One Project, Two RERA Numbers? How Phase-wise Registration Works for Bengaluru Buyers

A Bengaluru buyer shortlists a large project in Whitefield. The brochure shows a single masterplan with towers, a clubhouse and a long landscaped spine. The sales team hands over a RERA number. A few days later, while searching the regulator's website, the buyer finds that the same project name appears against two different registration numbers, with different completion dates. Is something wrong? Usually not. Under RERA, a project built in phases is registered phase by phase, and knowing which phase your flat sits in decides which promises apply to you.

The short answer. The Explanation to Section 3 of the RERA Act says that where a real estate project is developed in phases, every phase is considered a stand alone real estate project and the promoter must obtain registration for each phase separately. The promoter's application must include approvals and the commencement certificate for each phase, and the declared completion time, the sanctioned plans and even the land counted as common areas can be specific to the phase. The trade-off: phase-wise registration gives each phase its own clear timeline and disclosures, but it also means the amenities and later towers you see on the masterplan may sit in a different registration from your flat.

What does RERA say about projects built in phases?

Each phase is its own project. Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires registration before a project is advertised, marketed, booked or sold. Its Explanation then says that for the purpose of the section, where the real estate project is to be developed in phases, every such phase shall be considered a stand alone real estate project, and the promoter shall obtain registration under the Act for each phase separately.

That one sentence explains why two registration numbers can share one brand name. It also means the protections under the Act attach to a specific registered phase, with its own documents on file.

What must the builder file for each phase?

Phase specific approvals and plans. Section 4(2)(c) says the promoter's application must include an authenticated copy of the approvals and commencement certificate from the competent authority, and where the project is proposed to be developed in phases, an authenticated copy of the approvals and commencement certificate for each of those phases.

Section 4(2)(d) adds the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications of the proposed project or the phase, and of the whole project as sanctioned by the competent authority. In other words, the filing for your phase should show both the plan for your phase and the plan for the whole development.

Other disclosures in the same application help you read a phase. Section 4(2)(h) requires the number, type and carpet area of apartments for sale in the project, along with the area of exclusive balconies or verandahs and exclusive open terraces. Section 4(2)(i) requires the number and areas of garages for sale. Section 4(2)(e) requires 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. For a phased project, these are the details to compare across registrations.

The completion promise is phase specific too. Section 4(2)(l)(C) requires a declaration, supported by an affidavit, of the time period within which the promoter undertakes to complete the project or phase, as the case may be. Our guide to verifying a K-RERA project registration shows how to look up a registration and read its details.

How does a phase change what counts as common areas?

It can narrow the land counted for your registration. Section 2(n)(i) of the Act defines common areas to include the entire land for the real estate project, or where the project is developed in phases and registration is sought for a phase, the entire land for that phase.

The practical consequence is easy to miss. A clubhouse, a park or a sports facility drawn on the masterplan may be located on land that belongs to a later phase. Ask which phase registration includes each amenity you care about, and check the layout filed for your phase rather than relying only on the masterplan brochure.

Ownership of shared facilities needs the same care. Section 11(4)(e) says the promoter shall enable the formation of an association or society or co-operative society of the allottees, or a federation of the same, under the laws applicable. Section 17(1) says the promoter must convey the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association of allottees or the competent authority. Where phases share a clubhouse or roads, ask how the builder plans to hand over those shared areas, and to whom.

Does a later phase's delay affect your flat?

Your phase's own declaration is the yardstick for your flat. Because each phase is a stand alone project under the Explanation to Section 3, the completion time declared under Section 4(2)(l)(C) for your phase is the date to track. The registration also carries its own validity. Section 6 says the registration granted may be extended by the authority on the promoter's application due to force majeure, and 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.

Each registration also has its own public web page to watch. Section 11(1) says the promoter must create a web page on the authority's website for the project and keep it updated quarterly with the number and types of apartments booked, the number of garages booked, the approvals taken and those pending after the commencement certificate, and the status of the project. For a phased development, follow the page for your phase, not just the first one launched.

A delay in a later phase can still affect daily life if your phase depends on shared roads, a common clubhouse or an entry gate built later. That is why the amenity question matters before booking, not after possession.

If you are buying into a multi phase project, compare the registrations side by side. For instance, our page for Godrej Florenne in Whitefield lists separate registration references for Phase 1 and Phase 2. Check which one your unit falls under.

Changes to the plan you bought into are also controlled. Section 14(2)(ii) says the promoter shall not make other alterations or additions in the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications of the buildings or the common areas within the project without the previous written consent of at least two thirds of the allottees, other than the promoter, who have agreed to take apartments in that building. Keep a copy of the layout you were shown at booking.

How does the small project exemption work across phases?

Phases are added up for the threshold. Section 3(2)(a) says registration is not required where the area of land proposed to be developed does not exceed 500 square metres or the number of apartments proposed to be developed does not exceed eight, inclusive of all phases. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' FAQs on RERA set out the same exemption, again "inclusive of all phases".

The penalty for skipping registration is steep. Section 59(1) says a promoter who contravenes Section 3 is liable to a penalty which may extend up to ten per cent of the estimated cost of the real estate project, as determined by the authority.

So a builder cannot split a larger development into small phases to stay under the limits. Our explainer on extension, revocation and lapse of RERA registration covers what happens to a registration over time.

How do a single phase and a whole project registration compare?

This table shows what changes when a project is registered in phases.

What should you check before booking in a phased project?

Run through this list with the sales team and the registration record.

1. Ask which phase your unit belongs to and note that phase's RERA number.
2. Search that number and confirm the project name and promoter match.
3. Read the completion time declared for that phase, not the whole project.
4. Ask for the layout plan filed for your phase and for the whole project.
5. Locate each key amenity and confirm which phase registration includes it.
6. Check whether access roads or gates for your tower depend on a later phase.
7. Make sure your agreement for sale names the same phase and number.

Frequently asked questions

Why does one Bengaluru project have two RERA numbers?

Because the RERA Act treats each phase as its own project. The Explanation to Section 3 says that where a project is developed in phases, every phase shall be considered a stand alone real estate project, and the promoter must obtain registration for each phase separately. Each phase therefore carries its own registration number.

Does each phase have its own completion date under RERA?

Yes. Section 4(2)(l)(C) requires the promoter to declare, in an affidavit filed with the registration application, the time period within which it undertakes to complete the project or the phase, as the case may be. For a phased project, track the date declared for the phase your unit belongs to.

Can a builder split a project into small phases to avoid RERA?

No. Section 3(2)(a) of the RERA Act exempts projects only where the land does not exceed 500 square metres or the apartments do not exceed eight, inclusive of all phases. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs' FAQs repeat the same wording, so phases are counted together for the threshold.

Are amenities in a later phase part of my phase's common areas?

Not automatically. Section 2(n)(i) of the RERA Act says that where registration is sought for a phase, the entire land for that phase is part of common areas. Ask which registration covers each amenity, and check the layout filed for your phase as well as the whole project plan.

Last updated 2026-10-21. PropNewz Team.