After the OC: RERA Section 17 Deadlines for Your Bengaluru Conveyance Deed and Handover

The keys are in hand, the movers have gone, and the first month's maintenance bill has arrived. For a family in a new Bengaluru apartment, it feels like the purchase is finished. On paper, it may not be. Until a registered conveyance deed is executed in the buyer's favour, and the common areas and building documents pass to the residents' association, the transfer the buyer paid for is incomplete.

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 treats that last stage as the promoter's job, with deadlines. Section 17 deals with transfer of title, Section 11(4)(f) restates the duty to execute the conveyance deed, and Section 19 sets out what the buyer must do in return. This guide reads those provisions from the Act and explains what to track after the occupancy certificate is issued.

The short answer. Under Section 17(1) of the RERA Act, the promoter must execute a registered conveyance deed in the allottee's favour, along with the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association, and hand over possession and title documents within the period set by local laws. Where there is no local law, the conveyance must be carried out within three months of the occupancy certificate. Section 17(2) adds that documents and plans, including of common areas, go to the association within thirty days of the occupancy certificate where there is no local law. The trade-off: these timelines are firm, but they depend on the occupancy certificate date and on local law, so you need both dates in writing to hold the promoter to them.

What does RERA Section 17 require of the builder?

Section 17(1) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 in its Gazette text says the promoter shall execute a registered conveyance deed in favour of the allottee along with the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association of the allottees or the competent authority, as the case may be.

The same sub-section requires the promoter to hand over the physical possession of the plot, apartment or building to the allottees, and the common areas to the association or competent authority, together with the other title documents pertaining to them, within the specified period as per sanctioned plans as provided under the local laws.

Section 11(4)(f) repeats the obligation in the list of promoter duties: the promoter shall execute a registered conveyance deed of the apartment, plot or building in favour of the allottee, along with the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association or competent authority, as provided under Section 17.

The word that matters most is registered. A possession letter, an allotment letter and a registered agreement for sale all have their place, but Section 17 is about the conveyance deed itself, executed and registered in your name.

How is the conveyance deed different from your agreement for sale?

The two documents do different jobs, and it helps not to treat the first as if it were the second. Under Section 13, the agreement for sale is signed early, before more than ten percent of the cost is paid, and sets out the specifications, payment schedule, possession date and interest rates for default. It records what the promoter has agreed to deliver and what you have agreed to pay.

The conveyance deed under Section 17 comes at the end. It is the instrument that transfers title in the apartment to you, along with the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association. Until it is executed and registered, the promise in the agreement has not been completed by a transfer.

Keep both documents together in your property file. The agreement tells you what was promised. The registered conveyance deed is the record that it was delivered.

What are the deadlines after the occupancy certificate?

Section 17 sets the period by reference to local law, and supplies a fallback where there is none. The proviso to Section 17(1) says that, in the absence of any local law, the conveyance deed in favour of the allottee or the association or the competent authority shall be carried out by the promoter within three months from the date of issue of the occupancy certificate.

Section 17(2) covers documents. After obtaining the occupancy certificate and handing over physical possession, it is the promoter's responsibility to hand over the necessary documents and plans, including of common areas, to the association or competent authority as per local laws. Its proviso says that, in the absence of any local law, this must be done within thirty days after obtaining the occupancy certificate.

The table below lays out the timeline, using an illustrative occupancy certificate date of 1 March and the Act's fallback periods.

Where a local law sets a different period, that period applies instead of the fallback. Ask the promoter in writing which period it is working to, and why.

What must the buyer do in return?

Section 19 places matching duties on the allottee. Section 19(10) says every allottee shall take physical possession of the apartment, plot or building within a period of two months of the occupancy certificate issued for it. Section 19(11) says every allottee shall participate towards registration of the conveyance deed, as provided under Section 17(1).

In practice, participating means being available to sign, arranging the stamp duty and registration charges your agreement places on you, and keeping your identity and payment documents ready. Section 19(6) already makes the allottee responsible for paying, at the proper time and place, the share of registration charges and other charges under the agreement for sale.

Our guide to taking possession within two months of the occupancy certificate explains the possession side in more detail, and our flat possession handover checklist for Bengaluru covers what to inspect on the day.

Why does the association matter for common areas?

Section 17 sends the undivided proportionate title in the common areas, and the documents and plans for them, to the association of allottees or the competent authority. If there is no association, there is no one in place to receive them on the residents' behalf.

That is why the Act also deals with formation. Section 11(4)(e) requires the promoter to enable the formation of an association, society or co-operative society of the allottees, or a federation of them, under the laws applicable. Its proviso says that, in the absence of local laws, the association shall be formed within three months of the majority of allottees having booked their units in the project. Section 19(9) requires every allottee to participate in forming the association.

Section 19(5) gives the individual buyer a related right: the allottee is entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession. Between the association's collective claim and your own, the Act expects the building's papers to reach the people who live in it.

What can you do if the conveyance deed is delayed?

Start with a written request that cites Section 17 and asks for a date. Include the occupancy certificate date, the date you took possession, and confirmation that you have paid the charges your agreement assigns to you. A clear record of your own compliance strengthens the request.

If the deadline passes without a satisfactory answer, the Act gives you a forum. Section 31(1) allows any aggrieved person to file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer for any violation or contravention of the Act or the rules and regulations against a promoter. Section 43(5) also recognises an association of allottees as a person who can appeal, so residents can act collectively as well as individually.

The promoter's responsibility does not lapse in the meantime. Section 11(4)(a) keeps the promoter responsible for all obligations under the Act and the agreement for sale until the conveyance of all the units, along with the common areas, to the allottees or the association. For a large project, such as the one in our review of Brigade Sevilla in Budigere, asking early how the promoter plans to schedule conveyance across towers helps you plan your side.

After the occupancy certificate is issued, run through this checklist:

1. Get a copy of the occupancy certificate and note its date.
2. Ask the promoter which local law period applies, or confirm the Act's fallback.
3. Take possession within two months and record the date in writing.
4. Keep stamp duty and registration funds ready for your share of charges.
5. Confirm the association exists and has received documents and plans.
6. Check that the conveyance deed is registered in your name within the deadline.
7. If it is late, write citing Section 17, then consider a Section 31 complaint.

The conveyance deed is the last document in a long purchase, and the one that makes the rest count. Tracking two dates, the occupancy certificate and the registration, keeps it from slipping.

What do Bengaluru buyers ask about the conveyance deed under RERA?

When must a builder register the conveyance deed under RERA?

Section 17(1) of the RERA Act says the promoter must execute a registered conveyance deed within the period set by local laws. Its proviso says that, in the absence of any local law, the conveyance must be carried out within three months from the date the occupancy certificate is issued.

When must building documents be handed to the association?

Section 17(2) says that after obtaining the occupancy certificate and handing over possession, the promoter must hand over the necessary documents and plans, including of common areas, to the association as per local laws, or within thirty days of the occupancy certificate where there is no local law.

What does the buyer have to do for the conveyance deed?

Section 19(11) says every allottee shall participate towards registration of the conveyance deed under Section 17(1). Section 19(10) requires taking possession within two months of the occupancy certificate, and Section 19(6) makes the allottee pay their share of registration and other charges under the agreement.

Who gets the title to common areas in an apartment project?

Section 17(1) requires the promoter to convey the undivided proportionate title in the common areas to the association of allottees or the competent authority, and to hand over the common areas and related title documents. Section 11(4)(e) requires the promoter to enable formation of that association.

Last updated 2026-10-17. PropNewz Team.