

The practical takeaway is to be clear about your relief before you file. A buyer who wants a refund with interest because possession was delayed is on Section 18 ground, which is compensation territory. A buyer who simply wants the builder to correct something is usually seeking a direction. Framing the prayer correctly saves a round of back and forth.

What do you need before you file?

Gather your paper trail first, because a complaint stands or falls on documents. At a minimum you want the project's RERA registration number, your booking form and sale agreement, every payment receipt and bank statement showing what you paid, and the specific brochure page, advertisement, or written promise you say was broken. Screenshots of the builder's listing on the RERA portal help, because the registered disclosures are what the promoter is held to. Keep a short dated timeline of what was promised and when it failed, since that becomes the spine of your narrative.

Pay special attention to the registered disclosures. When a promoter registers a project, the amenities, the sanctioned plan, the completion date, and the carpet area figures become part of the public record that the builder is bound to. If your grievance is that the delivered flat departs from what was registered, your strongest evidence is the registration page itself set against what you actually received. That is why pulling and saving the project's portal disclosures early, before any dispute hardens, is worth the ten minutes it takes. A complaint that quotes the registered promise line by line is far harder to brush aside than one built on memory.

How long does the process take, and what does it cost?

Timelines vary case by case, so treat any single number with caution. What is fixed in the Act is the appeal window. If either side is unhappy with the order, an appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal must be filed within 60 days of receiving the order under Section 43(5). That same provision carries an important condition for builders. When a promoter appeals, the promoter must first deposit at least 30 percent of any penalty, or the amount including interest and compensation ordered, as a precondition to the appeal being heard. That deposit rule exists to stop a builder from stalling a buyer's award through endless appeals. It is one of the quiet strengths of the framework, and worth remembering if a developer threatens to drag your matter through higher forums.

Because timelines depend on the complexity of the case, the number of hearings, and whether either side appeals, plan for a process measured in months rather than days. Staying organised, responding to notices on time, and keeping your documents indexed will do more to keep your matter moving than any single procedural trick.

On cost, the portal charges a prescribed filing fee that you pay online while submitting. Rather than quote a figure that may have changed, check the live amount on the complaints portal before you pay, and keep the payment reference with your records.

What can you realistically ask for?

Your relief has to map to the Act, not to your frustration. Common, well grounded prayers include a direction to hand over the flat as per the registered agreement, interest for delayed possession, a refund with interest where you choose to withdraw under Section 18, or compensation for a false or misleading representation. The Adjudicating Officer weighs several factors when fixing compensation, including the gain to the builder and the loss to you, so a claim backed by clear figures does better than a round number pulled from the air.

Be realistic about proof of loss, because that is where compensation claims usually thin out. If you rented elsewhere while possession was delayed, the rent receipts are your loss. If you paid extra interest on a home loan because handover slipped, the bank statements show it. Vague claims of mental agony without numbers behind them tend to travel poorly. Line up the rupees you can document, attach the evidence for each, and let the arithmetic carry the argument rather than the adjectives.

Your seven step complaint checklist

1. Confirm the project's RERA registration number and pull its public disclosures from the official portal.
2. Assemble your agreement, booking form, receipts, and bank statements in one folder.
3. Write a short dated timeline of the promise and the breach.
4. Decide your relief, a direction from the Authority or compensation from the Adjudicating Officer.
5. Create your account on complaints-rera.telangana.gov.in and complete the complaint form.
6. Upload documents, pay the prescribed fee, and save the acknowledgement and payment reference.
7. Track the cause list and hearing dates, and be ready to appeal within 60 days if needed.

Frequently asked questions

Can I file a RERA complaint in Hyderabad without a lawyer?

Yes. Section 31 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 lets any aggrieved person file a complaint directly with the Authority, and Telangana runs an online complaints portal for this. You can represent yourself, though many buyers hire counsel for compensation claims where evidence and legal argument carry more weight.

Is a single buyer allowed to complain, or do we need a group?

A single allottee can file on the strength of their own agreement and payments. You do not need other buyers to join. Group complaints are common for shared amenity failures, but the law does not require them, and your individual case stands on your own documents and the project's registered disclosures.

What is the difference between the Authority and the Adjudicating Officer?

The Regulatory Authority issues directions and enforces compliance with the registered terms, while the Adjudicating Officer decides money compensation under Sections 12, 14, 18 and 19 through the Section 71 power. Choose your forum by your relief, a correction or an enforced term versus a cash award for a proven loss.

How long do I have to appeal a RERA order?

An appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal must be filed within 60 days of receiving the order, under Section 43(5) of the Act. If a builder appeals, the builder must first deposit at least 30 percent of the penalty or the ordered amount including compensation before the appeal is heard.

For related Hyderabad reading, see our guide on how to verify a project's Telangana RERA registration before you book, and our walkthrough on how to verify a real estate agent on Telangana RERA. For any current fee, form, or contact detail, the authority can be reached at rera-maud@telangana.gov.in or 040-29394973.

Last updated 26 July 2026. PropNewz Team.