A buyer in Mumbai stood in front of a hoarding for a new tower near a suburban station, the kind that promises possession in a couple of years and a view of the sea. Out of habit picked up from a friend who had been burned once, she lifted her phone and scanned the small square code printed in the corner. It opened a government page with the project's registration, its approved plan and its promised completion date, and the details matched the brochure in her hand. A tower two streets away carried no such code at all, only a phone number and a render. The difference between the two was not the marble in the lobby. It was whether the state had a record of the project you could read for yourself.

The short answer. Every advertisement for a MahaRERA registered project in Maharashtra has had to carry the project's registration number, the MahaRERA website and a scannable QR code since 1 August 2023, placed in the top right of the advertisement. Scanning that code, or searching the number on the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in, opens the project's authenticated record. A project on land above 500 square metres or with more than eight apartments must be registered before it is advertised or sold at all. The trade off is almost none. The check takes seconds from the advertisement itself, and an advertisement with no code or number is already telling you to slow down.

What is the MahaRERA QR code and where must it appear?

The QR code is a scannable link to a project's official MahaRERA record, and it is now compulsory on the marketing itself. Under a MahaRERA order that took effect on 1 August 2023, every promoter of a registered project has to display the MahaRERA registration number, the authority's website address and a QR code in all advertisements, whether print, digital, hoardings, brochures or social media posts. The order specifies that these appear prominently in the top right quadrant of the advertisement, so a buyer knows where to look rather than hunting through fine print. The code is not decorative. It is meant to link straight to the project's page on the MahaRERA site, where the registration and the project details sit as the authority holds them. For a buyer this changes the verification from a task you do later at a desk into one you can do standing in front of the hoarding, which is exactly the moment the marketing is trying to move you.

How do I verify a project from a Mumbai advertisement?

You verify it in one of two ways, and both start from the advertisement. The direct route is to scan the QR code printed on the advertisement with your phone, which should open the project's record on the MahaRERA portal. The alternative, if the code is missing or will not scan, is to note the registration number and enter it yourself on the official MahaRERA website at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in, using the option to search by registration number, or to search by the project or promoter name under registered projects. Either way you are reading the government's record rather than the developer's brochure, and the point is to compare the two. Check that the promoter name, the project name and the location on the MahaRERA page are the ones on your paperwork, and that the registration is valid rather than lapsed or for a different phase. When the code on the advertisement and the record it opens agree with the brochure, you have done in a minute what used to take a site visit and a lawyer's letter.

What does the MahaRERA project page actually show me?

The page shows you the project as the regulator records it, which is what makes it worth reading. On a registered project's MahaRERA record you can see the registration number and its status, the promoter's details, the approved plan and layout, the declared date of completion and the quarterly updates the promoter is required to file on progress. You can also see whether complaints have been filed against the project, which is information a brochure will never volunteer. Read the completion date in particular, because that declared date is the one against which a delay is later measured, and read the promoter name against the entity you are being asked to pay. The record does not promise that a project is a good buy or that it will finish on time, but it tells you the project exists in the regulated system, that your money will fall under the law's protections, and what the developer has formally committed to. That is a firmer footing than a salesperson's assurance, and it is free to check.

What should the advertisement carry, and what does a gap mean?

A compliant advertisement carries a specific set of markers, and their absence is itself a signal. The table below sets an advertisement that meets the MahaRERA rule against one that does not, so you can read a hoarding or a brochure the way the regulator intends.

None of these markers proves the flat is a good purchase, but together they show the project is inside the system and that the developer has followed the disclosure the law requires. An advertisement that skips them is either careless with a rule that carries a penalty or is marketing something that is not registered, and neither is a reassuring explanation for a buyer about to pay an advance.

What if an advertisement has no QR code or registration number?

Treat a missing code or number as a reason to stop and check rather than a small oversight. Displaying the QR code and the registration number in advertisements is mandatory for registered projects, and failing to do so is a violation of the MahaRERA order that can attract a penalty running from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees under the Act. So an advertisement without them is, at best, a developer ignoring a rule made for your benefit. At worst it points to a project that is not registered at all, and a project above the size threshold cannot be advertised, marketed or sold before it is registered. The safe response is the same in both cases. Ask the developer for the MahaRERA registration number, verify it yourself on the portal, and decline to pay any booking amount until the project shows up as registered with details that match what you were sold. A genuine registered project loses nothing by being checked, so resistance to the question is part of the answer.

How do I verify a project from its advertisement before booking?

Run through these steps the moment a project interests you.

1. Find the QR code and registration number, expected in the top right of the advertisement.
2. Scan the QR code and confirm it opens the project's page on the MahaRERA portal.
3. If it will not scan, enter the registration number yourself at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in.
4. Confirm the promoter, project name and location match your brochure and paperwork.
5. Read the declared completion date and check for any complaints against the project.
6. Confirm the registration is current and covers the specific phase you are buying in.
7. Withhold any booking amount until the project shows as registered with matching details.

How does this fit the rest of my Mumbai steps?

The RERA check is the first gate for a new project, and the society and title steps follow once you are inside a real one. After you buy, the co-operative society side has its own paperwork, including the membership and share transfer we set out in our guide to the society share certificate and transfer, and the land under the building has to reach the society in time, which we explain in our piece on deemed conveyance in Maharashtra. Verifying the project on MahaRERA, completing the society transfer and securing the land title are separate stages of the same purchase. The advertisement check is simply the one you can do first and fastest, before a rupee has moved, which is why it belongs at the very front of the process.

Frequently asked questions

Is a QR code compulsory on MahaRERA project advertisements? Yes. Since 1 August 2023, every advertisement for a MahaRERA registered project must display the registration number, the MahaRERA website and a scannable QR code, in the top right quadrant of the advertisement. This applies to print, digital, hoardings, brochures and social media. The QR code links to the project's official MahaRERA record for the buyer to verify.

How do I verify a Mumbai project on MahaRERA? Scan the QR code on the advertisement to open the project's MahaRERA page, or enter the registration number on the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in under the search by registration number option. You can also search by project or promoter name under registered projects. Check that the promoter, project name and location match your paperwork and that the registration is valid.

What if a project advertisement has no registration number or QR code? Treat it as a warning. Displaying them is mandatory for registered projects, and failing to do so is a violation that can attract a penalty from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees under the Act. A missing number may also mean the project is not registered, and such a project cannot be advertised or sold. Verify the number before paying anything.

Does a MahaRERA registration mean the flat is a safe buy? No. Registration confirms the project is in the regulated system, that your payments fall under the law's protections, and what the developer has formally committed to, including the completion date. It does not certify build quality, title or on time delivery. Continue your own checks on title and approvals before you commit.

Last updated 2026-08-31. PropNewz Team.