Builder and RERA guides

Reviewed on: 2026-06-12.

This category covers disputes between homebuyers and builders, from booking to years after possession. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 gives most of these problems a named remedy. Section 14 stops the builder from changing the sanctioned plan without consent of two-thirds of allottees. Section 18 gives you refund with interest when possession is delayed. Section 17 requires conveyance to the society within three months of the occupancy certificate. Section 14(3) makes the builder liable for structural defects for five years after handover.

The forum is your state RERA authority: MahaRERA, UP RERA, K-RERA and their counterparts. Complaints are filed online, fees are modest, and orders carry interest and penalties. For pre-RERA projects or unregistered builders, the consumer commission route remains open. RTI helps at the edges: sanctioned plans, OC files and approval notings sit with the municipal authority and the planning body, both public authorities.

The guides below each take one dispute, name the RERA section, and walk the complaint step by step. Conveyance and society formation are split into separate guides because the remedies differ.

• Builder refuses refund after cancellation of allotment
• Builder changed layout, amenities or carpet area after booking
• Builder changes the payment schedule after booking
• Builder has the OC but refuses possession or handover documents
• Builder not providing a copy of the occupancy certificate
• Builder demanding maintenance before possession or OC
• Builder delaying the conveyance deed to the society
• Builder not forming the housing society
• Builder not handing over common areas
• Builder not handing over corpus, accounts and maintenance records
• Builder ignores defect liability complaints
• Promised clubhouse never completed
• Car parking location changed after allotment
• Parking sold illegally or denied by builder or RWA

Browse all practical guides for problems outside this category.