East Bengaluru buyer answers

What should I check on a site visit to an under-construction project?

By , acre&key · Published · Updated

Direct answer: Open the project's Karnataka RERA page before you go. At the site, match the RERA number on the board, ask to see the sanctioned plans, compare the build stage with the builder's last quarterly update, and treat the sample flat as a sales tool. Write down what the sales team says and get key answers in writing before paying.

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 is a practical checklist built on the RERA Act, not legal advice. What you see at the site doesn't replace a lawyer's check of title, approvals and the agreement for sale. Have your own property lawyer review those before you book.

A site visit for a flat that doesn't exist yet is mostly about matching what you're told against what's on record. The sales office will show you the best version of the project. Your job is to find out how much of it is approved, how much is built, and how much is still a picture.

What should I check before I leave home?

Spend twenty minutes on the Karnataka RERA portal first. Our guide on how to check a project on the Karnataka RERA website walks through the search.

Note down:

  1. The RERA registration number and the registered promoter's name.
  2. The completion date the builder declared to RERA.
  3. The latest quarterly update. Under section 11(1) of the RERA Act, the promoter has to keep its project page updated every quarter with bookings, approvals taken and pending, and the status of the project.
  4. The sanctioned plan and the number of towers and floors registered.

If the project isn't registered at all, section 3 of the Act says the promoter can't advertise, market, book or sell it, subject to the small-project exemptions in section 3(2). Read the risks of paying for a pre-launch project before you go further.

What should I look for at the entrance and sales office?

  • The RERA number on the site board and brochures. It should match the portal exactly. Section 11(2) requires advertisements and prospectuses to carry the registration number and the RERA website address.
  • The promoter's legal name. The company on the board, the brochure and the booking form should be the same entity registered with RERA.
  • Sanctioned plans. Section 11(3)(a) makes the promoter responsible for making the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications available at booking, by display at the site or another place the regulations specify. Ask to see them. A polite refusal is worth noting.
  • The stage-wise schedule. Section 11(3)(b) covers the stage-wise completion schedule, including water, sanitation and electricity. Ask for it.

How do I judge the actual construction stage?

Walk the site if they allow it, with a hard hat and an escort. Compare what you see with the builder's last quarterly update on the RERA page. Karnataka RERA's FAQs say the promoter has to upload that update within 15 days of each quarter ending, including the construction status of each building and each floor with photographs, and the status of approvals received, applied for and still to be applied for. Open those photos before you go so you know what to look for.

Check:

  1. How many floors of each tower have a slab cast.
  2. Whether work is happening on the day you visit: labour on site, material deliveries, a working crane.
  3. Whether the towers and floor counts on site match what's registered.
  4. Where the clubhouse, open spaces and amenities sit on the ground compared with the brochure.

A gap between the update and the site isn't proof of anything on its own, but it's a fair question to ask. If you're paying under a construction-linked plan, the build stage decides when each instalment falls due, so read construction-linked vs time-linked payment plans.

What should I check in the sample flat?

The sample flat is built to sell. Section 12 of the Act says that if you pay an advance on the basis of a model apartment, advertisement or prospectus and suffer loss because something in it was false or incorrect, the promoter has to compensate you, and you can withdraw with a refund and interest. That protection works better when you have records.

  • Photograph the sample flat, including fittings, flooring and the specification board if there is one.
  • Ask which items are "display only" and which are in the actual specification.
  • Ask the sales team to point to the carpet area of the sample unit on the plan. See carpet area vs super built-up area for what the number should mean.
  • Check ceiling height, column positions and window sizes against the plan for the unit you're considering, since a sample flat may not match every unit.

What questions should I ask the sales team?

Ask these and write the answers down:

  1. What is the RERA completion date, and what possession date will the agreement for sale say?
  2. Which approvals are pending? (Compare with the RERA page.)
  3. Is this phase registered separately from the rest of the project?
  4. What are all the charges beyond the base price? See hidden costs beyond the base price.
  5. What is the plan for water, power and sewage after handover?
  6. Can I get a draft agreement for sale to read before paying a booking amount?

Section 13(1) of the Act caps what a promoter can take before a registered agreement for sale at 10% of the cost of the apartment. Ask how the booking amount fits under that.

What should I do after the visit?

  1. Compare the notes and photos with the RERA page and the brochure.
  2. Send yourself (or the sales team) an email summarising what they told you. A dated written record helps if anything changes later.
  3. Ask for the draft agreement and have your lawyer read it. Our guide on what to check in the builder's sale agreement lists the clauses that matter.
  4. Get the documents in what to verify before paying a token advance before any money moves.

Frequently asked questions

Can the builder refuse to show me the sanctioned plans?

Section 11(3)(a) of the RERA Act makes the promoter responsible for making the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications available at booking, by display at the site or wherever the regulations specify. Section 19(1) gives allottees the right to that information. If you're refused, note it and raise it in writing.

Is the sample flat what I'll actually get?

Not necessarily. The agreement for sale and the approved specifications decide what you get. Photograph the sample flat and ask which items are display only. Section 12 gives you a remedy if you paid on the basis of a model apartment that turned out to be false or incorrect.

How can I tell if construction is on schedule?

Compare the build stage you see with the latest quarterly update on the project's Karnataka RERA page and the completion date the builder declared. A site visit can't confirm the schedule on its own, but a big gap is a fair question to put to the builder in writing.

Should I pay a token amount during the site visit?

Not before you've checked the RERA page, read the draft agreement, and had your lawyer review title and approvals. Section 13(1) caps the advance before a registered agreement for sale at 10% of the cost.

What should I carry on a site visit?

Your phone with the RERA page open, a notebook or notes app, a measuring tape if you want to check the sample flat, and a list of questions. Wear closed shoes if you'll walk the construction area.

References

  1. Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, sections 3, 11(1)–(3), 12, 13(1) and 19(1)–(2) (K-RERA copy): https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/Real_Estate_Act.pdf, accessed 17 Oct 2026
  2. Karnataka RERA project search: https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/, accessed 17 Oct 2026
  3. Karnataka RERA FAQs (quarterly updates within 15 days, with photographs): https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/KARNATKA_FAQs.pdf, accessed 17 Oct 2026

This page explains public rules and processes. It isn't legal advice. acre&key gives buyers advice for free. We are an authorised sales partner for some projects and may be paid by the developer.

Buyer advisory for East Bengaluru

Buying in East Bengaluru? Get a second opinion first.

acre&key helps buyers find, inspect, negotiate and decide, with a buyer-first perspective. Advice is free to buyers; acre&key is an authorised sales partner for some projects and may be paid by the developer.

Request Advisory Call