So in Bangalore, the safe rule is simple: pay an EOI only into a project you can find on the K-RERA portal, keep it small, get the refund terms in writing, and count it toward the 10% ceiling. This guide explains how EOIs work, what amounts are typical, what regulators have done when an EOI was really a booking, and a checklist to use before you pay.

What does EOI mean in real estate?

EOI stands for Expression of Interest. In a new launch, the developer opens a registration window before (or at) launch. You fill a form, share your PAN and contact details, and pay a token. In return you are promised a place in a priority queue for unit selection and, often, the launch price list.

An EOI is not an allotment. It does not fix a unit, a floor or a price, and it does not create a sale. The binding steps come later: an allotment letter, then a written agreement for sale registered at the sub-registrar's office, and finally the sale deed. Developers use the EOI window to measure demand and tune pricing before they open bookings.

How much is the EOI amount in Bangalore?

There is no legal schedule of EOI amounts. One large developer's buyer guide, published in May 2026, puts typical EOI tokens at ₹50,000 to ₹2 lakh for mid-range projects and up to ₹5 lakh or more for premium projects. Treat those as indicative figures from a developer, not a rule.

What is a rule is the ceiling. Section 13(1) of the RERA Act says a promoter cannot accept more than 10% of the cost of the apartment, plot or building as an advance payment or application fee without first entering into a written, registered agreement for sale. An EOI token is money paid in advance, so the sensible reading is that it counts toward that 10%.

Worked example: where your EOI sits under the 10% cap

Take a flat with a total cost of ₹1.2 crore. The 10% ceiling before a registered agreement is ₹1.2 crore × 10% = ₹12 lakh.

  • EOI token: ₹2 lakh. Running total ₹2 lakh, which is 1.7% of cost.
  • Booking amount at allotment: ₹8 lakh. Running total ₹10 lakh, which is 8.3% of cost. Still within the cap.
  • A further ₹5 lakh demanded before the agreement is registered would take the total to ₹15 lakh, or 12.5% of cost. That is above the Section 13 ceiling, and you should refuse until the agreement is registered.
  • After registration, payments follow the schedule written into the agreement, which Section 13(2) says must set out the amounts and timing of payments and the possession date.

Is it legal to collect an EOI before RERA registration?

Section 3(1) of the RERA Act is wide. It bars a promoter from advertising, marketing, booking, selling, offering for sale, or inviting people to buy in any manner, in any planning area, without first registering the project with the regulator. Only small projects are exempt: land of 500 sq m or less, or eight apartments or fewer across all phases.

An EOI drive for an unregistered project is therefore hard to square with Section 3, whatever the form says. The penalty under Section 59 is up to 10% of the project's estimated cost, and continued violation can bring up to three years' imprisonment, a further fine of up to 10%, or both.

Regulators look at substance. In a 2021 order reported by a real estate research site, Tamil Nadu RERA rejected a developer's argument that about ₹3.63 crore paid in 2016, nearly 80% of the flat's value, was only a 'non-binding EOI'. It held the sum was far too large to be a mere expression of interest, treated it as a Section 13 breach, and ordered ₹12.8 lakh of deductions refunded with interest at 10.2%. That is not a Karnataka order, but it shows how a label is treated.

K-RERA also handles complaints about unregistered projects. A K-RERA notification of 16 December 2020 delegated enquiry powers for complaints against unregistered projects to its Secretary, because about 2,232 complaints against registered and unregistered projects were pending at the time.

Is the EOI amount refundable?

Usually yes, if you do not proceed before signing anything binding, but only the written terms count. Read the EOI form for three things: whether the refund is full or less charges, the refund timeline in days, and who refunds (the developer's company account, not a channel partner).

If the form says the token is non-refundable in any situation, do not pay without legal advice. Also note that K-RERA has not been sympathetic to forfeiture of small booking sums. In a 2023 complaint reported by LiveLaw in April 2024, K-RERA ordered a developer to refund a full ₹1 lakh booking amount despite a forfeiture clause in the booking form, reasoning that the developer would earn the same sum when another buyer booked the flat and had already held the money for about a year.

Once you move from EOI to allotment, Karnataka's model allotment letter sets out cancellation deductions on a sliding scale: nothing if your cancellation letter arrives within 15 days of the allotment letter, then caps of 1%, 1.5% and 2% of the unit's cost as time passes, with the balance refunded within 45 days.

EOI vs booking amount vs agreement for sale

  • EOI: interest only. No unit, no price lock, normally refundable. Should only be paid in a registered project.
  • Booking amount with allotment letter: a specific unit is allotted. K-RERA's model allotment letter says the amount collected at this stage must not exceed 10% of the unit's cost, and the letter must quote the project's K-RERA registration number, carpet area, total consideration and possession date.
  • Registered agreement for sale: the binding contract. Under the model letter, the buyer is to execute and register it within two months of the allotment letter, unless both sides agree to extend.
  • Sale deed: transfers ownership after completion and full payment.

How do I check a project before paying an EOI?

Start with the K-RERA portal (rera.karnataka.gov.in) and its project search. Our step-by-step guide at How to Read a RERA Project Page, Step by Step: K-RERA, HRERA Gurugram and TNRERA shows what each field means. Then run the wider list in The 9-Point RERA Checklist Every Buyer Should Run.

  • Registration: the project and the specific phase or tower appear on K-RERA with a registration number. Section 11(2) requires every advertisement to show that number and the regulator's website address.
  • Promoter name: the company on the K-RERA record is the company named on the EOI form and receipt.
  • Payee: the token goes by cheque, NEFT or UPI into the developer's own account. Never pay cash, and never pay into a broker's account.
  • Refund clause: full refund, timeline in days, written into the form.
  • Price: the form states an indicative price range, and whether it can change. An EOI does not lock a price.
  • Allocation: what happens if demand exceeds units. You should get a full refund if you are not allotted.
  • Total exposure: EOI plus any booking money stays within 10% of cost until the agreement is registered.

What to do if an EOI refund is refused

  • Write to the developer by email, quoting the EOI form, receipt number, date and amount, and ask for a refund within a stated time.
  • If the project is registered, file a complaint under Section 31 of the RERA Act on the K-RERA portal's complaint page. Interest claims and compensation can be referred to the adjudicating officer under Section 71.
  • If the project was not registered when the money was taken, say so in the complaint. That is a Section 3 issue the regulator can examine, and K-RERA has a process for complaints against unregistered projects.
  • Keep everything: brochures, WhatsApp messages, the EOI form and bank statements. Section 11(2) and the agreement rules tie a developer to what it advertised.

The bottom line on EOIs in Bangalore

An EOI is a reasonable way to get early access to a registered launch, provided the token is small, refundable in writing and counted against the 10% cap. It is not a way to 'get in early' on a project that has no K-RERA number yet. If you want early access with protection, track launches that have just received registration, such as those listed in Upcoming and New Launch Projects in Bangalore (2026–2027): Prices, Possession and RERA by Area and on New Launches, Bangalore. A recently registered example to study is Godrej Regent Park Sarjapur Road.