Reading a RERA Registration File: The Section 4(2) Checklist for Bengaluru Buyers
A RERA registration rests on documents the promoter must file under Section 4(2): past projects with delays and cases, approvals, plans, facilities, proforma agreements, carpet areas and declarations on title and completion. What a Bengaluru buyer should read on the project page.
A Bengaluru buyer types a project's K-RERA registration number into the portal and gets a match: the name is right, the promoter is right, the status says registered. Many buyers stop there. But a registration is not a single fact. Behind it sits an application the promoter had to file, with a list of documents fixed by Section 4(2) of the RERA Act. Knowing what that list contains turns a quick lookup into a real check.
The short answer. Section 4(2) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 requires a promoter's registration application to include, among other things, details of projects launched in the past five years with any delays and pending cases, authenticated approvals and the commencement certificate, the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications, the plan of development works including fire fighting and drinking water facilities, the location with boundaries and coordinates, proforma allotment letter, agreement for sale and conveyance deed, carpet areas, and a declaration on title, encumbrances and the completion date. The trade-off: reading these documents takes an evening or two, but skipping them leaves you relying on a brochure for facts the promoter has already put on record.
Why does Section 4(2) matter to a buyer?
Because it tells you what the promoter has already had to disclose, and therefore what you can ask to see. Section 4(1) says every promoter shall apply to the Authority for registration in the form, manner and time and with the fee specified by regulations. Section 4(2) lists the documents to be enclosed with that application.
Section 11(1) then requires the promoter, on receiving login details, to create a web page on the Authority's website and enter all details of the project as provided under Section 4(2), in all the fields provided, for public viewing. So the Section 4(2) list is, in effect, a map of what the public project page should hold.
Our step by step guide to verifying a K-RERA project registration covers the portal itself. This piece covers what to read once you are there.
What does the promoter disclose about itself and its past projects?
Section 4(2)(a) requires brief details of the promoter's enterprise, including its name, registered address, type of enterprise and particulars of registration, and the names and photographs of the promoter.
Section 4(2)(b) is the one buyers most often skip. It requires a brief detail of the projects launched by the promoter in the past five years, whether completed or being developed, including the current status of those projects, any delay in completion, details of cases pending, details of type of land and payments pending. That is a track record, filed by the promoter itself.
Read it alongside the brochure's list of "delivered projects". If the brochure is silent on a delayed project that appears in the filing, you have learned something. Our explainer on the builder track record under Section 4 goes further into reading this part.
Which approvals and plans should be in the filing?
Section 4(2)(c) requires an authenticated copy of the approvals and commencement certificate from the competent authority, and where the project is developed in phases, an authenticated copy for each phase. Section 4(2)(d) requires the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications of the proposed project or phase, and of the whole project as sanctioned.
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 Bengaluru buyer worried about water, this is where the promoter has to set out its drinking water facilities on record.
Section 4(2)(f) requires location details with clear demarcation of the land dedicated to the project, its boundaries, and the latitude and longitude of the end points. Compare those boundaries with what you see on site and with the survey numbers in your title documents.
| Section 4(2) item | What the promoter files | What a Bengaluru buyer should check |
|---|---|---|
| Clause (b) | Projects launched in the past five years, delays, pending cases | Compare with the brochure's delivered projects list |
| Clauses (c) and (d) | Approvals, commencement certificate, sanctioned and layout plans | That your phase and tower are covered |
| Clause (e) | Development works, fire fighting and drinking water facilities | Water source and fire safety plans on record |
| Clause (g) | Proforma allotment letter, agreement for sale and conveyance deed | That your draft matches the filed proforma |
| Clause (l) | Declarations on title, encumbrances and completion date | Any encumbrance listed and the declared completion date |
What documents will you sign, and are they on file?
Section 4(2)(g) requires the promoter to file a proforma of the allotment letter, agreement for sale and conveyance deed proposed to be signed with allottees. Before you sign, compare the draft you are given with the proforma on file. Differences are not automatically wrong, but each one deserves an explanation.
Section 4(2)(h) requires the number, type and carpet area of apartments for sale, along with the area of exclusive balcony or verandah areas and exclusive open terrace areas. Section 4(2)(i) requires the number and areas of garages for sale. Check that the carpet area in your agreement matches the filing for your unit type.
Section 4(2)(j) requires the names and addresses of the promoter's real estate agents, if any, and Section 4(2)(k) the names and addresses of the contractors, architect, structural engineer and others concerned with development. If you are dealing with a broker, check whether they are named.
What has the promoter declared on title and money?
Section 4(2)(l) requires a declaration supported by an affidavit. Clause (A) states that the promoter has legal title to the land, with legally valid documents and authentication of title if the land is owned by another person. Clause (B) states that the land is free from all encumbrances, or gives details of the encumbrances. Clause (C) states the time period within which the promoter undertakes to complete the project or phase.
Clause (D) deals with money. It says seventy percent of the amounts realised from allottees shall be deposited in a separate account in a scheduled bank to cover the cost of construction and land, and shall be used only for that purpose. Withdrawals are to be in proportion to the percentage of completion, certified by an engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant in practice, and the promoter's accounts are to be audited within six months after the end of every financial year.
Read the encumbrance declaration closely. If the project land is mortgaged to a lender, the declaration should say so. Whatever the reason for it, that is something you should know before you pay.
What if the filing and the brochure disagree?
Treat the filing as the promoter's formal statement and the brochure as marketing, and ask the promoter to reconcile the two in writing. Section 11(2) says an advertisement or prospectus shall mention prominently the website address of the Authority, where all details of the registered project have been entered, and include the registration number. The law points buyers from the advertisement to the filing, not the other way round.
The Act also attaches consequences to the gap. Section 12 says that where a person makes an advance or deposit on the basis of information in a notice, advertisement or prospectus, or a model apartment, and sustains loss by reason of an incorrect or false statement in it, he shall be compensated by the promoter. Its proviso says a person who intends to withdraw because of such a statement shall be returned the entire investment with interest and compensation.
On construction, Section 14(1) says the project shall be developed and completed in accordance with the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications approved by the competent authorities. If the brochure shows an amenity that is not in the sanctioned plan on file, ask which one the promoter is building to. Keep the brochure, the screenshot of the filing and the promoter's reply together; if the gap turns into a loss, Section 31(1) lets any aggrieved person file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer.
What should Bengaluru buyers check in a RERA filing?
Use this checklist on the project's public page before you book:
- Confirm the registration number, promoter name and phase match your booking.
- Read the list of the promoter's projects from the past five years, with delays and cases.
- Check that approvals and the commencement certificate cover your phase and tower.
- Compare the sanctioned plan and specifications with what the brochure shows.
- Check the drinking water and fire fighting facilities filed under clause (e).
- Compare your draft agreement and the carpet area with the proforma on file.
- Note the declared completion date and any encumbrance on the land.
If a document you expect is missing from the page, ask the promoter for it in writing and keep the reply. Section 11(1) puts these details on the public record for exactly this kind of check.
Bengaluru buyer FAQs on reading a RERA filing
What must a builder disclose about past projects in a RERA filing?
Section 4(2)(b) of the RERA Act requires a brief detail of the projects launched by the promoter in the past five years, whether completed or being developed, including their current status, any delay in completion, details of cases pending, details of type of land and payments pending.
Does the RERA filing include the agreement for sale?
Yes. Section 4(2)(g) of the RERA Act requires the promoter to file a proforma of the allotment letter, agreement for sale and conveyance deed proposed to be signed with allottees. Compare the draft agreement you are given with the proforma on record before signing it.
Where can I see what the promoter filed under Section 4?
Section 11(1) of the RERA Act requires the promoter to create a web page on the Authority's website and enter all details of the project as provided under Section 4(2), in all the fields provided, for public viewing. In Karnataka, look up the project on the K-RERA portal.
What does the promoter declare about the land in its RERA filing?
Under Section 4(2)(l) of the RERA Act, the promoter files an affidavit declaring that it has legal title to the land, that the land is free from all encumbrances or giving their details, and the time period within which it undertakes to complete the project or phase.
Last updated 2026-10-23. PropNewz Team.
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