- ✅ Step 1: Search state RERA portal — confirm registration number is active
- ✅ Step 2: Verify developer identity matches who is selling to you
- ✅ Step 3: Check completion date and escrow account details
- ✅ Step 4: Verify NA (Non-Agricultural) conversion from revenue records
- ✅ Step 5: Check title chain — 30 years minimum, no disputes
- ✅ Step 6: Verify local development authority layout approval
- ✅ Step 7: Confirm channel partner RERA registration
Why RERA Verification Is Non-Negotiable
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 (RERA) was enacted to protect buyers from exactly the kind of fraud and misrepresentation that plagued Indian real estate for decades. Under RERA, no developer can legally advertise or sell plots or apartments without RERA registration. Every RERA registration file contains: land title details, layout approval, project timeline, promoter identity, escrow arrangements, and complaint history.
Yet in 2026, a significant portion of plotted sales — particularly in tier 2 cities and peripheral zones — still happen without buyers completing a basic RERA check. The result: buyers discover years later that their "approved" layout had no actual government approval, or their developer has no obligation to hand over plots because no RERA registration was ever filed.
Step-by-Step RERA Verification
Step 1: Find the Correct State RERA Portal
Each state has its own RERA portal. Key portals:
- Uttar Pradesh: up-rera.gov.in
- Haryana: hrera.org.in
- Rajasthan: rera.rajasthan.gov.in
- Gujarat: rera.gujarat.gov.in
- Maharashtra: maharera.mahaonline.gov.in
- Delhi: dcir.delhi.gov.in
Search by project name or developer name. If nothing appears, that is your answer — the project may not be RERA registered.
Step 2: Verify the Registration Number
The developer should provide you with the RERA registration number before any payment. Enter it on the state portal and verify: (a) the project name matches, (b) the developer/promoter name matches the entity selling to you, (c) the registration status is "Active" or "Registered" — not "Lapsed," "Revoked," or "Suspended."
Step 3: Check the Completion Date and Escrow
RERA filings include a declared completion date. Verify the escrow bank account details — this is where 70% of buyer payments must be held for construction use only. Any deviation from this is a violation.
Step 4: Verify Non-Agricultural (NA) Conversion
Agricultural land cannot be sold as residential plots without NA conversion from the state revenue authority. Ask for the NA order number and verify it on the state revenue department portal. This is the step most buyers skip — and the one that creates the most problems.
Step 5: Title Chain — 30-Year Minimum
The title chain should show at least 30 years of clean ownership history with no disputes, encumbrances, court orders, or government acquisition proceedings. This requires a search at the Sub-Registrar office for the relevant jurisdiction. A property lawyer can do this for ₹2,000–₹5,000 — the cheapest insurance you will ever buy.
Step 6: Local Development Authority Layout Approval
Beyond RERA, each state has a local planning authority that approves colony layouts: DVAC (UP), DTCP (Haryana), RIICO/UIT (Rajasthan), DSIRDA (Dholera), MVDA (Mathura-Vrindavan), etc. Verify the layout approval number with this authority independently — do not rely solely on documents provided by the developer.
Step 7: Channel Partner RERA Registration
Under RERA, channel partners (real estate agents) must also be registered with the state RERA. Ask any agent selling to you for their RERA registration number and verify it on the state portal. Saurabh Gupta (SmartCityPlots) is a registered RERA channel partner — docs shared upfront before any payment is requested.
For RERA-verified plots across India, WhatsApp Saurabh on +91 99113 32635.