RERA Completion Date or Agreement Possession Date: Which One Counts for Bengaluru Buyers?
A Bengaluru buyer's guide to the two dates in a RERA project: the completion time declared under Section 4(2)(l)(C) that sets registration validity, the possession date the agreement must state, which governs delay rights, extensions and tracking.
A Bengaluru buyer lays two documents side by side on the dining table. The project's K-RERA registration shows one completion date. The draft agreement for sale, a few pages in, shows a possession date that is several months earlier, followed by a clause about a grace period. A friend who bought in another project says theirs was the other way round. Which date counts? Under RERA the two dates do different jobs, and knowing which one governs what is the clearest way to judge how much delay risk you are signing up for.
The short answer. The completion time on the RERA record comes from the promoter's own affidavit under Section 4(2)(l)(C), and Section 5(3) says the registration is valid for that declared period. The possession date in your agreement comes from Section 13(2), which requires the agreement to specify the date on which possession is to be handed over. Your refund and delay interest rights under Section 18(1) are tied to the terms of the agreement for sale and the date specified in it. The trade-off: a later RERA date can give the builder room to finish without breaching its registration, but it does not change the possession date it promised you in the agreement, so read both before you sign.
Where does the completion date on the RERA record come from?
From the builder's sworn declaration. Section 4(2)(l)(C) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires the registration application to include a declaration, supported by an affidavit signed by the promoter or a person it authorises, stating the time period within which the promoter undertakes to complete the project or phase, as the case may be.
That declaration then sets the life of the registration. Section 5(3) says the registration granted shall be valid for a period declared by the promoter under Section 4(2)(l)(C) for completion of the project or phase. In other words, the RERA date is the builder's own estimate of how long the whole project or phase will take, and the registration runs to that point.
Where does the possession date in your agreement come from?
From the contract the Act requires. Section 13(2) says the agreement for sale shall be in the prescribed form and shall specify, among other things, the dates and manner of payments and "the date on which the possession of the apartment, plot or building is to be handed over". The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' FAQs on RERA, dated July 2025, add that the agreement is binding on the parties and that its terms cannot be contrary to the provisions of the Act and the Rules.
The possession date is a promise to you specifically. The RERA date is a declaration to the regulator about the project or phase. They can differ, which is exactly why both need reading.
Which date decides your delay rights?
The agreement's. Section 18(1) says that if the promoter fails to complete or is unable to give possession of an apartment, plot or building in accordance with the terms of the agreement for sale or, as the case may be, duly completed by the date specified therein, the promoter is liable on demand to return the amount received with interest at the prescribed rate, including compensation, if the allottee wishes to withdraw. Its proviso says that where the allottee does not intend to withdraw, the promoter shall pay interest for every month of delay, till the handing over of possession, at the prescribed rate.
On the Act's wording, the yardstick for a delay claim is the agreement for sale and the date specified in it, not the validity of the registration. If your agreement promises possession earlier than the RERA completion date, take the earlier date as the one to track. Our explainer on delayed possession interest and refunds covers how those claims work.
What happens if the builder cannot finish by the RERA date?
It needs an extension or faces consequences. Section 6 says the registration may be extended by the authority on the promoter's application due to force majeure, in the form and on payment of the fee specified by regulations. Its proviso says the authority may, in reasonable circumstances, without default on the part of the promoter, and for reasons recorded in writing, extend the registration for such time as it considers necessary, which shall not exceed one year in aggregate. The Explanation defines force majeure as war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone, earthquake or any other calamity caused by nature affecting the regular development of the project.
If things go further wrong, the Act lets the regulator act. Section 7(1) lets the authority revoke a registration, after being satisfied that the promoter makes default in doing anything required under the Act, rules or regulations, violates the terms of the competent authority's approval, is involved in unfair practices or irregularities, or indulges in fraudulent practices. Our guide to force majeure extensions and delay explains how an extension request is handled.
The registration's lapse is not the end of the road for buyers either. Section 8 says that upon lapse of the registration or on its revocation, the authority may consult the appropriate government to take such action as it deems fit, including the carrying out of the remaining development works by the competent authority, by the association of allottees or in any other manner it determines. Its second proviso says that in case of revocation, the association of allottees has the first right of refusal for carrying out the remaining development works. Section 18(1)(b) separately covers a promoter unable to give possession because of discontinuance of its business as a developer on account of suspension or revocation of the registration, with the same refund and interest remedy.
How can you track progress against both dates?
Through the project page and your own rights to information. Section 11(1) says the promoter must keep its project web page on the authority's website updated quarterly with the number and types of apartments booked, the approvals taken and those pending after the commencement certificate, and the status of the project.
Section 19(2) says the allottee is 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 between the promoter and the allottee in accordance with the agreement for sale. Ask for that schedule in writing at booking and compare it each quarter with the status on the regulator's page.
The money side also connects to the completion promise. Section 4(2)(l)(D) requires the registration application to declare that seventy per cent of the amounts realised from allottees will be deposited in a separate account in a scheduled bank to cover the cost of construction and land cost, and will be used only for that purpose, with withdrawals in proportion to the percentage of completion certified by an engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant in practice. A project that is falling behind its declared schedule is worth asking about on this point too.
When the date finally arrives, the Act puts duties on you as well. Section 19(3) says the allottee is entitled to claim possession of the apartment, plot or building. Section 19(10) says every allottee shall take physical possession within two months of the occupancy certificate issued for the apartment, plot or building. Interest runs both ways at the same rate: the explanation to Section 2(za) says the rate the promoter charges an allottee for default shall equal the rate the promoter must pay the allottee for its own default.
How do the two dates compare?
This table sets out what each date is, where it comes from and what it controls.
| Question | RERA completion date | Agreement possession date |
|---|---|---|
| Where it comes from | Promoter's affidavit, Section 4(2)(l)(C) | Agreement for sale, Section 13(2) |
| What it covers | The project or phase as a whole | Your apartment, plot or building |
| What it controls | Validity of the registration, Section 5(3) | Your delay and refund rights, Section 18(1) |
| Can it be extended? | By the authority for force majeure or in reasonable circumstances, up to one year in aggregate, Section 6 | As set out in the agreement's own terms |
| Who it is a promise to | The regulator | You, the allottee |
What should you check before signing?
Use this list with the registration record and the draft agreement open side by side.
- Note the completion date declared on the RERA record for your phase.
- Find the possession date in the draft agreement for sale.
- Ask the builder to explain any gap between the two dates in writing.
- Read any grace period clause and how it interacts with the possession date.
- Ask for the stage-wise completion schedule under Section 19(2).
- Check whether any extension of registration has been granted for the project.
- Diarise both dates and review the project page every quarter.
For a recently registered project such as the one on our page for Embassy Riverine, the registration record and the draft agreement are the two documents to compare before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the RERA completion date different from my agreement date?
They come from different places. The RERA date is the promoter's affidavit under Section 4(2)(l)(C) on completing the project or phase, and Section 5(3) ties the registration's validity to it. The agreement date comes from Section 13(2), which requires the date of possession of your unit to be specified in the agreement for sale.
Which date decides delay compensation under RERA?
Section 18(1) of the RERA Act ties refund and delay interest to failure to complete or give possession in accordance with the terms of the agreement for sale or by the date specified in it. If you stay in the project, the proviso gives interest for every month of delay until possession, at the prescribed rate.
Can a builder extend the RERA completion date?
Section 6 of the RERA Act lets the authority extend a registration on the promoter's application due to force majeure. Its proviso allows extension in reasonable circumstances without default by the promoter, for reasons recorded in writing, for a period not exceeding one year in aggregate.
How can I track whether my project is on schedule?
Section 11(1) requires the promoter to update its project web page on the regulator's website every quarter with bookings, approvals and project status. Section 19(2) entitles you to know the stage-wise time schedule of completion, including water, sanitation and electricity provisions, as agreed in the agreement for sale.
Last updated 2026-10-21. PropNewz Team.
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