🏛️Understanding Your Rights Under RERA: A Homebuyer’s Guide

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) was enacted to bring transparency, accountability, and fairness to the real estate sector in India. As a homebuyer or investor, knowing your rights under RERA can empower you to make informed decisions and take effective legal action in case of builder malpractices.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of your key rights under RERA:

🏗️ 1. Right to Timely Possession

If your builder has promised possession by a certain date and fails to deliver, you have the legal right to seek compensation or a full refund with interest. Delayed possession is one of the most common complaints under RERA, and the law clearly mandates accountability on the developer’s part.

📜2. Right to Full Disclosure

Every builder must register their project under RERA and disclose all critical project details, including:

• Project layout and sanctioned plans
• Construction timeline
• Approvals and legal clearances
• Names of contractors, architects, and engineers

⚠️3. Right Against False Promises

If a developer makes a false promise — whether in the brochure, advertisement, or agreement — and fails to deliver on it (e.g., clubhouse, garden, square footage), you can file a complaint and demand compensation or exit the project with a refund.

🛡️4. Right to Legal Remedy in Case of Deficiency

You are entitled to seek redressal for issues such as:

• Substandard construction quality

• Structural defects

• Unjustified charges

• Unfair clauses in the agreement

• Delay in registration or handover of amenities

📉5. Right to Compensation for Financial Loss

If a builder’s actions cause financial hardship — for example, through escalation of cost, unlawful cancellation, or non-delivery — you can claim interest, damages, or refund along with compensation as determined by the Authority.

🏛️6. Right to Be Heard & Represented

Under RERA, homebuyers are treated as equal stakeholders. You have the right to be heard before any Authority, and to be legally represented. Whether individually or through a group complaint, you can bring your grievances to the notice of the Authority or even the Appellate Tribunal.

🔁7. Right to Cancel the Allotment

You can unilaterally cancel your booking if the builder violates agreed terms — such as delayed possession or deviation from promised amenities — and still claim a full refund with interest, as per Section 18 of the Act.

🔎 Final Thoughts

RERA was designed to tilt the balance of power back toward the consumer. If you feel that your rights have been violated or your trust as a buyer has been breached, you don’t have to suffer in silence.

At RERA Lawyers & Consultants, we help homebuyers and investors assert their legal rights and seek timely redressal through professional representation, legal notices, and RERA complaint filings.

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