The RERA Paper Trail: Documents a Chennai Flat Buyer Can Ask For From Booking to Handover

A typical Chennai flat purchase produces a thick folder by the time the keys change hands: a booking form, an allotment letter, an agreement for sale, a stack of payment receipts, a sale deed and, if you are lucky, a neat set of plans. What many buyers do not realise is that the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 gives them a legal right to a specific set of documents at specific points along the way, and that some of the most useful papers are filed with the regulator before the first brick is laid.

The rights are spread across three parts of the Act: Section 4, which lists what a promoter must file to register a project; Section 11, which sets out the promoter's duties including what to show buyers at booking; and Section 19, which lists the allottee's own rights. This guide puts them in the order you will actually need them. All quotations and section references are taken from the Gazette text of the RE(R&D) Act, 2016 published on the Telangana RERA portal; the Act is a central law, so the same sections apply to projects regulated by TNRERA in Chennai.

The short answer. Before booking, read the promoter's registration filing under Section 4(2), which includes approvals, sanctioned plans, carpet areas and a title declaration. At booking, Section 11(3) entitles you to see the sanctioned plans and the stage wise completion schedule. During construction, Section 19(1) and 19(2) give you the right to that information on an ongoing basis. After handover, Section 19(5) entitles you to the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas. The trade-off: asking for documents early can slow down a booking you are excited about, but every document you skip at booking is harder to obtain once you have paid.

What does the promoter file with RERA before selling a single flat?

The promoter files a detailed application under Section 4(2) of the Act, and it is the richest single source of information about a project. The list includes brief details of the promoter's enterprise and of projects launched in the past five years, with their status, any delay, cases pending and payments pending, under clause (b). It includes authenticated copies of approvals and the commencement certificate under clause (c), and the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications under clause (d).

The same subsection goes further. Clause (f) covers location details with land boundaries and the latitude and longitude of the project's end points. Clause (g) covers the proforma of the allotment letter, agreement for sale and conveyance deed the promoter proposes to sign with allottees. Clause (h) covers the number, type and carpet area of apartments, along with exclusive balcony, verandah and open terrace areas. Clause (j) names the real estate agents, and clause (k) names the contractors, architect and structural engineer.

Clause (l) is the one most buyers never read. It requires a declaration, supported by an affidavit, stating that the promoter has legal title to the land, that the land is free from encumbrances or giving details of them, the time period within which the promoter undertakes to complete the project, and that seventy per cent of amounts realised from allottees will be deposited in a separate account in a scheduled bank to cover construction and land cost.

Why does the draft agreement in the RERA filing matter to me?

Because it shows you the terms the promoter told the regulator it would use, before you are handed a version at the sales office. Section 4(2)(g) requires the proforma agreement for sale to be part of the registration application. If the agreement you are later asked to sign differs in important ways, such as possession date, payment schedule or interest on default, that difference is a reasonable question to raise in writing before you sign.

Section 13(2) of the Act also lists what the agreement for sale must specify, including particulars of development, specifications, internal and external development works, the dates and manner of payments, the possession date, and the rates of interest payable by each side on default. Reading the proforma with that list in hand is a quick way to spot gaps. Our earlier explainer on the difference between a sale agreement and a sale deed in Chennai covers how the agreement fits into the overall purchase.

What must the builder show me at booking?

Section 11(3) says the promoter, at the time of booking and issue of the allotment letter, shall be responsible for making available to the allottee two sets of information. Clause (a) covers the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authority, by display at the site or another place specified by regulations. Clause (b) covers the stage wise time schedule of completion of the project, including provisions for civic infrastructure like water, sanitation and electricity.

In practice, the plans may be displayed at the site office rather than handed to you. That still counts under clause (a), so ask to see them, compare the unit drawing with what the brochure shows, and photograph what you can. For the completion schedule, ask for a dated copy. A schedule with stage dates is far more useful when tracking progress than a single promised possession month.

What can I ask for while the flat is being built?

Section 19 gives you continuing rights, not just a one time look at booking. Section 19(1) says the allottee is entitled to obtain information relating to sanctioned plans, layout plans along with specifications approved by the competent authority, and other information provided in the Act, rules, regulations or the agreement for sale. Section 19(2) says the allottee is entitled to know the stage wise time schedule of completion, including provisions for water, sanitation, electricity and other amenities and services as agreed in the agreement for sale.

Section 11(1) separately requires the promoter to keep the project's web page on the Authority's website updated quarterly with the number and types of apartments booked, garages booked, approvals taken and pending, and the status of the project. Between your own requests under Section 19 and the quarterly updates under Section 11(1), you should be able to see whether the project is moving roughly as the schedule promised.

Here is the document trail in one place.

What should I receive at and after handover?

Section 19(3) entitles the allottee to claim possession of the apartment, and the association of allottees to claim possession of the common areas, as per the declaration the promoter gave under Section 4(2)(l)(C). Section 19(5) then entitles the allottee to have the necessary documents and plans, including that of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession.

That second right is easy to forget in the excitement of moving in. The plans for common areas matter later when your association deals with repairs, maintenance contracts or disputes about what was promised, so it helps if individual owners and the association both hold copies. Our guide to apartment owners associations under RERA and the Tamil Nadu Apartment Ownership Act explains how the association fits in, and our piece on what happens after the occupancy certificate covers the possession window and conveyance.

What are my own duties while I collect all this paperwork?

The same section that grants rights also sets duties. Section 19(6) says an allottee who has entered into an agreement for sale must make the necessary payments in the manner and time specified in the agreement, and pay their share of registration charges, municipal taxes, water and electricity charges, maintenance charges, ground rent and other charges. Section 19(7) makes the allottee liable to pay interest at the prescribed rate for delay in those payments, and Section 19(10) says the allottee shall take physical possession within two months of the occupancy certificate.

Keeping your side of the agreement makes it easier to insist on the documents you are owed. A buyer who is current on payments and has written records of every request is in a stronger position than one who raises document gaps for the first time during a payment dispute.

How do I run the document check in practice?

Use the same seven steps for any Chennai project you are serious about.

1. Ask the promoter for the project's RERA registration number and the copies of documents filed under Section 4(2).
2. Read the past projects disclosure under Section 4(2)(b) for delays, pending cases and current status.
3. Compare the proforma agreement filed under Section 4(2)(g) with the agreement you are offered.
4. Check the carpet area of your unit as declared under Section 4(2)(h) against the brochure and cost sheet.
5. At booking, view the sanctioned plans and get a dated stage wise completion schedule under Section 11(3).
6. During construction, request updates in writing under Section 19(1) and 19(2) and keep copies of replies.
7. At handover, list every document you receive and request common area plans in writing under Section 19(5).

Frequently asked questions

What documents must a builder show me at the time of booking?

Section 11(3) of the RERA Act says the promoter, at booking and when issuing the allotment letter, must make available the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authority, and the stage wise time schedule of completion, including provisions for water, sanitation and electricity. Ask where they are displayed.

Can I see the builder's land title declaration before I book?

Section 4(2)(l) requires the promoter's registration application to include an affidavit declaring legal title to the land and whether it is free from encumbrances or listing them. That declaration is filed with the Authority, so ask the promoter for a copy and check what the regulator's project page shows.

What documents am I entitled to after I take possession?

Section 19(5) says the allottee is entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession of the apartment, plot or building. Make a written list of what you receive at handover and request anything missing in writing.

Is a brochure enough proof of what the builder promised?

A brochure helps, but the RERA Act ties your rights to approved documents and the agreement for sale. Section 19(1) gives you the right to information on sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authority, so compare the brochure against those approved documents rather than relying on marketing material alone.

Last updated 2026-10-28. PropNewz Team.