East Bengaluru buyer answers
What lift and generator documents should our association get at handover?
Direct answer: RERA doesn't list equipment papers by name. Section 2(n) counts lifts, central electricity and water installations, pumps and motors as common areas, and section 17(2) makes the builder hand over the necessary documents and plans, including common areas, to the association. In practice, collect each machine's approvals, warranties, service contracts and service history.
Disclosure: acre&key’s advice is free to buyers; we are an authorised sales partner for some projects and may be paid by the developer.
Verify with your lawyer: This page explains the RERA Act and the K-RERA model agreement as published, not legal advice. Have your own property lawyer check your agreement for sale and any local approvals before the association signs a handover note or files anything.
Handover day in a new apartment complex tends to be about keys, the clubhouse and the accounts. The lifts and the backup generator get a quick look, a signature, and then nobody thinks about them until one breaks down on a Sunday night. That's when the committee finds out it has no warranty card, no service contract in its own name and no idea who installed the machine. Getting the paperwork at handover is far easier than chasing it a year later.
Are lifts and generators part of the common areas?
Lifts are, by name. Section 2(n) of the RERA Act defines common areas to include "the stair cases, lifts, staircase and lift lobbies, fire escapes, and common entrances and exits of buildings" (clause ii). It also covers "installations of central services such as electricity, gas, water and sanitation, air-conditioning and incinerating, system for water conservation and renewable energy" (clause v) and "the water tanks, sumps, motors, fans, compressors, ducts and all apparatus connected with installations for common use" (clause vi) (RERA Act, s.2(n)).
The Act doesn't mention generators by name. A set that powers common lights and water pumps fits most naturally under clauses (v) and (vi). The Proforma Agreement of Sale that Karnataka RERA publishes also lists "DG set rooms", the electric sub-station, transformer, pump rooms and fire fighting pumps among service areas reserved for the association's maintenance work (clause 14).
So these machines belong to the common areas that pass to the association. Their papers should go with them.
What does RERA say the builder must hand over?
Section 17(2) says that after the occupancy certificate and handing over physical possession, the promoter must hand over "the necessary documents and plans, including common areas" to the association of allottees or the competent authority, as per local laws. Where there's no local law, the proviso sets a limit of thirty days after the completion certificate.
Two other duties sit alongside it:
- Certificates. Section 11(4)(b) makes the promoter obtain the completion certificate or occupancy certificate and make it available to the allottees or the association. Our page on why OC and CC matter explains the difference.
- Obligations until conveyance. Section 11(4)(a) keeps the promoter responsible for its obligations to the association until the common areas are conveyed to it.
The Act stops at "necessary documents and plans". It doesn't give a list for each machine. That's why it helps for the association to write its own list and ask for everything on it in one letter. The wider handover steps are covered in how apartment association handover works in Karnataka.
Who runs the lifts and generator until the association takes over?
The builder does. Section 11(4)(d) makes the promoter "responsible for providing and maintaining the essential services, on reasonable charges, till the taking over of the maintenance of the project by the association of the allottees".
Clause 11 of the K-RERA model agreement repeats that duty and says the cost of such maintenance "has been included in the Total Price" of the flat. Your signed agreement may say something different, so check your own copy. If you paid a separate maintenance deposit or corpus, our page on corpus fund vs maintenance deposit explains what each is for.
This matters for the papers too. Whoever ran the lifts and generator before handover holds the service records. Ask for them before that maintenance team leaves.
If the dispute is about maintenance charges more broadly, see maintenance disputes with the builder before handover.
Which papers should we ask for, machine by machine?
The table below is a practical checklist, not a list taken from the Act. Ask for originals or certified copies, and note on the handover sheet anything that's missing.
| Equipment | Where the Act places it | Papers to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Lifts | s.2(n)(ii), named | Make, model and installer details; any licence or approval local law requires; warranty; current service contract and when it ends; service and breakdown log; emergency rescue instructions; machine room and panel keys |
| Backup generator | s.2(n)(v), (vi); model cl. 14 lists DG set rooms | Capacity and what it's meant to carry; warranty; service contract; run-hours and service log; any electrical safety approvals local law requires; fuel storage details |
| Water pumps, sumps, tanks | s.2(n)(vi), named | Pump make and capacity; warranty; layout of sumps, tanks and lines; cleaning and service records |
| Water and sanitation systems | s.2(n)(v) | As-built drawings for water and drainage lines; operating manual and service records for any sewage treatment plant |
| Fire fighting systems | s.4(2)(e) filing; model cl. 14 lists fire fighting pumps | Layout of pumps, hydrants and alarms; test and service records; any fire safety approvals local law requires |
| Transformer and sub-station | Model cl. 14 lists them as service areas | Electricity connection papers; who owns and maintains the equipment; see permanent BESCOM power for a new flat |
A warranty or service contract in the builder's name may not move to the association on its own. Ask the builder, in writing, which contracts it will transfer and which the association will need to sign afresh.
How do we check what was promised?
Start with the project's own filing. Section 4(2)(e) requires the registration application to include "the proposed facilities to be provided thereof including fire fighting facilities, drinking water facilities, emergency evacuation services, use of renewable energy". Section 11(3)(b) also requires the promoter, at booking, to give the stage-wise schedule of completion, "including the provisions for civic infrastructure like water, sanitation and electricity".
Then read the specifications schedule in your agreement. The K-RERA model agreement has a specifications schedule (Schedule E), and its sample lines, which the model itself marks "only illustrative", include a "100% stand-by generator for lights in common areas, STP and the water pumps". Your own schedule is what counts. If it promises backup for certain loads, check at handover that the installed set can carry them.
You can see the filed details on the project's page on the portal. Our guide to checking a project on the Karnataka RERA website shows where to look.
What if a lift or pump fails soon after handover?
Section 14(3) gives a five-year window. If "any structural defect or any other defect in workmanship, quality or provision of services" is brought to the promoter's notice within five years from the date of handing over possession, the promoter must fix it without further charge within thirty days. If it doesn't, the aggrieved allottees are entitled to compensation as the Act provides. The proviso to section 11(4)(a) keeps this duty alive even after the conveyance deeds are signed.
Clause 12 of the K-RERA model agreement repeats the same five-year, thirty-day rule.
The Act doesn't say where a defect ends and normal wear begins, and a lift that breaks because nobody serviced it is a different story from one that was badly installed. The service log is often what settles that question, which is one more reason to collect it at handover. Our page on structural defects after possession under RERA covers how to report a defect.
What should we do if papers are missing?
- Sign the handover note with a clear list of what was received and what wasn't. Don't sign a line saying everything was handed over if it wasn't.
- Write to the promoter listing the missing documents, with a date to reply. Keep the email or letter.
- Ask the current maintenance agency for copies of the service logs it holds.
- If nothing moves, the association can complain. Section 31 lets "any aggrieved person" file a complaint with the Authority, and its Explanation says "person" includes the association of allottees. Here is how to file a complaint with Karnataka RERA.
Before the association signs anything, have the committee's lawyer look at the handover note and the agreement.
Frequently asked questions
Are lifts part of the common areas under RERA?
Yes. Section 2(n)(ii) names lifts, staircases, lift lobbies and fire escapes as common areas.
Does RERA list the lift and generator documents the builder must give?
No. Section 17(2) requires "the necessary documents and plans, including common areas" to be handed over, but it doesn't list papers for each machine. Make your own list and ask for it in writing.
Who maintains the lifts before the association takes over?
The promoter. Section 11(4)(d) makes it responsible for essential services, on reasonable charges, until the association takes over maintenance.
Is a generator covered by the five-year defect rule?
Section 14(3) covers defects in workmanship, quality or provision of services reported within five years of possession. Whether a particular fault counts is a question for your lawyer.
When must the documents be handed over?
As local laws provide. If there's no local law, section 17(2) sets thirty days after the completion certificate.
Can our association file a RERA complaint about missing papers?
Yes. The Explanation to section 31(1) says a "person" who may complain includes the association of allottees.
References
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, ss. 2(n), 4(2)(e), 11(3)(b), 11(4)(a), (b), (d), 14(3), 17(2), 31. https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/Real_Estate_Act.pdf, accessed 17 Oct 2026.
- Karnataka RERA, Proforma Agreement of Sale (Downloads page), clauses 11, 12, 14 and Schedule E: https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/downloadPage, accessed 17 Oct 2026.
- Karnataka RERA portal (project search). https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/, accessed 17 Oct 2026.
This page explains public rules and processes. It isn't legal or tax advice. acre&key gives buyers advice for free. We are an authorised sales partner for some projects and may be paid by the developer.