"Pre-launch" plot or flat booking with no RERA registration
A plot or flat is offered at a low "pre-launch" price before the project is registered with RERA or has its approvals, and the booking money is at risk.
Community reports: 0
How it works
- An ad, call or agent offers a plot or flat at a special "pre-launch" price, well below nearby rates, with only a few units left.
- You are asked to pay a booking amount quickly, sometimes in cash or to a personal account, before there is a RERA registration number, approved plans or a registered sale agreement.
- The project may never start, the land or approvals may not exist, and getting the money back can take years, if it comes back at all.
What it looks like
Example messages. Numbers and links are masked.
Pre-launch offer! Gated plots near the new airport road at just Rs 1,999 per sq ft. Only 10 plots at this price. Pay Rs 1 lakh token today, RERA coming soon.
Sir, booking opens to the public next month at a higher rate. If you pay 20% now, we will lock the pre-launch price for you. Approvals are just a formality.
Red flags
- No RERA registration number in the ad
- "RERA coming soon" or "approvals are a formality"
- Price far below nearby projects
- More than 10% asked before a registered sale agreement
- Payment in cash or to a personal account
The one question to ask
Have you found this project's registration number on your state RERA website yourself, and checked the approvals listed there?
Already paid or shared details?
Stop further payments and keep every receipt, brochure, message and the agent's details. File a complaint with your state RERA authority, which can act against projects sold without registration, and with your local police. If you paid online to someone who has now disappeared, call 1930 and file a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in.
1930 · cybercrime.gov.in
Also seen as
- Farmland or "weekend home" plots sold with no approved layout
- Agent not registered with RERA collecting token money
- "Expression of interest" or "soft launch" fees before registration