Most guides stop at "search and download the certificate". This one walks through what the Karnataka portal actually shows on 17 October 2026, how to read each column, and the red flags that should stop a booking. If you already know the basics and want to compare portals across states, see How to Read a RERA Project Page, Step by Step: K-RERA, HRERA Gurugram and TNRERA.

Which projects must be registered with K-RERA?

Under section 3 of the RERA Act, a project must be registered before it is advertised or sold if the land is larger than 500 sq m or it has more than eight apartments. Karnataka's rules add that registration is possible only after the plan is approved and a commencement certificate is issued, according to the state's own Rules FAQ. So a project that is "pre-launch" with no approved plan cannot have a valid RERA number yet.

Section 13 of the Act also caps what a promoter can take before a registered agreement for sale: no more than 10% of the cost. Anyone asking for more than that before the agreement is breaking the law, registered or not.

Step by step: checking a project on rera.karnataka.gov.in

  • 1. Open rera.karnataka.gov.in. The site loads in Kannada by default; switch the language at the top if needed.
  • 2. Under Services, choose Project Status (the page is titled Project Applications).
  • 3. Enter at least one field: Project Name, Promoter / Company / Firm Name, Application No or Registration No. Pick District (Bengaluru Urban or Bengaluru Rural) and Taluk to narrow results.
  • 4. Read the result row. The Bengaluru tables list the acknowledgement number, registration number, promoter, project, status, project type, applied-on and approved-on dates, the proposed completion date now and at registration, three extension columns (COVID-19, Section 6 and further extension), certificate links and a complaints/litigation column.
  • 5. Click View Project Details. The project page has tabs for Promoter Details, Land Details, Project Details, Cost Details, Bank Details, Uploaded Documents, Complaints and Quarterly Updates.
  • 6. Download the registration certificate and, if shown, the COVID and renewed certificates.
  • 7. Check the promoter's other projects by searching the promoter name alone.

How to read a Karnataka RERA number and certificate

Approved projects carry a number like PRM/KA/RERA/1251/309/PR/151026/009026. PRM marks a promoter project registration and KA the state. In recent entries the six-digit block before the last serial reads as the approval date in day-month-year form (151026 for a project approved on 15 October 2026). A number starting with ACK/KA/RERA is only an acknowledgement of an application, not a registration. A number starting EX/PRM/KA/RERA is a renewed registration after an extension.

On the certificate, check three things against your documents: the promoter entity (the same company that signs your agreement), the project and phase name (a different phase of the same brand is a different registration), and the validity date. If the builder's agreement promises possession after the RERA completion date, ask in writing why.

What the project details page tells you

  • Project Start Date and Proposed Completion Date: the date the promoter declared. Under section 18, delay is measured against the agreement date, but a RERA date that is earlier or later than the agreement is worth a written question.
  • Approving Authority, Approved Plan Number and Plan Approval Date: match these with the sanctioned plan the builder gives you.
  • Total Number of Inventories, carpet area by unit type and parking counts: compare your unit's carpet area with the agreement.
  • "Is there any Litigations on Land/Property/Khatha?": a yes answer means you need your lawyer to read the case details before booking.
  • Bank Details: the 70% account. Section 4(2)(l)(D) of the Act requires 70% of buyer money to sit in a separate account used only for land and construction, withdrawn in proportion to progress.
  • Uploaded Documents: title documents, the latest encumbrance certificate, plans and engineer, architect and CA certificates.
  • Complaints: complaints on this project and on this promoter, with counts in the tab name.

Quarterly updates: how to tell if a project is on track

Karnataka's Rules FAQ says the promoter must upload updates within 15 days after each quarter ends: units and garages booked, construction status of each building and floor with photographs, internal infrastructure, and approvals received, applied for and pending. The Quarterly Updates tab also shows the percentage of completion, total advance collected from buyers and the amount withdrawn from the bank, backed by CA, architect and structural engineer certificates (Forms 4, 5 and 6).

A simple test: compare the share of money collected with the share of work done. If buyers have paid for most of the building but the architect certifies less than half the work, ask why before your next instalment. Missing updates for two or more quarters is itself a warning sign.

Extensions, lapsed and default projects: what the numbers mean

Section 6 of the Act lets K-RERA extend a registration for force majeure, or in reasonable circumstances without the promoter's fault, for up to one year in aggregate. Karnataka's rules set the extension fee at half the registration fee. The portal's extension page showed, on 17 October 2026, 1,206 extension applications, of which 988 were approved, 69 rejected and 149 under process, plus 2,914 projects whose completion date had expired.

The portal also keeps a Default Projects list (4 projects on 17 October 2026) and a Lapsed Projects list (3,017), with a notice that buyers should take an informed decision where the completion date has expired. A lapsed entry is not proof of a problem, because some promoters simply have not filed for completion. It is a reason to ask for the occupancy certificate or the extension order before paying anything.

Checking the agent or broker too

Section 9 of the Act says a real estate agent can sell a registered project only after registering with the Authority. On the Karnataka portal, use Services and then Agent Status to search by name or registration number, and the project page's Project Details tab records whether the promoter has declared any RERA registered agents for the project. Karnataka's registration fee for agents is ₹25,000 for an individual and ₹2 lakh for a firm, per the state Rules FAQ, so a genuine agent will have a number and a certificate to show you.

Ask any broker for their K-RERA agent number on the first call, and check it on the portal before sharing documents or paying anything. An agent never needs your OTPs, and booking payments should go to the promoter's account named in the agreement, not to an individual.

Red flags that should stop a booking

  • No result for the project name or the number you were given. Search by promoter name too, then ask for the exact registration number in writing.
  • Only an ACK number: the application is pending, not approved.
  • The number belongs to another phase, tower or promoter entity.
  • The proposed completion date is already past and there is no extension or occupancy certificate.
  • Quarterly updates are stale or show work far behind collections.
  • A yes in the litigation field, or a complaints count that keeps rising on the same project.
  • The project appears on K-RERA's Projects Under Investigation list, which names projects the authority says are not registered and are being examined; the portal says it is updated every Friday at 1 PM.
  • A demand above 10% of the price before a registered agreement for sale.

What RERA registration does not prove

The portal shows the promoter's declarations, reviewed by the authority. It is not a title search, a quality audit or a delivery guarantee. Pair it with a lawyer's title check (see How to Verify Property Documents and Title in Bangalore: A Buyer's Due-Diligence Checklist), a site visit that confirms the stage claimed in the latest quarterly update, and the promoter's track record of certified completions on Bengaluru builders who deliver on time. When you shortlist, compare registered projects side by side in Under Construction, Bangalore or Ready To Move, Bangalore, and run the checks in The 9-Point RERA Checklist Every Buyer Should Run before you pay a token.