Rumours About Your Project? What RERA Lets Bengaluru Buyers Ask the Builder in Writing
Section 19 of the RERA Act entitles allottees to sanctioned plans, specifications and the stage-wise completion schedule, and Section 11(1) requires promoters to post quarterly updates on the regulator's website. This guide explains what Bengaluru buyers can check themselves, how to word a written request, which documents to collect at handover and where to complain.
Two years into an under-construction Bengaluru project, the WhatsApp group of buyers is full of rumours. One says the eighth floor slab is behind schedule. Another says the water connection approval is stuck. A third says the clubhouse has been redesigned. The builder's relationship manager replies to calls with the same line: everything is on track. What can a buyer actually ask for in writing, and what is the builder obliged to share?
More than many buyers think. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 gives allottees a set of information rights and places matching disclosure duties on the promoter. This guide sets out what those provisions say, what you can check yourself on the regulator's website, how to frame a written request, and what to do if the answer does not come.
The short answer. Section 19(1) says the allottee is entitled to obtain information on sanctioned plans and layout plans with specifications, and such other information as the Act, rules, regulations or agreement for sale provide. 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. Section 11(1) separately requires the promoter to keep a project web page on the regulator's site with quarterly updates on bookings, approvals and project status. The trade-off: these rights give you a firm footing for a written request, but they do not oblige the builder to answer every rumour, so ask for the specific documents and schedules the Act names.
What information is a buyer entitled to under RERA?
Four things stand out in the Act. In the text of the Act hosted by the Telangana regulator, Section 19(1) says the allottee shall be entitled to obtain the information relating to sanctioned plans, layout plans along with the specifications approved by the competent authority and such other information as provided in the Act or the rules and regulations or the agreement for sale signed with the promoter.
Section 19(2) says the allottee shall be 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 terms and conditions of the agreement for sale.
Section 19(5) adds a later right: the allottee shall be entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including that of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession. And Section 11(3) says that at the time of booking and issue of the allotment letter, the promoter shall be responsible to make available the sanctioned plans and layout plans with specifications, and the stage-wise time schedule of completion, including provisions for civic infrastructure like water, sanitation and electricity.
| What you can ask for | When | Section |
|---|---|---|
| Sanctioned plans, layout plans and approved specifications | At booking and at any time as allottee | 11(3)(a) and 19(1) |
| Stage-wise time schedule of completion | At booking and at any time as allottee | 11(3)(b) and 19(2) |
| Provisions for water, sanitation, electricity and agreed amenities | As part of the stage-wise schedule | 19(2) |
| Other information under the Act, rules, regulations or agreement | As provided in those documents | 19(1) |
| Necessary documents and plans, including common areas | After physical possession is handed over | 19(5) |
Notice the words as agreed in Section 19(2). The stage-wise schedule a buyer is entitled to know is tied to what the promoter and allottee agreed in the agreement for sale, and Section 13(2) says that agreement must specify the particulars of development, the dates and manner of payments and the date of possession. So the first step before writing to the builder is to read your own agreement and note what it says about stages, services and dates. A request that quotes those clauses back to the builder is easier to answer precisely, and harder to answer vaguely.
What can you check without asking the builder?
The project web page. Section 11(1) says the promoter, on receiving login details after registration, shall create a web page on the Authority's website and enter all details of the proposed project as provided under Section 4(2), in all the fields provided, for public viewing.
The same subsection lists items the page must include: details of the registration granted; quarterly up-to-date lists of the number and types of apartments or plots booked; quarterly up-to-date lists of the number of garages booked; quarterly up-to-date lists of approvals taken and approvals pending subsequent to the commencement certificate; quarterly up-to-date status of the project; and other information and documents specified by regulations.
The approvals list is the one to read when rumours concern a water or power connection. If an approval appears under pending, you have a concrete item to ask about. Our earlier explainer on the RERA project web page and its quarterly updates shows how to read these fields. PropNewz project pages can help you find the right registration number to search with; the page for Prestige Lavender Fields in Gunjur, for example, lists K-RERA number PRM/KA/RERA/1251/446/PR/290423/005906.
How should you word a request to the builder?
Specifically, and with the section numbers. A short letter or email that names the documents you want, cites the provision behind each, and asks for a reply by a reasonable date is harder to brush aside than a phone call.
A workable structure has four parts. First, identify yourself as an allottee with your unit number and agreement date. Second, list what you are asking for: a copy of the current sanctioned plan and layout plan with specifications under Section 19(1), and the current stage-wise time schedule of completion including water, sanitation and electricity provisions under Section 19(2). Third, ask whether any of these have changed since your booking, and if so, when your consent was sought, since Section 14(2)(i) says changes to your own unit need your previous consent. Fourth, give a reply date and say you will keep the correspondence on record.
If you are writing as a group, the association of allottees can send the request. The explanation to Section 31(1) says person includes the association of allottees, which matters later if a complaint becomes necessary.
What if the builder does not reply?
Use the complaint route. Section 31(1) says any aggrieved person may file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer for any violation or contravention of the Act, rules or regulations against any promoter, allottee or real estate agent. Your unanswered request, with dates, becomes part of the record.
Section 18(3) says that if the promoter fails to discharge any other obligations imposed on him under the Act, rules or regulations, or in accordance with the agreement for sale, he shall be liable to pay such compensation to the allottees in the manner provided under the Act. Section 61 says a promoter who contravenes other provisions of the Act, other than sections 3 and 4, is liable to a penalty that may extend up to five per cent of the estimated cost of the project, as determined by the Authority.
Whether a particular non-reply amounts to a contravention is for the Authority to decide. The practical point is that a specific, dated request tied to Section 19 is far more useful in that forum than a general complaint about poor communication.
Which documents should you ask for at handover?
The plans you will need for the life of the flat. Section 19(5) says the allottee is entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including that of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession. Section 17(2) says that after obtaining the occupancy certificate and handing over physical possession, the promoter shall hand over the necessary documents and plans, including common areas, to the association of allottees as per local laws, and in the absence of local law within thirty days after obtaining the occupancy certificate.
Those plans matter later for repairs, interiors and any defect claim within the five-year window under Section 14(3). For a broader handover document list, see our guide to documents to collect from booking to handover.
What should be in your information checklist?
- Note your project's registration number and open its web page on the Karnataka regulator's site.
- Read the quarterly lists of approvals taken and pending, and the project status, under Section 11(1).
- Compare the sanctioned plan you received at booking with any current plan on record.
- Write to the builder asking for current plans and specifications under Section 19(1).
- Ask for the stage-wise completion schedule, including water, sanitation and electricity, under Section 19(2).
- Give a reply date, keep copies, and consider writing through the association of allottees.
- At handover, ask for the documents and plans, including common areas, that Section 19(5) entitles you to.
Frequently asked questions
What information can a flat buyer demand from the builder under RERA?
Section 19(1) of the RERA Act entitles the allottee to information on sanctioned plans, layout plans and approved specifications, plus other information under the Act, rules, regulations or agreement. Section 19(2) entitles the allottee to know the stage-wise completion schedule, including water, sanitation, electricity and agreed amenities and services.
What must the builder publish on the RERA website?
Section 11(1) requires the promoter to create a web page on the Authority's website with registration details and quarterly updated lists of apartments and garages booked, approvals taken and pending after the commencement certificate, the project status, and other information specified by regulations.
Which documents do I get after possession?
Section 19(5) of the RERA Act says the allottee is entitled to have the necessary documents and plans, including those of common areas, after the promoter hands over physical possession. Section 17(2) separately requires the promoter to hand documents and plans to the association of allottees.
What can I do if the builder ignores my request?
Section 31(1) lets any aggrieved person, including an association of allottees, complain to the Authority or adjudicating officer about a violation of the Act, rules or regulations. Section 18(3) makes a promoter liable to compensate allottees for failing other obligations under the Act or agreement.
Rumours fill the space that information leaves empty. The Act gives buyers a way to ask for the real documents; use it in writing, and keep the trail. This is general buyer information, not legal advice.
Last updated 2026-10-27. PropNewz Team.
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