How to File a Complaint in Karnataka RERA: 2026 Guide

This guide covers the Karnataka process end to end: who can file, Authority or Adjudicating Officer, the portal steps from K-RERA's own user manual, documents, a worked interest calculation, what happens after filing, appeals and how an order is enforced. For a general overview of delay remedies, see Possession Delayed? What Buyers Can Do Under RERA.

Who can file a complaint with Karnataka RERA?

Section 31 of the Act lets any aggrieved person file a complaint against a promoter, allottee or real estate agent for a breach of the Act, rules or regulations. The Explanation to section 31 says "person" includes an association of allottees or a registered voluntary consumer association, so a group of buyers in the same project can file together.

Common grounds for flat buyers are: possession not given by the agreement date (section 18), structural or workmanship defects not fixed within 30 days of being reported in the first five years after possession (section 14(3)), changes to the sanctioned plan without consent (section 14), more than 10% taken before a registered agreement (section 13), and failure to execute the conveyance deed (section 17). K-RERA's complaint form also lets you name an unregistered project by typing the project and promoter name manually.

Authority or Adjudicating Officer: Form N or Form O?

• Form N, to the Authority: for violations of the Act, rules or regulations, including refund with interest and delay interest under section 18. Fee ₹1,000 (Karnataka RERA Rules, rule 29; Karnataka Rules FAQ).
• Form O, to the Adjudicating Officer: for compensation under sections 12, 14, 18 and 19, decided under section 71 by an officer who is or has been a District Judge. Fee ₹1,000 (rule 30).
• Section 72 lists what the Adjudicating Officer weighs: the promoter's disproportionate gain or unfair advantage, the buyer's loss and whether the default is repeated.
• K-RERA's 2022 General Regulations say complaints in Form N or Form O are lodged on the K-RERA web portal with the fee.
• Most buyers who want their money back or delay interest file Form N. If you also claim compensation for losses such as rent paid, that is a separate claim before the Adjudicating Officer.

How to file online: the K-RERA portal steps

• 1. On rera.karnataka.gov.in open Registration, then Complaint Registration. This opens the Complaint Login page.
• 2. First-time users click New User and enter name, phone number and email. Login details arrive by email; reset the password with the OTP sent to you.
• 3. Log in and fill the complainant details, then click Next.
• 4. In respondent details choose who the complaint is against, the complaint section and the nature of complaint. For a registered project, type the name and pick it from the drop-down; otherwise enter the project and promoter name manually.
• 5. Write the complaint subject, the facts and the relief sought (for example: refund of ₹X with interest under section 18, or delay interest from date Y until possession). Attach supporting documents, each with a caption.
• 6. Preview and print the complaint for your records.
• 7. Pay online. The manual says RERA accepts payment only by e-payment through the Treasury Unified Gateway, by net banking from listed banks. Note the payment reference number.
• 8. On confirmation the portal generates a complaint number. Track it under Services, then Complaint Status.

Documents to attach

• Agreement for sale (registered) and the allotment letter, showing the promised possession date.
• Every payment receipt and bank statement entries, and the bank's loan disbursement letters if you have a home loan.
• Demand letters and any possession offer letter.
• Your letters and emails to the builder about the delay or defects, and their replies.
• A screenshot or printout of the project's K-RERA page showing the registration number and proposed completion date.
• For defects: dated photographs and the written snag list you sent, showing that 30 days passed without repair.
• A short calculation sheet of the amount and interest you claim.

What interest rate applies in Karnataka? A worked example

The Karnataka rules fix one rate both ways, for interest the promoter pays a buyer and for interest a buyer pays on late instalments: "State Bank of India highest marginal cost of lending rate plus two percent" (rule 16; Karnataka Rules FAQ). SBI's highest listed MCLR is its three-year rate, revised to 8.95% from 15 October 2026, so the rate today is 10.95% a year. The rate an order applies depends on its wording, so read your order closely.

Illustrative example, simple interest: a buyer paid ₹72 lakh on a flat promised for 31 March 2025, and possession is offered on 30 September 2026, 18 months late. Yearly interest is ₹72,00,000 × 10.95% = ₹7,88,400, or ₹65,700 a month. For 18 months that is ₹65,700 × 18 = ₹11,82,600. If the buyer withdraws instead, the claim is the ₹72 lakh paid plus interest from each payment date to the refund date. Rule 17 of the Karnataka rules gives 60 days from the date the refund falls due for the promoter to pay it with interest.

What happens after you file, and how long it takes

• Scrutiny: an authorised officer checks the complaint and communicates any defects within seven days (K-RERA General Regulations 2022, regulation 11).
• Hearings: the Authority may assign the case to a single bench of the chairperson or a member. You can appear yourself or file a memorandum of authorisation for someone to appear for you (regulation 13). Hearing dates appear in the Authority's daily cause list on the portal.
• Target time: the Karnataka rules ask the Authority to dispose of complaints as quickly as possible and within 60 days of filing, recording reasons if it takes longer. In practice many cases take longer.
• Orders: the parties get a free copy of the final order (regulation 19). Interim orders and final orders are searchable under Services.
• Settlement: the portal also publishes Lok Adalat orders, so settlement is possible along the way. Do not withdraw on a verbal promise; record any settlement in writing.

If you disagree with the order: appeal to K-REAT

Section 44 allows an appeal to the Karnataka Real Estate Appellate Tribunal within 60 days of receiving the order, with late appeals allowed for sufficient cause. The appeal fee is ₹5,000, per the Rules FAQ and K-REAT's notification of 16 December 2021, which also sets a copying fee of ₹2 a page. A promoter who appeals must first deposit at least 30% of any penalty, or the full amount payable to the allottee including interest and compensation (section 43(5) proviso). That deposit rule protects buyers from appeals filed only to delay payment. A further appeal lies to the High Court.

The builder has not paid: executing a K-RERA order

• Unpaid interest, penalty or compensation is recoverable "as an arrears of land revenue" under section 40(1). Write to the Authority with the order number and ask for a recovery certificate.
• K-RERA publishes a Revenue Recovery Certificate list and a complaint realisation list under Services, so you can track recovery.
• Under section 63, a promoter who ignores the Authority's orders faces a daily penalty that can add up to 5% of the project's estimated cost.
• The Authority can also ask parties to file an affidavit of compliance (regulation 18).

Before you file: five checks that make a complaint stronger

Checking a project before you buy prevents most of this. See How to Check RERA Registration in Karnataka: 7 Steps, The Builder-Buyer Agreement: Clauses You Must Check and the certified completion records on Bengaluru builders who deliver on time. If you would rather avoid construction risk altogether, look at completed homes in Ready To Move, Bangalore.

• Fix the promised date from the agreement, not from the brochure, and note any grace period it allows.
• Check the project's K-RERA page for extensions (Section 6 or COVID-19 columns) so you know what the builder will argue.
• Send a dated written notice to the builder first and keep proof of delivery.
• Calculate your claim before any settlement talk, using the worked example above.
• If many buyers in the project face the same delay, a joint complaint by the association is allowed under section 31.