Got a Property Offer by SMS or Email? What RERA's Advertising Rules Mean for Bengaluru Buyers
A guide for Bengaluru buyers who receive property offers by SMS, email or messaging apps: why RERA treats them as advertisements, when a promoter may advertise, who is responsible for the claims, and how to check a message before paying.
A Bengaluru professional gets three messages in one afternoon. An SMS offers early bird pricing on flats near the airport road. An email promises a pre-launch rate for a few days only. A forwarded brochure arrives on a messaging app with a booking link. None of them looks like a newspaper advertisement, and none mentions a RERA registration number. Do the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act's rules on advertising still apply?
The Housing Ministry's FAQs on the Act answer that question in one line. This guide explains what they say about the meaning of advertisement, when a promoter may start advertising, who is responsible for what a message claims, and how a buyer can use those rules to filter the property pitches that reach a phone or inbox.
The short answer. According to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs FAQs on RERA, any medium adopted in soliciting for sale, including SMS and emails, is covered by the Act's definition of advertisement in section 2(b). A promoter can advertise a project for sale only after it has been registered with the regulator under section 3(1), and under section 12 the promoter is responsible for the veracity of everything in the advertisement and prospectus. The trade-off: these rules give you leverage, but only if you check the registration and keep the messages before you pay.
Is an SMS or email offer an advertisement under RERA?
Yes. The Housing Ministry's FAQs explain that, as per section 2(b), any medium adopted in soliciting for sale, including SMS and emails, is covered under the definition of advertisement. The test is what the message does, not the channel it uses. If it solicits you to buy an apartment or plot in a project, it falls within the definition.
That matters because many buyers now hear about projects first through a text, an email campaign or a brochure forwarded on a messaging app, long before they see a hoarding or a print advertisement. The FAQs' reading means a message of this kind is subject to the same rules as any other advertisement for the project.
The definition is not limited to promoters' own channels either. The FAQs explain that the definition of real estate agent in section 2(zm) is broad and inclusive, covering all forms of agencies involved in the sale and purchase of registered projects, and that web portals engaged in selling plots or apartments are also covered and must comply with the duties set out in the Act, rules and regulations.
Agents carry their own registration duty. The FAQs explain that, under section 9, a real estate agent engaged in selling a project registered under the Act has to register with the regulator, and that agents or web based brokerage firms operating across multiple States must register with the regulator in each State or Union Territory. The regulator grants a single registration to an agent for the entire State. So a message from a broker or a listings platform offering a Bengaluru project points to a second registration you can look up, alongside the project's own.
Section 10 of the Act, the FAQs add, sets out detailed functions and duties of real estate agents. A buyer does not need to know each one to benefit; it is enough to confirm that the person or platform pitching the project is registered and identifiable.
For a buyer, the practical point is simple. Treat a sales message as an advertisement, and read it with the same care. A short text that promises a price, a location or an amenity is making a claim, and the Act attaches responsibility to that claim.
When can a promoter start advertising a project?
Only after registration. The FAQs state that a promoter can advertise a project for sale after the project has been registered with the regulator as provided in section 3(1). Separately, they explain that section 3(1) requires a promoter to register the project before any advertising, marketing, booking, selling, offering for sale or inviting persons to purchase in the project.
Read together, those answers set a clear sequence. Registration comes first. Advertising, marketing and booking come after. A message that invites you to book in a project that has not been registered, and that does not fall within one of the exemptions in section 3(2), is out of step with that sequence.
The FAQs summarise those exemptions as projects where the land proposed to be developed does not exceed 500 square metres or the apartments proposed do not exceed eight, inclusive of all phases; projects that received a completion certificate before the Act commenced; and renovation, repair or redevelopment that involves no marketing, advertising, selling or new allotment. If a promoter says a project is exempt, check the claim against those limits and ask for the basis in writing.
We explained the risks of paying before registration in our guide to pre-launch bookings before RERA registration in Bengaluru. A message advertising a pre-launch rate is a prompt to run that check, not a reason to skip it.
Who is responsible for what the message claims?
The promoter. The FAQs explain that, as per section 12, the promoter is responsible for the veracity of all information contained in the advertisement and the prospectus. In case of any loss sustained by any person due to false information contained in them, the promoter is liable to make good the loss.
Because the definition of advertisement covers SMS and email, that responsibility extends to the claims made in those messages. A price, a possession date, an amenity or an approval mentioned in a text is part of what the promoter has put before you. We looked at section 12 in more detail in our guide to misleading builder advertisements under RERA.
The table below maps common message claims to the rule that applies and the check that matches it. The examples are illustrative, not drawn from any particular project.
| What the message says | What the FAQs say applies | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Book now at a pre-launch price | Advertising and booking only after registration, section 3(1) | The RERA registration number on the regulator's portal |
| Possession in a stated year | Promoter responsible for veracity, section 12 | The completion date declared on the portal |
| Named amenities or open spaces | Promoter responsible for veracity, section 12 | The sanctioned plan and the portal disclosures |
| Pay a booking amount today | No more than 10 percent before an agreement for sale, section 13 | Whether an agreement for sale will be executed first |
| Sent by a portal or agent | Agents and web portals covered, section 2(zm) | The agent's registration with the regulator |
What about booking amounts mentioned in a message?
A message that asks for money raises a separate rule. The FAQs explain that section 13 provides that the promoter cannot accept more than 10 percent of the apartment or plot cost as an advance payment or application fee without first executing an agreement for sale with the allottee.
That gives a buyer a clear yardstick. If a campaign asks for a payment above that level before any agreement for sale is signed, the request is out of line with the FAQs' reading of section 13. Even a smaller booking amount should be paid only once you have confirmed the project's registration and know what the agreement for sale will say.
The FAQs add that, under section 13(2), the agreement for sale is to be specified by the appropriate Government through rules, is binding on the parties, and cannot contain terms contrary to the Act and its rules. A message cannot override that framework, so the agreement, not the campaign text, is the document that governs your purchase.
How should a Bengaluru buyer respond to a property message?
Use the message as a starting point for checks, not as evidence in itself. Whether the pitch is for a project in the north of the city, such as Prestige Avon on our project pages, or a smaller development you have not heard of, the same steps apply.
- Save the message, including the sender, date and any attachments or links.
- Look for the project's RERA registration number in the message or brochure.
- Search the Karnataka RERA portal for the project by name and promoter.
- Compare the message's claims on price, possession and amenities with the portal disclosures.
- If an agent or portal sent it, check the agent's registration with the regulator.
- Pay no more than 10 percent before an agreement for sale is executed.
- Ask for any important claim in writing before you commit.
Saving the message matters most. Because section 12 makes the promoter responsible for the veracity of advertisement claims and liable to make good losses caused by false information, the original text, email or brochure may become the record of what you were promised.
A message that carries no registration number, pushes for an immediate payment and promises a price only for a few hours is not proof that anything is wrong. It is a reason to slow down and check the portal before you engage further.
What do Bengaluru buyers ask about property messages and RERA?
Does RERA treat an SMS or email offer as an advertisement?
Yes. The Housing Ministry's FAQs explain that under section 2(b), any medium adopted in soliciting for sale, including SMS and emails, is covered under the definition of advertisement. A text or email inviting you to buy in a project is therefore subject to the Act's advertising rules.
Can a builder advertise a project before RERA registration?
The Housing Ministry's FAQs say a promoter can advertise a project for sale after it has been registered with the regulator under section 3(1), which requires registration before any advertising, marketing, booking or selling. Projects within the section 3(2) exemptions are outside the registration requirement.
Who is responsible if a property advertisement contains false information?
Under section 12, as the Housing Ministry's FAQs explain, the promoter is responsible for the veracity of all information in the advertisement and prospectus. If any person sustains a loss due to false information in them, the promoter is liable to make good that loss.
How much can a builder collect before signing an agreement for sale?
The Housing Ministry's FAQs say section 13 provides that a promoter cannot accept more than 10 percent of the apartment or plot cost as an advance payment or application fee without first executing an agreement for sale with the allottee. Check the registration before paying anything.
Last updated 2026-10-19. PropNewz Team.
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