A young couple booking their first home in the western suburbs of Mumbai in 2025 were handed a glossy brochure stamped RERA applied and asked for a two lakh rupee token to hold the flat. They almost paid. What stopped them was a single habit: they opened the MahaRERA portal, searched the project name, and found nothing. The project was not registered. RERA applied, it turned out, meant the builder had filed paperwork and started collecting money anyway. A registration number they could actually verify did not exist. That five minute search saved them from paying an advance the law says a builder cannot collect.

The short answer. Before booking any flat in Mumbai, ask for the project's MahaRERA registration number and verify it yourself on the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in. Under Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a promoter cannot advertise, market, book or sell in a project that requires registration without registering it first, and under Section 13, a promoter cannot take more than 10 percent of the cost as advance without a written, registered agreement for sale. The trade off to understand: registration is your legal safety net, but only a confirmed number on the portal counts, never the words RERA applied.

What does MahaRERA registration actually protect you from?

MahaRERA registration protects you by forcing a builder to disclose, on a public record, the things that decide whether your money is safe. When a project is registered, the promoter must upload details of the land title, approvals, the layout, the carpet areas, the promised completion date, and quarterly progress updates. That record is what turns a sales pitch into a set of accountable commitments. If the builder later slips on timelines or specifications, you have an official baseline to hold them to and a regulator to complain to.

An unregistered project offers none of that. There is no verified disclosure, no regulated escrow discipline over your payments, and no easy forum designed for homebuyers if things go wrong. This is why the registration number matters more than the marketing. A buyer who insists on it is not being difficult; they are simply choosing the version of the purchase where the law is on their side.

How do you find and verify a project's MahaRERA number?

You verify a project on the official MahaRERA portal, which lets you search the project registration by project name, promoter name or district. Ask the developer or agent for the registration number in writing, then look it up yourself rather than relying on a certificate they hand you. For projects in the Mumbai region, the number typically follows a format beginning with P and Maharashtra's code, such as P51900 followed by a unique series of digits. If the number the builder gives you does not open a matching project on the portal, stop there.

Verifying yourself matters because a printed certificate can be old, edited, or for a different phase of the project. The live portal shows the current status. Match the project name, the promoter, the tower or wing, and the location against what you are being sold. A genuine registration will line up on every one of those points, and a project that does not line up is telling you something before you have paid a rupee.

What does the law say about advances and unregistered projects?

The law is explicit, and it sits firmly on the buyer's side. Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 makes registration mandatory before a promoter can advertise, market, book or sell in a project that requires it. So a builder collecting booking money for an unregistered project that needed registration is acting outside the law, whatever the brochure says.

Section 13 goes further on your money. Its text states that a promoter shall not accept a sum more than ten per cent of the cost of the apartment, plot or building as an advance payment or application fee without first entering into a written agreement for sale and registering that agreement. In plain terms, as an explanation of Section 13 confirms, a builder cannot take more than 10 percent from you until a registered agreement for sale is in place. If someone asks for a large advance before that, the law, not just caution, says no.

What should you read on the project's MahaRERA page?

Once you find the project, the registration page is a checklist in itself. Start with the registration status and the promised completion or possession date, then see whether the builder has filed the required quarterly progress updates, which tell you if construction is keeping pace with promises. Read the uploaded documents, which commonly include the land title, approvals and professional certificates, so you can confirm the project stands on legally sound ground.

Pay special attention to the carpet area disclosed on the portal, because RERA defines and standardises carpet area, and it should match what the builder is selling you. Note any past complaints or regulatory actions listed against the promoter. None of this requires legal training. It requires reading the page the builder is legally obliged to maintain, and comparing it, line by line, with the deal in front of you.

Registered, RERA applied and unregistered: how do they compare?

These three phrases sound similar and mean very different things for your protection. This table cuts through the marketing language.

The pattern is simple. A verifiable number is the only status that gives you the law's full protection. Everything else is either a wait or a warning. Treat the portal, not the sales lounge, as the source of truth.

What should a Mumbai buyer check before booking?

Run this checklist before you sign a booking form or part with a token, because your leverage is highest before any money moves.

1. Get the MahaRERA registration number in writing and confirm it opens the correct project on the portal.
2. Match the promoter, project name, wing and location on the portal against what you are being sold.
3. Read the disclosed completion date and check whether quarterly progress updates have been filed.
4. Compare the carpet area on the portal with the area in the builder's cost sheet.
5. Refuse to pay more than 10 percent as advance until a registered agreement for sale is signed.
6. Review the uploaded title and approval documents, or have a lawyer read them for you.
7. Check the promoter's page for past complaints or regulatory actions before committing.

These steps pair naturally with two other checks every Mumbai buyer should make. Our guide on RERA carpet area versus super built up area shows how to read what you are actually buying, and our Mumbai stamp duty and registration guide covers the costs you meet at registration.

What if a builder asks for money before showing a registration number?

If a builder asks for a booking amount before showing a verifiable MahaRERA number, treat it as a clear signal to stop. A project that needs registration and does not have it is being marketed outside the law, and any advance beyond 10 percent taken without a registered agreement for sale runs against Section 13. The polite, effective response is to say you will pay once you can verify the registration number on the portal and once a registered agreement is ready.

A genuine, compliant developer will have no problem with this, because they already have the number and the process in place. Resistance to a simple verification request is itself information, and often the most honest information you will get in the whole sales conversation. Your money is your strongest bargaining chip, and it only stays strong while it is still in your account. A registered project with a clean portal record is worth waiting for, and an unregistered one is worth walking away from, however attractive the price or the pressure to book today. Spend the five minutes on the portal before you spend the two lakhs on a token.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check if a Mumbai project is registered with MahaRERA?

Ask the developer for the MahaRERA registration number, then search it on the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in by project name, promoter or district. Confirm the project name, promoter, wing and location match what you are being sold. Only a confirmed number that opens the correct project on the portal counts as genuine registration.

Is RERA applied the same as being registered?

No. RERA applied simply means paperwork may have been filed; it gives you no legal protection. Under Section 3 of the RERA Act, a promoter cannot market, book or sell a project that requires registration without actually registering it. Wait for a confirmed registration number you can verify on the portal before paying anything.

How much advance can a builder legally take before an agreement?

Under Section 13 of the RERA Act, a promoter cannot accept more than ten per cent of the cost of the apartment as an advance or application fee without first entering into a written, registered agreement for sale. If a builder asks for more before that agreement, you are entitled to refuse until it is signed and registered.

What documents should I check on a MahaRERA project page?

Read the registration status, the promised completion date, and the quarterly progress updates that show construction pace. Check the disclosed carpet area against the builder's cost sheet, and review uploaded documents such as the land title, approvals and professional certificates. Note any complaints or regulatory actions listed against the promoter before you commit.

Last updated 14 July 2026. PropNewz Team.