RERA at 10 Years: What It Changed for Homebuyers
The law that changed how Indians buy homes has turned ten. RERA, the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act, was passed on 1 May 2016 to protect buyers and clean up a sector that ran on delays and broken promises. A decade later, the report card is real but mixed. Some states have delivered for buyers. Others are still catching up. Here is an honest look at what ten years of RERA has actually done for you.
The short version
- RERA completed ten years in 2026, having reshaped how projects are registered and sold.
- Authorities have disposed of over 1.47 lakh complaints nationally, per Central Advisory Council figures.
- Haryana's RERA Gurugram has cleared about 93.62 percent of its cases, the highest disposal rate in the country.
- Weak enforcement of orders and missing authorities in a few states remain the biggest gaps.
What RERA got right
Before RERA, a builder could sell a project on a glossy brochure, take your money, and quietly change the plan or the delivery date. RERA made three things standard. Every project above a certain size must be registered before it is advertised or sold. Seventy percent of buyer money must sit in a separate escrow account and be used only for that project's construction. And builders must post quarterly updates on construction progress on the RERA portal.
Those three rules alone shifted power toward buyers. You can now check a project's registration, approved plans, and carpet area before you pay a rupee. Diverting funds from one project to another, once routine, became far harder.
The numbers behind the decade
| Authority | Complaints and disposal (mid-2026) |
|---|---|
| UP RERA | About 60,021 registered, roughly 86.71% disposed |
| Maharashtra RERA | About 34,485 registered, roughly 82.03% cleared |
| RERA Gurugram (Haryana) | About 17,893 registered, roughly 93.62% disposed, highest nationally |
| National total | Over 1.47 lakh complaints disposed by the 2025 advisory council meeting |
RERA Gurugram has reportedly cleared its entire backlog of cases filed through 2024 as of April 2026, which is a strong signal for NCR buyers dealing with Gurugram projects. UP RERA, handling the heavy Noida and Greater Noida load, has also disposed of the large majority of its complaints.
Where RERA still falls short
Passing an order is one thing. Enforcing it is another. Buyers regularly win a RERA order for a refund or delay interest, then struggle for months to actually collect the money from a builder who drags his feet. Complaint disposal counts a case as closed once an order is passed, but that is not the same as the buyer getting paid.
There are structural gaps too. As of 2026, some states and union territories, including a few northeastern states and Ladakh, still do not have a permanent, fully functioning RERA. State rules vary, so the protection a buyer gets in Haryana can differ from another state. And RERA orders sometimes clash with insolvency proceedings when a builder goes bankrupt, leaving buyers caught between two systems.
What it means for you as a buyer
RERA is a strong shield, but only if you use it. Three practical takeaways after ten years:
- Always check a project's RERA registration before booking. Our guide on how to check RERA registration shows the exact steps.
- If a builder delays or changes the plan, file a complaint early. Read how to file a RERA complaint for the full process.
- Prefer states and authorities with strong disposal records, and prefer developers with a clean delivery history.
The next ten years
The direction of travel is clearer enforcement and tighter rules. Several authorities have moved to online hearings, faster disposal, and stricter advance-payment limits, capping how much a builder can collect before a registered agreement. The push now is to make orders stick, not only get passed. For buyers, that is the part worth watching. A shield that pays out quickly is worth far more than one that only issues paper.
You can follow more policy and market updates on our blog, where we track RERA changes as they roll out across NCR and the rest of India.
Frequently asked questions
When was RERA passed in India?
The Real Estate Regulation and Development Act was passed on 1 May 2016. It completed ten years in 2026.
Has RERA actually helped homebuyers?
Yes, in large part. It brought mandatory project registration, escrow of buyer funds, and quarterly construction updates. Authorities have disposed of over 1.47 lakh complaints. Enforcement of orders remains the main weakness.
Which state has the best RERA record?
By disposal rate, RERA Gurugram in Haryana leads, having cleared about 93.62 percent of its cases and its backlog through 2024 as of early 2026.
What is the escrow rule under RERA?
Builders must keep seventy percent of the money collected from buyers in a separate account, to be used only for that project's construction and land cost.
Does every state have a RERA authority?
Most do, but as of 2026 a few states and union territories still lack a permanent, fully functioning authority, which leaves buyers there less protected.
Can I approach RERA for an older, pre-2017 project?
Often yes. Ongoing projects that had not received a completion certificate when RERA came into force were required to register, so many older projects fall under RERA and you can file a complaint against them.
Sources: Forbes India, ThePrint, and iPleaders coverage of RERA's ten-year record, 2026. Research by the Realty Hunting editorial team, Gurgaon.
