Within that ceiling, the amount is negotiable. Many buyers pay a token at the site, then top up to the full booking amount when the allotment letter is issued. This guide shows how to calculate your cap, what your receipt and allotment letter must say, and what to do if you are asked for more.

What is the booking amount for a flat in Bangalore?

The booking amount is the money you pay to have a specific unit allotted to you. It is adjusted against the price: Karnataka's model agreement for sale states that the total price includes the booking amount already paid.

There is no fixed percentage in law, only a maximum. A developer's 2026 explainer cites 5% to 10% of value as a typical formal booking amount, which is consistent with the cap. A smaller token is common on the day of a site visit, with the balance paid within a few weeks.

What does RERA Section 13 say about the booking amount?

Section 13(1): a promoter shall not accept more than 10% of the cost of the apartment, plot or building as an advance payment or application fee from a person without first entering into a written agreement for sale and registering it under the law for the time being in force.

Section 13(2) then says what the agreement must contain: the development details and specifications, the amounts and timing of payments, the possession date, and the interest rates payable by each side on default. Karnataka prescribes the format in its Agreement for Sale Rules, notified in June 2020.

Two practical points follow. First, the cap covers every advance, so a token, an EOI and a booking amount are added together. Second, once the agreement is registered, payments follow its schedule and can go above 10%.

Worked example: your booking-amount ceiling

Take a 2 BHK with a total consideration of ₹1.5 crore. K-RERA's model allotment letter expresses the cap against the unit's total consideration, which it states exclusive of GST, stamp duty and registration charges.

  • Ceiling before registration: ₹1.5 crore × 10% = ₹15 lakh.
  • Token at site visit: ₹2 lakh (1.3%).
  • Balance at allotment: ₹8 lakh. Total ₹10 lakh (6.7%). Within the cap.
  • A 'please pay 15% to block the unit' demand before registration would be ₹22.5 lakh, or ₹7.5 lakh over the ceiling. Decline, or ask for the agreement to be registered first.
  • After the agreement is registered, the next instalment follows the payment plan in Schedule C of the agreement.

Token amount vs booking amount vs down payment

  • Token amount: a small sum, often paid at the site office, to hold a unit for a few days while the paperwork is prepared. Ask for a receipt that names the unit and says what happens to the token if you do not proceed.
  • Booking amount: the sum acknowledged in the allotment letter, adjusted against the price. It is the figure the cancellation table and the 10% cap work on.
  • Down payment (own contribution): the part of the price your home loan will not cover. Banks lend only a share of the value, so the booking amount is usually the first slice of your down payment, not an extra cost.
  • Agreement instalment: the first payment due under the registered agreement's payment plan. It can take the total above 10%, because the agreement now exists.
  • Staged booking: K-RERA's model allotment letter has a version for paying the booking amount in stages, with each instalment and due date written into the letter. If a staged instalment is missed, the developer must give 15 days' notice before cancelling, and even then can keep only the amount paid or the deduction in the letter's cancellation table, whichever is less.

What must the allotment letter say?

K-RERA's model form of allotment letter says it is mandatory to issue the letter in that format whenever a sum of not more than 10% of the cost is collected as deposit, advance or booking amount. Check that yours includes:

  • The project name, address and K-RERA registration number.
  • The unit number, floor, tower and RERA carpet area in square metres and square feet. See Carpet, Built-Up and Super Built-Up Area: A Worked Example for Bengaluru Buyers for how carpet area differs from super built-up.
  • Total consideration, stated exclusive of GST, stamp duty and registration.
  • Parking: the number and type of any garage or covered space.
  • The amount received, its percentage of total consideration, the date and the payment mode.
  • Disclosures: sanctioned plans displayed at site and on the K-RERA website, and a stage-wise completion schedule.
  • Encumbrances on the unit, if any, and an undertaking not to create a mortgage after allotment.
  • The possession date.
  • Interest on late payment at the State Bank of India's highest marginal cost of lending rate (MCLR) plus 2%.
  • A cancellation table with fixed maximum deductions, and a 45-day refund deadline.
  • A deadline to execute and register the agreement for sale: two months from the letter unless both sides agree to extend.

Is the booking amount refundable if I change my mind?

Partly, and the deduction depends on timing. Under K-RERA's model allotment letter, the maximum deduction is nil if your cancellation letter arrives within 15 days of the allotment letter, 1% of the unit's cost from day 16 to 30, 1.5% from day 31 to 60, and 2% after day 61. The balance must be refunded without interest within 45 days, failing which interest at SBI's highest MCLR plus 2% applies.

After the agreement for sale is registered, cancellation follows that agreement instead. Karnataka's prescribed agreement lets the builder forfeit the booking amount if you withdraw without any fault on its part, and return the balance within 60 days. For clauses to read before signing, see The Builder-Buyer Agreement: Clauses You Must Check.

What if the builder takes more than 10% without registering the agreement?

K-RERA has acted on this. In Complaint No. 00902/2023, decided on 22 September 2023, buyers had paid ₹9,01,040 under an agreement for sale dated 17 April 2023 that the developer did not register despite requests. K-RERA found that more than 10% of the sale consideration had been collected and the agreement had not been registered, and ordered a refund of ₹9,40,912 including interest at MCLR plus 2%, payable within 60 days, with interest continuing until payment.

If you are in this position, write to the developer asking it to register the agreement by a date, and keep copies. If it does not, a K-RERA complaint under Section 31 is the main route.

Receipts, payment mode and other money questions

Common booking-amount mistakes

Before paying anything for units on Under Construction, Bangalore, avoid these mistakes. For a 2026 registered launch to practise on, look at Godrej Parkshire Whitefield Hoskote and match its K-RERA record with the allotment letter terms above.

  • Paying the full 10% before reading anything. The cancellation table runs from the allotment letter date, so use the first 15 days, when the deduction is nil, to read the draft agreement and check the project.
  • Accepting a 'booking form' instead of an allotment letter. The model letter, with its deduction table, is the document K-RERA says must be issued.
  • Not reading the draft agreement until the registration date. The model letter requires the proforma agreement to be enclosed, so read it while you can still cancel at no cost.
  • Assuming the cap covers GST and stamp duty. The model letter states consideration exclusive of both, so calculate 10% on the unit price.
  • Losing the paper trail. Without receipts and the allotment letter, a refund claim is far harder to prove.