Many Bengaluru buyers are now hearing 'RERA has given four more months' when they ask about handover. This guide explains exactly what was extended, what was not, how to check your project, and what to do if your possession slips.

What exactly did K-RERA order?

The Karnataka RERA Secretariat issued Notification No. K RERA/ADMIN/10/2026 on 10 August 2026 under section 6 read with section 7(3) of the RERA Act. As summarised by TeamLease RegTech, its terms are:

  • Relief: registration and the corresponding project completion timeline extended by four months.
  • Who qualifies: registered projects whose original, revised or extended completion date falls on or after 28 February 2026.
  • Who does not: projects registered on or after 1 August 2026.
  • Process: automatic. No individual application is needed and no fee is payable for this extension.
  • Ground: the West Asia situation is treated as 'war' for invoking force majeure.
  • Effect: immediate.

Why did the Centre ask for an extension?

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs advised all state RERAs on 31 July 2026 to grant four-month extensions, saying the West Asia situation had disrupted supply chains and caused shortages of construction materials. It relied on a Finance Ministry office memorandum of 29 April 2026 that treated the situation as 'war' for force majeure purposes, and recommended a common order rather than case-by-case applications.

Section 6 of the RERA Act defines force majeure to include war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone, earthquake or other natural calamity affecting regular development. Karnataka's Rule 7 already waives the extension fee where force majeure is the ground.

Homebuyer groups objected. The Forum for People's Collective Efforts questioned the ministry's legal basis for a blanket extension and pointed out that no general advisory had asked builders to honour section 18 compensation. Developer bodies welcomed the move.

How is Karnataka's version different from other states?

States copied the advisory with different fences, which is why advice from a Noida or Hyderabad forum may not fit your Bengaluru flat.

  • Karnataka: completion date on or after 28 February 2026, no upper limit stated in the summary; excludes projects registered on or after 1 August 2026.
  • Telangana: projects due between 28 February and 31 July 2026 get a deadline of 30 November 2026.
  • Uttar Pradesh: only projects due between 28 February and 31 October 2026; projects with a completion or occupancy certificate are excluded. About 1,199 projects were reported eligible.
  • Haryana: only projects registered on or before 31 July 2026.

Does the extension change my possession date?

Not automatically. There are two different dates in your purchase, and the order speaks to only one of them.

  • The completion date on the RERA registration: this is what K-RERA extended. It decides how long the registration stays valid and when the promoter is in breach of the registration.
  • The possession date in your agreement for sale: this is a contract between you and the promoter. Section 18(1) ties delay interest and refund rights to a failure to give possession in accordance with the agreement for sale, or by the date specified in it.

When is a delay actually excused by force majeure?

A legal analysis of Tamil Nadu's identical order makes the key point: the extension should not automatically be treated as changing every possession promise made to buyers, and it gives buyers no automatic financial relief either. In a dispute, two questions decide the outcome. Does your agreement's force majeure clause cover this kind of event? And did this event actually cause your project's delay?

Delays from poor planning, cash shortages, slow construction or problems that began before the West Asia conflict are a different matter, and the same analysis warns against using the extension to cover them. If your project was already behind schedule in its 2025 quarterly updates, that history is evidence.

Can I still claim delay interest under section 18?

On the reports we read, nothing in the Karnataka order or the central advisory takes away section 18. If possession is late against your agreement, section 18(1) gives you two options: withdraw and get your money back with interest and compensation, or stay in the project and receive interest for every month of delay until handover.

Whether interest runs for the four extension months is something the promoter is likely to contest, citing force majeure. Expect that argument and prepare evidence about when your project actually slowed. The Authority will decide on the facts.

In Karnataka the interest rate is set by Rule 16: SBI's highest MCLR plus 2%. With SBI's three-year MCLR at 8.95% from 15 October 2026, that is 10.95% a year.

  • Worked example: you have paid ₹80 lakh towards a flat whose agreement promises possession on 30 September 2026. Monthly delay interest at 10.95% = ₹80,00,000 × 10.95% ÷ 12 = ₹73,000.
  • Over the four extension months that is ₹73,000 × 4 = ₹2,92,000 in disputed interest.
  • If you also pay rent of, say, ₹30,000 a month while waiting (your own figure will differ), the four months cost you ₹1,20,000 in rent on top of your EMIs. Keep receipts; they support a compensation claim.

How do I check whether my project got the extension?

  • Open your project on the K-RERA portal and note the registration number, the declared completion date and any extension already granted. Guide: How to Check RERA Registration in Karnataka: 7 Steps.
  • Check your registration date. If the project was registered on or after 1 August 2026, the order does not apply to it.
  • Check the completion date. If it was before 28 February 2026 (and not since revised past it), the order does not apply either.
  • Compare the RERA completion date, now plus four months, with the possession date in your agreement for sale. They are often different.
  • Read the latest quarterly update on the K-RERA page for construction progress, and compare it with what you see on site. How to read it: How to Read a RERA Project Page, Step by Step: K-RERA, HRERA Gurugram and TNRERA.
  • If the builder claims an extension beyond these four months, ask for the K-RERA order granting it. Separate extensions under section 6 need an application and are capped at one year in aggregate.

What should I do if my handover is slipping?

Should this change how I buy an under-construction flat?

Somewhat. Four months is not a reason to avoid under-construction homes, but it is a reminder that RERA completion dates can move without your consent. Build a buffer into your rent and EMI plan, and read the force majeure clause in the agreement before you sign. If an exact move-in date matters, compare finished options at Ready To Move, Bangalore, for example a completed project such as Sobha Indraprastha Rajajinagar, against under-construction options.