MahaRERA Verification: A Step-by-Step Guide for Pune Homebuyers

Most homebuyers in Pune have heard of RERA. Far fewer know how to actually use it. The MahaRERA portal is a public database, free to access, and it holds every legal detail about a registered project that a buyer would ever need to know. Yet most people only see the registration number printed on the brochure and assume that is the end of it.

It is not.

Verifying a project on MahaRERA takes about five minutes. What you find can change a booking decision. Whether you are looking at a 2 BHK in Ravet, a 3 BHK in Wakad, or any project across Pune and PCMC, this guide walks through the exact steps, what each field on the portal means, and the red flags that should make you pause.

Why MahaRERA Matters Before You Pay a Booking Amount

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, made it mandatory for any residential or commercial project larger than 500 square metres or with more than eight apartments to register with the state regulator before any marketing or sale activity. In Maharashtra, that regulator is MahaRERA.

Registration is not a stamp of approval. It is a public commitment by the developer, on record, with timelines and details that must be kept updated quarterly. Three things change the day a project is registered:

• The developer must deposit 70% of buyer-collected funds into a project-specific escrow account, which can only be used for that project's construction and land cost.
• Quarterly progress reports must be filed and made publicly visible on the portal.
• Any deviation from the originally registered plan, layout, or completion date triggers consequences, including buyer-side compensation rights for delays.

If a project is not on MahaRERA, the developer cannot legally sell it. End of story. Walk away.

The Five-Minute Verification Process

Step 1: Get the registration number from the developer

Every legitimate Pune project will display its MahaRERA number on brochures, hoardings, the project website, and in any advertisement. Before you do anything else, write this number down.

The format is consistent. For Pune district projects, you will see something like P52100012345. The P stands for Project. 52100 is the regional code for Pune district. The remaining digits identify that specific registration. Mumbai City uses P51900, Mumbai Suburban uses P51800, Nagpur uses P50500, and so on. Real estate agents have separate registration numbers that begin with A instead of P.

If a salesperson cannot or will not share the number, treat that as a serious warning. There is no scenario in which a registered project would withhold this.

Step 2: Search on the MahaRERA portal

Visit maharera.maharashtra.gov.in and click on Registration, then Search Project Registration.

You can search four ways: by project name, by MahaRERA registration number, by promoter name, or by promoter PAN. The fastest is the registration number search. Paste the number, click search, and the project page loads with full disclosure.

If nothing comes up, that is already an answer. Either the number is wrong, or the project is not registered. Both are problems.

Step 3: Read the project details that actually matter

The project page contains a long list of fields. Most buyers skim. The ones to actually focus on:

Registration validity and proposed completion date. The original date the developer committed to when registering the project. Compare this to what the salesperson has been promising you. If they do not match, ask why.

Status.Should read “Valid” or “Active.” Anything else (lapsed, revoked, suspended) is a red flag.

Land details. Survey numbers, area, and ownership type. A project on land that has not been formally converted to non-agricultural use, or where the title chain is unclear, will surface here.

Approvals. Commencement Certificate (CC) status, environmental clearance, and other statutory approvals. If a project is being sold but the CC has not been issued, the developer is technically taking pre-launch bookings, which carries its own risks.

FSI and parking details.The total floor space index sanctioned and the number of parking slots planned. Cross-check this against what the salesperson is offering. A “free covered parking” promise that does not match the registered slot count is going to become a problem at handover.

Bank details (escrow account). The bank account where 70% of buyer money is deposited. Some buyers request to see receipts of escrow deposits before paying further instalments. It is a fair ask.

Step 4: Open the quarterly progress reports

This is where most buyers stop reading, and it is also where the truth usually lives.

Every registered project must file a Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) showing percentage completion of structural work, internal work, external development, and amenities. These reports are timestamped and publicly downloadable from the project page.

Three things to compare:

• The reported progress against the original timeline. If the project is supposed to be ready in December 2027 and structural work is still at 18% in April 2026, that is worth flagging.
• The on-site progress against the QPR. If the report says ground-plus-twelve floors are slabbed but a site visit shows ground-plus-six, the developer is either misreporting or in violation. Either is your problem.
• The consistency of QPR filings. Skipped quarters are a serious warning sign.

Step 5: Check for complaints and orders

The MahaRERA portal lists all complaints filed against a developer or project, along with the orders passed. Click on the Complaint or Orders section associated with that promoter.

A few complaints are not necessarily disqualifying. Large developers will inevitably have some. What matters is the pattern. Repeat complaints about the same issue, like delayed possession, unauthorised changes to layout, or false promises, tell you something. So does the disposition: orders against the developer with directions to compensate buyers are a clear signal.

Red Flags Worth Pausing For

A few things that should make any Pune buyer slow down:

• The salesperson uses words like “RERA-applied” or “RERA-pending” instead of “RERA-registered.” Until the certificate is issued, the project legally cannot be marketed.
• The completion date on MahaRERA is significantly later than what is being verbally promised.
• There are revisions to the registration that have extended the completion date repeatedly, especially without obvious reasons.
• The promoter has multiple lapsed projects in their history.
• The carpet area mentioned in marketing differs from what is filed on MahaRERA.

In any of these cases, ask the developer directly. A reputable developer will explain. Evasion is informative.

What If a Project Is Not Registered

In Maharashtra, marketing or selling an unregistered project where registration was required is a punishable offence under the RERA Act. If a developer claims registration is not required, ask why. Projects under 500 square metres or with fewer than eight units are exempt; almost no apartment project in Pune or PCMC fits this.

If you have already paid a token amount for a project that turns out to be unregistered, you have legal recourse. A property lawyer can help you file a complaint and recover the amount.

Why This Matters Beyond Compliance

At Saakshi Constructions, we have spent twenty-five years in Pune real estate, and one thing has stayed consistent: buyers who do their homework end up with better outcomes. Not because they are more skeptical, but because they ask better questions. The five minutes you spend on the MahaRERA portal is not paperwork. It is your starting position in a transaction that will, very likely, be the largest of your life.

For anyone evaluating a Pune project, our standing recommendation is simple: pull up MahaRERA before you pull out a chequebook.

Frequently Asked Questions