In short
- Search the project on the official MahaRERA site using its name or registration number.
- The promoter, the project name, the address and the status must all match what the builder tells you.
- A MahaRERA number does not check the land title. Do that separately.
MahaRERA is Maharashtra's real estate regulator. Most new housing projects must be registered with it before they are sold, and the registration page is public. Before you pay any booking amount for a new flat, look the project up yourself.
How to search
Open the official project search (maharera.maharashtra.gov.in) and search by the project name, the location or the registration number the builder gave you. MahaRERA numbers start with the letter P followed by digits. The portal's district list may still show Ahilyanagar as Ahmednagar.
What to compare
Promoter name. It must be the builder or company you are dealing with.
Project name and address. They must match the site you visited and the brochure.
Status. The portal keeps separate lists of registered projects and of revoked projects, and marks projects it has put in abeyance. Anything other than a plain registered project needs an answer from the builder, in writing, before you pay.
Completion date and area. Check the promised completion date and the carpet area on the registration against what the builder quoted you. Carpet area is the area the law asks builders to quote.
Updates. Registered projects file progress updates; a project with none, or with old ones, deserves a question.
The agreement. Ask that the MahaRERA registration number is written in your agreement for sale.
What it does not tell you
A MahaRERA registration shows the project is registered. It does not check that the land title is clean, that the building is well built, or that it will be finished on time. Read the 7/12 or property card, ask for a title search, and see the site.
Red flags
No registration number, or "it is applied for and will come soon". A number that returns another project or another builder. A revoked or abeyance status. A completion date that has already passed with no explanation.
Next step: search the project name on the MahaRERA site now, before the booking conversation, and keep a screenshot.
Sources
General information for Maharashtra, written for buyers in Ahilyanagar. Not legal or financial advice; rules change, so check with the source or a professional before you act.