Plans, Schedules and Certificates: The Documents RERA Gives Bengaluru Buyers, Stage by Stage

Ask a Bengaluru buyer what papers they received when they booked their flat, and the answer may be a brochure, a cost sheet and a receipt. Ask what they received at handover, and it may be a set of keys, a possession letter and a welcome kit. The sanctioned plan, the approvals and the completion schedule are things many buyers have heard of but never held. Some assume these belong to the builder alone.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 says otherwise. It gives the allottee a right to information about plans, specifications and timelines from the start, and a right to the necessary documents and plans after possession. This guide reads those rights as published in the Gazette of India and sets out, stage by stage, what a Bengaluru buyer is entitled to see and to keep.

The short answer. Section 19(1) of the RERA Act entitles the allottee to obtain information on the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authority, and section 19(2) entitles the allottee to know the stage wise time schedule of completion, including water, sanitation, electricity and other agreed amenities. Section 11(3) requires the promoter to make the sanctioned plans and the stage wise schedule available at the time of booking and issue of the allotment letter. Section 19(5) entitles the allottee to the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas, after physical possession is handed over. The trade-off: these rights are clear, but they work best when a buyer asks for the papers in writing at each stage, because a request made years later is harder to pursue.

What information can a buyer ask for before booking?

The Gazette of India copy of the RERA Act starts with the registration file. Section 4(2) lists what a promoter must enclose with its application for registration. This includes an authenticated copy of the approvals and commencement certificate from the competent authority, with a separate copy for each phase where the project is developed in phases, under section 4(2)(c). It also includes the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications of the proposed project or phase, and of the whole project as sanctioned, under section 4(2)(d).

Section 4(2)(e) adds the plan of development works to be executed and the proposed facilities, including fire fighting facilities, drinking water facilities, emergency evacuation services and use of renewable energy.

Once registered, section 11(1) requires the promoter to create a web page on the Authority's website and enter all details of the proposed project as provided under section 4(2), for public viewing. So a buyer can read much of this before paying anything. Our guide on verifying a Karnataka RERA project registration explains where to find the project page.

What must the promoter hand over at booking?

Section 11(3) moves from public disclosure to a direct duty to the buyer. It says the promoter, at the time of the booking and issue of allotment letter, shall be responsible to make available to the allottee two things.

The first, under section 11(3)(a), is the sanctioned plans and layout plans, along with specifications, approved by the competent authority, by display at the site or such other place as may be specified by the regulations made by the Authority. The second, under section 11(3)(b), is the stage wise time schedule of completion of the project, including the provisions for civic infrastructure like water, sanitation and electricity.

Note the method for plans. The Act speaks of display at the site or another specified place, so a buyer should not expect a full printed set to be handed over at booking in every case. What a buyer can do is view the plans, compare them with the brochure, and ask for the relevant sheets for the flat and its floor to be attached to the agreement.

The table below sets out what the Act provides at each stage.

What can a buyer ask for while the flat is being built?

Section 19 sets out the allottee's rights in the allottee's own name. Section 19(1) says the allottee shall be entitled to obtain the information relating to sanctioned plans, layout plans along with the specifications, approved by the competent authority, and such other information as provided in the Act or the rules and regulations made under it, or the agreement for sale signed with the promoter.

Section 19(2) says the allottee shall be entitled to know the stage wise time schedule of completion of the project, including the provisions for water, sanitation, electricity and other amenities and services as agreed to between the promoter and the allottee in accordance with the terms and conditions of the agreement for sale.

The phrase "such other information as provided in the Act" is wide. Read with section 11(1), it points a buyer to the disclosures the Act requires from the promoter, such as the quarterly updates under section 11(1) on bookings, approvals taken and pending, and the status of the project.

In practice, the quarterly status on the project web page is the first place to look. If it is out of date, or if a demand letter claims a stage that the web page does not show, a written request citing section 19(1) and 19(2) puts the question on record.

Which certificates should the promoter obtain and share?

Two duties in section 11(4) deal with certificates that matter at the end of construction. Section 11(4)(b) makes the promoter responsible to obtain the completion certificate or the occupancy certificate, or both, as applicable, from the relevant competent authority as per local laws, and to make it available to the allottees individually or to the association of allottees.

Section 11(4)(c) applies where the project is developed on leasehold land. It makes the promoter responsible to obtain the lease certificate, specifying the period of lease and certifying that all dues and charges in regard to the leasehold land have been paid, and to make the lease certificate available to the association of allottees.

For a Bengaluru buyer, the occupancy certificate is a key document for the building and the flat. Asking the promoter for a copy at or before handover, and keeping it with the agreement for sale, avoids having to chase it later.

What documents are due after possession?

Section 19(5) says the allottee shall be entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including that of common areas, after handing over the physical possession of the apartment or plot or building by the promoter.

Section 17(2) adds a duty owed to the association. After obtaining the occupancy certificate and handing over physical possession to the allottees, it shall be the responsibility of the promoter to hand over the necessary documents and plans, including common areas, to the association of the allottees or the competent authority, as per the local laws. Its proviso says that in the absence of any local law, the promoter shall hand over these documents and plans within thirty days after obtaining the occupancy certificate.

So there are two tracks: your own documents as an allottee under section 19(5), and the building's documents for the association under section 17(2). Our explainer on conveyance of the flat and common areas under section 17 covers the title side of the same handover.

How should a Bengaluru buyer build a document file?

The rights above are only as useful as the file you keep. Start at booking and add to it at every stage, so that by possession you hold a complete record. Use this checklist:

1. Save the project's registration details and web page before paying a booking amount.
2. View the sanctioned plans at the site and match your flat to them.
3. Ask for the stage wise completion schedule in writing at allotment.
4. Check each demand letter against the quarterly status on the project web page.
5. Request a copy of the occupancy or completion certificate before handover.
6. List the documents and plans received at possession, and note any that are missing.
7. Confirm with your association which building documents it has received.

Where a promoter does not respond, section 31 allows any aggrieved person to file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer for any violation or contravention of the Act. A dated written request is the best evidence that you asked.

What do Bengaluru buyers ask about RERA documents?

Can I ask the builder for the sanctioned plan under RERA?

Yes. Section 19(1) entitles the allottee to obtain information on sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authority. Section 11(3)(a) also requires the promoter to make these available at booking and issue of the allotment letter, by display at the site or another place specified by regulations.

Is the builder required to share a construction schedule?

Yes. Section 11(3)(b) requires the promoter to make available the stage wise time schedule of completion at booking, including water, sanitation and electricity. Section 19(2) separately entitles the allottee to know that schedule, including other amenities and services agreed in the agreement for sale.

What documents should I get after taking possession?

Section 19(5) entitles the allottee to the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas, after physical possession is handed over. Section 11(4)(b) also requires the promoter to obtain the completion or occupancy certificate and make it available to allottees individually or to the association.

When must the builder hand documents to the association?

Section 17(2) requires the promoter, after obtaining the occupancy certificate and handing over possession, to hand over the necessary documents and plans, including common areas, to the association as per local laws. In the absence of local law, this must be done within thirty days after obtaining the occupancy certificate.

Last updated 2026-10-18. PropNewz Team.