Buying an Under-Construction Flat in Kerala: 7 RERA Checks

What the law gives you before the building is finished

A public register. Every project has to appear on the state regulator’s register, and adverts must show its number.

A cap on early payments . The promoter cannot ask for more than a tenth of the price up front until the sale agreement is written and registered. On a ₹3.21 Cr flat, a tenth is ₹32.1 lakh.

A project account . Seventy percent of buyers’ payments goes into a separate account reserved for the project’s land and construction.

A choice when dates are missed . Once the promised handover date passes, you can keep your booking and be paid interest for each late month, or leave and be repaid with interest.

Selling on carpet area . The carpet area is the usable floor space inside the flat, excluding balconies, which makes it the fairer figure for comparing projects.

Defect cover . If a structural flaw appears within five years of handover, repairing it falls to the promoter.

Seven checks to run before you pay

Look the project up and read its registered completion date. Enter the number at rera.kerala.gov.in. Our walkthrough of verifying a Kerala RERA number shows the steps. The registered date is the deadline the promoter has put on record.

See that your agreement carries the same date. Section 18 interest is counted from the handover date written in the agreement for sale. A date that appears only in conversation or a brochure gives you nothing to count from.

Read any grace period closely. Some agreements allow extra months beyond the stated date. The model agreement attached to the RERA rules gives extra time only for things the promoter cannot control, such as war, a natural disaster or a government order, so have a lawyer say whether a wider clause fits.

Hold payments under 10 per cent until registration. Keep the allotment letter and every receipt in one folder.

Match the payment schedule to building progress. Find out which instalments depend on milestones, such as a slab being cast, and which fall due on fixed dates. Ask for the schedule in writing before you pay a booking amount.

Confirm the carpet area on paper. The figure in the agreement should agree with the plan filed with RERA.

Do the money maths for the whole wait. Ask your bank how loans for unfinished buildings are paid out. Disbursal is usually staged, and until you take possession, you may pay only interest on the amount released (pre-EMI). Over about seven years, add those payments to any rent you will pay meanwhile.

What to do if the date is missed

Section 18 puts the choice with you. You can stay and collect interest for every month the project runs late until you are handed the keys. Or you can withdraw and ask for a refund with interest. The rate comes from the state’s RERA rules.

If a delay looks likely, email your concerns and save the replies. If that goes nowhere, a complaint to the authority under Section 31 is the formal route. Some delays are excused when they come from causes beyond the promoter’s control, so the exact wording of your agreement counts.

What a delay can look like in rupees

Interest is easier to judge with numbers. Suppose you have paid ₹1 crore toward a flat, and the prescribed rate were 10 percent a year. That is ₹10 lakh a year, about ₹83,000 a month, so a six-month delay would be worth roughly ₹5 lakh.

These figures are illustrative. The real rate comes from the state’s RERA rules, and the amount depends on what you have paid by the due date.

A long wait is a trade-off, not a verdict

Buying early generally gives you more floors and units to choose from. The price of that choice is time, with your money committed for years. If you need to move soon, ask honestly whether you can wait. If you are buying to invest, set the carrying costs against the value you expect when the building is done.

Questions to put to the sales team before you pay a booking amount

Which tower, floor and unit is this price for, and what is its carpet area?

What is the registered completion date, and will the agreement show the same one?

What is the payment schedule, and which instalments are tied to construction stages?

Does the agreement include a grace period, and how long is it?

How much is the booking amount, and when will the agreement be registered?

Which account will my payments go into, and is it the project’s designated RERA account?

Sobha Bellevue by the numbers

Floor plans and carpet areas are on the Sobha Bellevue project page. Verify the registration and the registered date on the K-RERA portal yourself rather than relying on us. For the wider picture, see Sobha projects in Kerala.

Frequently asked questions

Is an under-construction flat in Kerala a safe buy? It can be, provided the project is on the K-RERA register, your agreement is registered with the date and carpet area stated, and you follow the payment rules. The law offers remedies for delay, though they work best when your paperwork is complete.

What is the most a builder can collect before the agreement is registered? Ten percent of the price as an advance or application fee .

Where must 70 percent of buyers’ money go? Into a separate account that can only be used for the project’s land and construction costs .

What are my options if the handover date is missed? Stay and receive interest for each month of delay, or withdraw and get a refund with interest. A complaint to the authority is the formal route.

When is Sobha Bellevue due? Sobha lists December 2033. Check the registered date on the K-RERA portal and make sure your agreement states it.