What is the difference between RERA and non-RERA flats?

A RERA flat belongs to a project registered with MahaRERA (mandatory in Maharashtra for projects above 500 sq m or with more than 8 units). It guarantees 70% of your payments sit in a monitored escrow account, pricing on carpet area, a 5-year defect liability, possession-delay interest and refund rights, and no more than 10% collected before a registered agreement. A non-RERA flat offers none of these statutory protections - either the project is legally small or complete, or it is unregistered, which is a red flag you must resolve before paying anything.

RERA or non-RERA: which is better for a new booking?

For any new booking, RERA-registered wins every time - it is not a premium feature, it is the law's baseline for projects above the threshold. Non-RERA is only normal when the project is genuinely exempt: a completed building with occupancy certificate received before 1 May 2017, or a small plot/development under 500 sq m with eight or fewer units. In those cases your protection comes from different documents - title search, NA and plan sanctions, tax records - not from RERA.

What are the benefits of a RERA-registered project?

Five concrete ones: (1) 70% of the money you pay goes into a designated escrow account withdrawable only against construction progress, certified by an engineer and chartered accountant. (2) The builder must quote and charge on carpet area, not super built-up. (3) A 5-year warranty on structural defects and workmanship from possession. (4) If possession is delayed you can withdraw with full refund plus interest, or stay and claim interest. (5) The project's sanctioned plan, layout, promoter details and litigation history are published for anyone to inspect free on MahaRERA.

How do I check if a project is RERA registered in Pune?

Every registered project carries a MahaRERA number in the format P5xx000xxxxx - it must appear in the builder's advertisements and on the booking form. Enter it on MahaRERA's site, or use our free RERA tracker, which also pulls the sanctioned-plan and occupancy-certificate status in one view. If a project above the size threshold has no MahaRERA number at all, treat it as unregistered: either the builder is out of compliance, or the project does not legally exist yet.

Is it risky to buy a non-RERA property?

It depends on why it is non-RERA. Old resale flats with OC received before May 2017 are not risky for that reason alone. A small 4-unit building or a under-500-sq-m development is legally exempt. The dangerous case is a large, ongoing project sold without registration - no escrow means your money can fund anything, and the builder has no statutory delay liability. For those, the risk is the whole point: insist on registration or walk away.

Does RERA apply to plots and resale flats?

Plotted developments above 500 sq m must be RERA registered, so a plotting-scheme purchase is covered too. Resale of an already-registered flat between individuals is not a RERA transaction - your diligence there shifts to the society's conveyance deed, share certificate, tax status and the society's own records. Our land-record guides cover those checks step by step.

Guides · Buying · RERA

RERA vs non-RERA flat: which is better, in plain numbers.

Every new-project booking in Maharashtra above 500 sq m or 8 units is legally a RERA booking - and that word decides where your money sits, what you are promised, and what happens when the builder slips. Here is the difference in the protections that actually pay out, when a non-RERA deal is perfectly normal, and the free check that settles it in two minutes.

MahaRERA tracker

Check the project's registration, plan and OC status free.

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Stamp duty calculator

Know the registration cost before you book.

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7/12 record reader

For plot purchases - read the land behind the scheme.

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What a RERA flat actually guarantees (and a non-RERA flat does not)

Protection	RERA flat	Non-RERA flat
Your money	70% of receipts in a monitored escrow, drawn against certified construction progress	No escrow - payments are unsecured working capital
Pricing basis	Carpet area, by law	Whatever the builder quotes (often super built-up)
Defect liability	5 years on structure and workmanship from possession	Only what the agreement says, if anything
Delay	Withdraw with full refund + interest, or stay and draw interest	Recourse only through the agreement or the courts
Before agreement	Max 10% of price collected	Uncapped in practice
Public records	Sanctioned plan, layout, promoter and litigation history published free	None - you inspect what the seller volunteers

The registration threshold is 500 sq m of development or more than 8 units - set by section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, in force from 1 May 2017. That is why "is it RERA?" is really three questions: is the project above the threshold, did it receive its occupancy certificate before 1 May 2017, and is it registered as required. Only the third answer can hide a problem.

When non-RERA is perfectly normal

Completed old buildings

A resale flat in a building whose OC was received before 1 May 2017 sits outside RERA by law. Nothing is wrong - your diligence just moves to conveyance deed, share certificate, society dues and the property card.

Genuinely small projects

A 4-unit building or a development under 500 sq m is exempt. The builder may still register voluntarily; ask which it is.

NA plots outside schemes

A single NA plot sold without a layout scheme is not a RERA transaction. The land record - 7/12, ferfar, NA order, zone certificate - becomes your entire protection.

Red flag case

A large, ongoing project with no MahaRERA number at all. No escrow, no delay liability, no published plan - insist on registration before any payment, or walk.

The two-minute check before you book

Find the MahaRERA number. Format P5xx000xxxxx. It must be on the advertisement, the brochure and the booking form. No number on a large ongoing project = stop.
Pull the project page free on MahaRERA, or drop the number into our MahaRERA project tracker - it also surfaces the sanctioned plan and OC status alongside registration.
Check three things on the record: registration valid (not expired), sanctioned plan matching what the sales team is showing, and litigation/complaints history.
For non-RERA deals, replace RERA's protections: title search, NA and plan sanctions, tax dues, and - for old buildings - the society's conveyance status.

Booking this festive season? Diwali to Gudi Padwa is when Pune's launches and discounts cluster - and when the fastest paperwork gets sloppiest. Run the check the same day you get the quote: stamp duty first, then registration status, then the site visit.

One line to remember

RERA is not a feature the builder is gifting you - it is the legal floor. A non-RERA flat is only normal when the law itself exempts the project; everywhere else, the missing number is the answer.