A buyer scrolling through a glossy hoarding near Andheri in 2024 noticed something most people ignore, a small QR code tucked in the corner beside a long registration number. On a whim he scanned it, and instead of a marketing page it opened the project's official MahaRERA record, showing a completion date two years later than the salesperson had promised and a construction progress report that was months stale. That thirty second scan changed which flat he bought.

MahaRERA gives Mumbai buyers more disclosure than almost any other property regulator in India, and most of it sits unread behind a registration number and a QR code. This guide explains how to verify a Mumbai project, what the mandatory QR code is for, which disclosures actually matter, and how the complaint system protects you.

The short answer. Verify any Mumbai project on the official MahaRERA portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in by searching Registered Projects for the name or registration number, or by scanning the QR code that developers must now print on every advertisement. As the MahaRERA guide details, the project page shows the registered completion date, quarterly progress, and CA certified financials. Under the Real Estate Act, 70 percent of buyer money must sit in a project escrow account. The trade-off to remember: MahaRERA confirms the disclosures and gives you a complaint route, but it does not vouch for build quality, so read the record rather than resting on the number alone.

How do I verify a Mumbai project on MahaRERA?

Open the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in, go to Registered Projects, and search by the project name or its MahaRERA registration number. The record shows the registration status, and you want to see a live registered or renewed project, not one marked lapsed or withdrawn. For Mumbai projects the registration number typically begins with P518, and that number must appear on every advertisement, booking form, and sale agreement, so you can cross check it against the papers you are given.

Do the search yourself on the official site rather than trusting a number quoted to you. A registration number that returns no live project, or one whose status is lapsed, is a clear signal to stop and ask questions before any money changes hands. The portal is the authority here, and the salesperson's assurance is not, so let the record settle any disagreement between the two.

One detail worth knowing is that not every unit needs a separate registration, but every project above the small threshold in the law does. So for any normal Mumbai apartment building you should expect a registration number, and the burden is on the developer to show it, not on you to excuse its absence. If a project is being actively marketed without one, treat that as the end of the conversation rather than a paperwork delay that will be sorted out later.

What is the mandatory QR code for?

The QR code is a shortcut straight to a project's official MahaRERA record, and developers are now required to print it on their advertising. Since August 2023, promoters must display the QR code prominently on all project promotions, from newspaper ads and brochures to hoardings, websites, and social media posts, alongside the registration number and the portal address. Scanning it takes you to the same official project page you would reach by searching, without the risk of mistyping a number.

The requirement has teeth, because a developer who fails to display the QR code during advertising faces a fine, reported to range from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees per case. For a buyer the practical value is simple: if an advertisement for a large project has no QR code and no registration number, that absence itself is worth noticing. A compliant developer makes verification easy, and one who hides it is telling you something.

Get into the habit of scanning the code before you visit a site, not after you have fallen for the show flat. Reading the official record first shapes the questions you ask on the visit, and it quietly stops the polished sales experience from doing all of your thinking for you.

Which disclosures on the project page matter most?

The disclosures that matter most are the completion date, the quarterly progress, and the CA certified financials. The registered completion date, along with any MahaRERA approved extension, is the timeline the promoter is legally committed to, and it is the date any delay is measured against. The quarterly progress reports let you see whether construction is actually moving at the pace the sales team claims, since a report that has not been updated in many months is a red flag on its own.

The financial disclosures are the part buyers most often skip and most need. MahaRERA shows CA certified financials tied to the project escrow account, and under the Real Estate Act 70 percent of the money collected from buyers must be held in that account and used only for that project's construction and land cost. Many projects also carry a MahaRERA compliance grade, a simple rating that summarises how well the promoter has met its disclosure obligations. Read the grade and the financials together, and you learn more about a project's health than any brochure will tell you.

What can I do if the developer defaults?

A registered buyer can file a complaint directly on the MahaRERA portal, which is the main protection the system gives you after purchase. You log in, select the project, describe the violation, upload supporting documents such as your sale agreement and payment receipts, and pay the filing fee, reported at 5,000 rupees. The regulator then takes up the matter, and MahaRERA is expected to dispose of complaints within about sixty days.

This route matters because it is far cheaper and faster than a civil court for the kinds of disputes buyers face, such as delayed possession or a promised amenity that never arrived. Knowing the complaint mechanism exists also changes how you read a project before buying: a promoter with a history of complaints and adverse orders on the portal is showing you a pattern. Use that history as part of your decision, not just as a remedy for after something goes wrong.

It helps to keep your own paperwork in order from the start, because a complaint is only as strong as the documents behind it. Save your sale agreement, every payment receipt, and the developer's written commitments on possession and amenities. If a dispute ever reaches MahaRERA, these are exactly what you will be asked to upload, and a buyer who has kept a clean file is in a far stronger position than one relying on memory or verbal promises.

How does a MahaRERA check compare with a brochure?

The table below contrasts what the official record tells you with what a sales brochure does.

Read across the rows and the lesson is plain. Everything a buyer genuinely needs to judge a project sits in the MahaRERA record, and almost none of it appears in the brochure. The brochure sells the flat; the portal tells you whether the promise behind it is real.

What is the step by step MahaRERA check before I book?

Run this sequence before you pay a booking amount on a Mumbai flat:

1. Scan the QR code on the advertisement, or open maharera.maharashtra.gov.in and search Registered Projects.
2. Confirm the registration status is live, not lapsed or withdrawn, and note the number.
3. Check the registration number matches the booking form and the sale agreement.
4. Read the registered completion date and compare it with the possession you were promised.
5. Open the latest quarterly progress report and see whether construction is on track.
6. Review the CA certified financials and any compliance grade for the project.
7. Search the promoter's complaint history before you commit any money.

Verification is one gate among several for a Mumbai buyer. Once the project checks out, budget the government cost of the purchase with our guide to Mumbai stamp duty and registration charges, and if the flat is under construction, understand the tax on it with our explainer on GST on under construction property. Registration, cost, and tax are three separate questions, and the RERA check answers only the first.

Frequently asked questions

How do I verify a Mumbai project on MahaRERA?

Open the official portal at maharera.maharashtra.gov.in, go to Registered Projects, and search by the project name or registration number, or scan the QR code on the advertisement. Confirm the status is live rather than lapsed or withdrawn, and check the number matches your booking form and sale agreement. For Mumbai projects the registration number usually begins with P518.

Is a QR code compulsory on Mumbai project advertisements?

Yes. Since August 2023, MahaRERA requires promoters to display a QR code prominently on all project advertisements, including newspapers, brochures, hoardings, websites, and social media, alongside the registration number and portal address. The code links to the official project record. Developers who fail to display it face a fine, reported to range from 10,000 to 50,000 rupees per case.

What financial protection does MahaRERA give buyers?

Under the Real Estate Act, 70 percent of the money collected from buyers must be held in a project escrow account and used only for that project's construction and land cost. MahaRERA discloses CA certified financials tied to this account on the project page. This is designed to stop promoters from diverting buyer money to other projects, a common cause of stalled construction.

Can I file a complaint against a developer on MahaRERA?

Yes. A registered buyer can file a complaint on the MahaRERA portal by logging in, selecting the project, describing the violation, and uploading documents such as the sale agreement and payment receipts, with a filing fee reported at 5,000 rupees. MahaRERA is expected to dispose of complaints within about sixty days, which is faster and cheaper than a civil court.

Last updated 2026-08-23. PropNewz Team.