RERA Reform Watch: What the Centre Has Said in a Year, and What Bengaluru Buyers Can Use Now
From the Unified RERA Portal launch at the September 2025 Central Advisory Council meeting to the July 2026 Lok Sabha reply on SOPs and amendments, what the Centre has said about RERA reform and which protections Bengaluru buyers can rely on today.
On 30 July 2026, a written reply in the Lok Sabha said something Bengaluru buyers should note: over the past year, the Union housing ministry has been consulting homebuyers' associations, developers and state regulators on Standard Operating Procedures for RERA and on "amendments needed in the Act". That line connects back to September 2025, when the Central Advisory Council under the RERA Act met, launched a Unified RERA Portal, and called for "next generation reforms". Nothing in the law has changed yet. But the direction of travel is on the record, and it is worth knowing what buyers can rely on today.
The short answer. At its 5th meeting on 4 September 2025, the Central Advisory Council saw the launch of the Unified RERA Portal, rera.mohua.gov.in, recommended SOPs for regulators and a framework for stalled projects, and asked the ministry to work out measures to strengthen RERA. On 30 July 2026, the ministry told the Lok Sabha it has held consultations over the last year on SOPs and amendments needed in the Act. The trade-off: reform talk is a reason to watch for change, but every protection a buyer can use today still comes from the current Act and Karnataka's rules, not from proposals.
What happened at the September 2025 Central Advisory Council meeting?
Three things of interest to buyers. According to the Press Information Bureau release of 4 September 2025, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal launched the Unified RERA Portal, rera.mohua.gov.in, at the 5th meeting of the Central Advisory Council, describing it as a common platform for stakeholders that enhances transparency and enables sharing of best practices among States and Union Territories.
Second, the Council recommended Standard Operating Procedures to ensure the effective functioning of Real Estate Regulatory Authorities, to strengthen RERA for enforcement of orders, and a detailed framework to get stalled projects completed. It discussed the report of the committee chaired by Amitabh Kant on legacy stalled projects, observed that Uttar Pradesh had implemented its recommendations, and said other States with stalled projects need to take them forward.
Third, the Council recommended that, after eight years of RERA, there is a need to focus on next generation reforms, and that the ministry may conduct a detailed exercise, in consultation with stakeholders, to work out measures to further strengthen RERA.
What numbers did the Council put on RERA's reach?
The same release lists the national picture at that meeting. Thirty-five States and Union Territories had established Real Estate Regulatory Authorities. Twenty-nine had set up Appellate Tribunals and 27 had appointed Adjudicating Officers. Across the country, 1,51,113 projects and 1,06,545 agents were registered under RERA, and 1,47,383 complaints had been disposed of by the regulators.
| Item | Figure at the 5th CAC meeting, 4 September 2025 |
|---|---|
| States and UTs with a Real Estate Regulatory Authority | 35 |
| States and UTs with an Appellate Tribunal | 29 |
| States and UTs with Adjudicating Officers | 27 |
| Projects and agents registered under RERA | 1,51,113 projects and 1,06,545 agents |
| Complaints disposed of by regulators | 1,47,383 |
These are national totals. They tell you the system is large and active, not how any one Karnataka complaint will move. For your own project, the record that matters is the one on K-RERA's portal.
What problems did the Council say it was trying to fix?
The release lists them plainly. The Council considered concerns about delays in project registration, approvals from local authorities, withdrawal from RERA accounts after project completion, and the filing of quarterly progress reports by promoters. It emphasised uniformity in RERA implementation, faster registration, compliance with orders and clarity in definitions.
It also advised that the rules and regulations made under the Act should be studied to ensure they are in consonance with the parent Act, and suggested a committee in the ministry with representatives of all stakeholders to drive reforms. On the portal, it stressed building a nation-wide database of projects to help prospective buyers take informed decisions, and suggested measures to ensure effective implementation of RERA orders and to curb misleading advertisements.
For a Bengaluru buyer, two items stand out. Quarterly progress reports are the main way you track an under-construction project, so any push for better QPR compliance is directly useful. And enforcement of orders is where many buyers struggle after winning a case, which is why the Council's attention to it matters.
What does the stalled-projects push mean for buyers?
It is the part of the reform agenda most relevant to buyers already stuck. At the September 2025 meeting, Minister of State Tokhan Sahu said the priority now is faster resolution of homebuyers' grievances and revival of stalled projects, so that trust between buyers and developers is strengthened. The Council discussed implementation of the report of the committee chaired by Amitabh Kant on legacy stalled projects, and noted that Uttar Pradesh has implemented its recommendations while other States with stalled projects need to take them forward.
The release does not say whether Karnataka has adopted those recommendations. If you are a buyer in a long-stalled Bengaluru project, the useful step is to ask K-RERA, in writing, whether any state-level framework for stalled projects applies to yours, and to keep pursuing your existing remedies under the Act in the meantime. A national recommendation does not pause the limitation periods or hearing dates in your own case.
Secretary Srinivas Katikithala's remarks at the meeting framed RERA's main gains as mandatory project registration, disclosure and grievance redressal. Those three are also the tools a buyer can use today without waiting for reform.
What did the ministry tell Parliament in July 2026?
A status report rather than an announcement. The ministry's written reply in the Lok Sabha on 30 July 2026 restated the core of the Act: projects must be registered with the Regulatory Authority before any advertisement, marketing, booking or sale, and a promoter who contravenes this is liable to a penalty of up to 10 per cent of the estimated cost of the project. It said promoters must deposit 70 per cent of amounts realised from homebuyers in a separate bank account, used only for land cost and construction, and that the Act provides for disposal of matters within 60 days.
It added three points of current interest. A committee constituted by the ministry to address challenges in registering projects across States and UTs has submitted its report, which has been shared with all Real Estate Regulatory Authorities for necessary action. The ministry regularly communicates with State Governments on enhancing the functional and administrative autonomy of regulators and on adequate staff deployment. And in the last one year it has held regular consultations with homebuyers' associations, developers and state regulators on effective implementation, SOPs and amendments needed in the Act.
The reply does not say what those amendments are or when they will come. Treat any claim that "RERA has changed" with caution until an amendment or a rule is actually notified.
What can a Bengaluru buyer rely on today?
The current Act, and it is not thin. Section 59(1) of the RERA Act provides that a promoter who contravenes Section 3 is liable to a penalty of up to ten per cent of the estimated project cost, and Section 59(2) adds imprisonment of up to three years, or a further fine of up to ten per cent, or both, for continued violation or non-compliance with orders. Section 40 provides for recovery of unpaid interest, penalty or compensation as arrears of land revenue, as the July 2026 reply notes.
The role of the Council itself is advisory. Section 42(1) says it advises and recommends to the Central Government on implementation of the Act, major questions of policy, protection of consumer interest and growth of the sector, and Section 42(2) says the Central Government may make rules to give effect to its recommendations. In other words, a recommendation becomes binding only when it is turned into a rule or an amendment.
PropNewz covered the Section 3 and 59 framework in our guide to unregistered projects and the Section 59 penalty, and the regulator's public records in our explainer on checking a project on the RERA website.
How should you use this before booking?
Use current law as your floor and treat reform news as context. Work through this checklist.
- Confirm the project's K-RERA registration before paying anything, since registration must come before any advertisement, marketing, booking or sale.
- Read the latest quarterly progress report filed by the promoter and note the date it was filed.
- Ask the developer which bank account holds the 70 per cent of buyer payments, and note it in your file.
- Keep the PIB releases of 4 September 2025 and 30 July 2026 as reference if a broker claims the rules have changed.
- Check the Unified RERA Portal, rera.mohua.gov.in, for links to state regulators and any national project information.
- Watch for an actual notified amendment or rule before relying on any reported change in the law.
- If you are comparing projects, for example along Sarjapur Road near Purva Kensho Hills, apply the same checks to each one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Unified RERA Portal?
It is rera.mohua.gov.in, launched by Union Minister Manohar Lal at the 5th Central Advisory Council meeting on 4 September 2025. The government described it as a common platform for stakeholders that enhances transparency and enables sharing of best practices among States and Union Territories, with a nation-wide project database stressed as a goal.
Is the RERA Act being amended?
No amendment has been notified. The ministry's Lok Sabha reply of 30 July 2026 says that in the last one year it has consulted homebuyers' associations, developers and state regulators on implementation, Standard Operating Procedures and amendments needed in the Act. It does not specify the amendments or a timeline.
What does the Central Advisory Council under RERA do?
Section 42(1) of the RERA Act says the Council advises and recommends to the Central Government on implementation of the Act, major policy questions, protection of consumer interest and growth of the real estate sector. Under Section 42(2), the Central Government may make rules to give effect to those recommendations.
How many complaints have RERA authorities disposed of?
The government's release on the 5th Central Advisory Council meeting of 4 September 2025 says 1,47,383 complaints had been disposed of by Real Estate Regulatory Authorities nationwide, with 1,51,113 projects and 1,06,545 agents registered under RERA. These are national totals, not figures for any single state.
Last updated 2026-10-24. PropNewz Team.
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