Guides / Pune / Choosing a builder
How to choose a builder in Pune: the 12-point scorecard
In August 2026 the Enforcement Directorate told homebuyers to verify RERA registration, approvals, title and encumbrance details before paying a rupee — after attaching ₹129.80 crore in an Ahmedabad builder-fraud case (India Today, Aug 2026). For plot owners hiring a custom-home builder, go further than the advisory: score every candidate 0–2 on each of these 12 checks. 20+ proceed. 14–19 fix the gaps first. Under 14, walk away — however sweet the per-sqft quote.
Last verified: September 2026
Paper — checks 1–3: documents before handshakes
Check 01 / 12
RERA + approvals are verifiable, not claimed
Registration number, sanctioned plan, commencement status and complaints — all checkable on the MahaRERA portal. RERA is buyer protection for projects (Brick&Bolt, Jun 2026), and the ED advisory adds statutory approvals and title documents to the must-verify list. A builder who “will share documents after token amount” has already failed this check with a zero.
Verify like this: Search the builder and project on MahaRERA yourself; screenshot the registration, approvals and complaint pages into your file.
Check 02 / 12
Title and encumbrance are clean — on your plot and theirs
Verify 7/12 extracts, encumbrance certificate and that the property is neither mortgaged nor disputed — the ED's exact pre-payment list (Aug 2026). For your own plot this protects the build; for theirs it reveals financial stress. A builder who discourages independent title checks is telling you the result in advance.
Verify like this: Pull the EC and 7/12 independently (our 7/12 and property-card tools walk you through it); never accept photocopies alone.
Check 03 / 12
A written line-item contract exists before any advance
Scope, brands, exclusions, stages, payment schedule — in a registered written agreement. No contract, no protection when things go wrong (NAHB). “A contract won't be necessary” is a disqualifying sentence, not a trust signal.
Verify like this: Demand the draft agreement with annexures (specifications, brands, stages) before paying anything beyond a small booking.
Proof — checks 4–7: past work beats all promises
Check 04 / 12
Three completed independent homes you can walk into
Not renders, not one show flat — three finished homes of your building type, ideally 1–3 years old (quality issues surface after a year or two of occupancy). It takes 3–5 years to build a financially sound construction business (NAHB); younger firms need closer scrutiny, not automatic rejection. An apartment specialist is not automatically qualified for your 30×40 house (Brick&Bolt, Jun 2026).
Verify like this: Get the full past-project list, then pick which three to visit yourself — never only the showcase one.
Check 05 / 12
Past owners answer one question well
“Would you hire them again?” — asked to three past owners, directly (NAHB). Also scan reviews for recurring themes rather than single complaints. Hesitation to share owner contacts fails the entire scorecard on the spot.
Verify like this: Call, don't just read reviews. Ask each owner about delays, billing surprises and post-handover response.
Check 06 / 12
Promised vs actual timelines, project by project
Delayed possession is India's biggest homebuyer pain — rent plus EMI running together (ExpressBuilders, Jun 2026). Pull old brochures or ads for promised dates and compare with actual handovers from the owners you just called. A uniform 6-month slip is a planning problem; a growing slip across projects is a cash-flow problem.
Verify like this: For each visited home, record promised date vs actual handover date. Two data points make a pattern.
Check 07 / 12
A live site that survives inspection
Visit one active site unannounced: is there a site engineer present, are material brands as specified, is curing actually happening, is the site safe and stacked? For independent homes, confirm the builder provides design coordination, structural drawings, soil testing and stage-wise quality inspections (Brick&Bolt, Jun 2026). Site supervision quality is visible in ten minutes.
Verify like this: Photograph material stacks (brand names), curing in progress and the site board; ask who the day-to-day engineer is.
People — checks 8–9: who actually builds your home
Check 08 / 12
A named engineer, structural drawings and a soil test
Your home needs a day-to-day site engineer (one name, one number), IS- code structural drawings, and a soil test before foundation design — non-negotiable for independent construction. “Our mistri has 20 years' experience” is not a substitute for any of the three.
Verify like this: Collect the engineer's name, a sample structural drawing set and the soil-test report format they use.
Check 09 / 12
Communication you can live with for a year
You will be in close contact throughout construction and after (NAHB). Agree the channel, the update frequency and the escalation path now — weekly photo updates and a monthly site walk are a sane minimum. Vague answers here predict vague answers when money is stuck later.
Verify like this: Get the update rhythm and escalation contact written into the agreement's communication clause.
Price — checks 10–12: numbers that survive comparison
Check 10 / 12
A line-item quote with brands, not a per-sqft headline
Scope + brand + rate per line, exclusions listed, nothing assumed. The cheapest headline usually just hides the most lines — our hidden-charges guide shows which seven. Force every bidder into the same format with the quotation estimator, then compare lines, not totals.
Verify like this: Reject any quote that can't name the tile, sanitary, steel and cement brands it assumes.
Check 11 / 12
Stage-wise payment, capped advance, written escalation terms
Pay only for certified completed stages; cap mobilization advance; pre-agree who absorbs material spikes and what remedies delays carry. Cash demands of any kind are an instant zero — and per the ED advisory, reportable (Aug 2026).
Verify like this: Read the payment schedule backwards: every rupee must map to visible completed work.
Check 12 / 12
Written warranty and a clean handover path
Defect-liability period, waterproofing workmanship warranty and the occupancy/completion-certificate process in writing (BIS homeowner guidance requires stage inspections through to occupancy permit). Post-handover callbacks are where weak builders vanish — pin them down while they still want your signature.
Verify like this: Ask for the warranty text and one past owner's callback story before signing.
The 5 instant red flags — any one ends the conversation
- Cash demands or refusal to share RERA/docs — reportable to RERA and law enforcement (ED, Aug 2026).
- Guaranteed returns, buyback promises or absurd discounts — the ED names these verbatim as warning signs.
- No past owners to meet — nothing else on the scorecard can compensate.
- Oral promises only — brokers' assurances and booking-form scribbles are worth nothing (ED).
- An all-in quote far below market with no exclusions list — cross-check against the 2026 rate card; sub-₹2,000 all-in is structure-only until proven otherwise.
Score it in five minutes
Rate each check 0 (missing), 1 (partial) or 2 (verified) — max 24. 20+ proceed. 14–19: fix the gaps in writing first. Under 14: walk away, however sweet the quote. Forward this page to anyone comparing builders: share on WhatsApp.
Want us scored? Run this exact scorecard on Arsa Construction — past homes across Baramati MIDC and Indapur, named site engineer, line-itemed written quotations, stage-wise payments. Book a free site visit or WhatsApp +91 95949 40991. Building the budget first? Start with the 2026 cost guide.
Frequently asked questions
Is RERA registration enough to trust a builder?
No. RERA registration tells you a project is registered — it does not reveal how the builder handled past projects, whether previous buyers were satisfied, or how this builder will perform on yours (ExpressBuilders, Jun 2026). For a custom home on your own plot, RERA is one of twelve checks, not the whole exam. Paper, proof, people and price all get scored.
Can the apartment builder my friend used build my independent house?
Usually a bad fit. A premium apartment developer may be wrong for a 30×40 independent house, and a local contractor may be wrong for a large villa without the right team (Brick&Bolt, Jun 2026). Independent homes need design coordination, structural drawings, soil testing and stage inspections — verify the builder has done your exact building type, not just buildings.
How do I check a builder on MahaRERA?
Open the MahaRERA portal and search the builder/promoter name and project: confirm registration number, approved plans, sanctioned status, completion timelines and any complaints. Then go further — the ED's August 2026 advisory adds title documents, land records and encumbrance details before any payment, and says to report builders who refuse documents, insist on cash or delay registered paperwork.
What advance payment is safe to give a builder?
Keep advances minimal — enough to mobilize, never to finance. Pay strictly stage-wise against certified completed work, with escalation terms and delay remedies written before the first rupee moves. Any demand for a large upfront payment is itself a red flag (see the payment-traps section of our hidden-charges guide).
The builder has no RERA registration — automatic reject?
Not automatically. RERA covers projects; a custom home built on your plot under a works contract often sits outside it. In that case the other eleven checks carry full weight — especially past owners you can meet, a live site you can inspect, and a registered written agreement. What is an automatic reject: no verifiable past work plus no documents.
What is the single most revealing check?
Ask for three past owners' numbers and call all three with one question: 'Would you hire them again?' (NAHB). Builders who hesitate to share names fail the whole scorecard on the spot — no second round needed.
Sources
Enforcement Directorate homebuyer advisory via India Today & The Hindu BusinessLine (Aug 2026) · CBI builder-fraud press releases (2025–26) · Brick&Bolt builder guide (Jun 2026) · ExpressBuilders track-record guide (Jun 2026) · NAHB builder-selection guidance · BIS Guide for Homeowners Series 1 · NSW Planning Portal builder guidance. Spotted something stale? WhatsApp us — corrections go up in 48 hours.