How to read an apartment master plan

6.1.1 What is an apartment master plan?

An apartment master plan is the site-level drawing of a housing project. It shows where each tower sits. It also shows the roads, gates, open areas, amenities, parking and service areas. Builders often print a coloured version in the brochure. That version is a marketing graphic. The legal version is the sanctioned plan. Section 2(zq) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (the RERA Act) defines a “sanctioned plan”. It includes the site plan, building plan, service plan, parking and circulation plan, landscape plan, layout plan and zoning plan. The competent authority approves these plans before the project starts. So rely on the approved drawings, and treat the brochure page as an illustration. Use the plan to answer four questions. Where is your tower? What is next to it? Which areas are shared by all residents? Which parts come only in a later phase? The table lists what to inspect on each part of the plan.

Plan element	What to inspect	Where to confirm it
Towers	Position, direction, gap to the next tower, phase	Sanctioned plan on K-RERA
Access	Gates, internal roads, fire tender path, pedestrian paths	Sanctioned plan, site visit
Open space	Location, shape, and whether residents can use it	Sanctioned plan and its area statement
Amenities	Distance from your tower, phase in which it is built	Sanctioned plan, agreement for sale
Services	Sewage treatment plant, transformer, water tanks, garbage area	Sanctioned plan, site visit
Boundary	Site edges, roads outside, land in later phases	K-RERA filing, site visit

6.1.2 Which master plan should you trust, the brochure or the sanctioned plan?

Trust the sanctioned plan that the builder filed with Karnataka RERA (K-RERA). Section 4(2)(d) of the RERA Act requires the builder to file the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications. This covers the project or the phase, and “the whole project as sanctioned by the competent authority”. Section 4(2)(f) requires the land boundaries, including the latitude and longitude of the end points of the project. Section 11(3)(a) says that, at booking and allotment, the builder must make the sanctioned plans available to you. The builder can do this by display at the site or at another place set by K-RERA regulations. Section 19(1) gives you the right to get this information. On the K-RERA project page, open the Uploaded Documents tab and find the approved plan. Check its approval number, date, phase and site boundary. Then compare the brochure with it: tower count, floors, gates and amenity positions. If they differ, ask the builder in writing which plan the agreement for sale uses.

Document	Where to find it	What it tells you
Sanctioned plan	K-RERA page, Uploaded Documents tab	The approved positions of towers, roads and open areas
Brochure master plan	Builder’s sales office or website	An illustration only, unless the agreement says otherwise
Modified plan	K-RERA page, section headed “Modification of Plan Details” (present only on some pages)	What changed after registration
Proforma agreement for sale	K-RERA page, Uploaded Documents tab	Which plan and specifications become part of your contract

6.1.3 Can the builder change the master plan after you book?

Only within limits. Section 14(1) of the RERA Act requires the builder to develop and complete the project as per the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications. Section 14(2) applies after the builder discloses these plans to you. It sets two rules. First, any addition or alteration to your own flat needs your previous consent. Minor changes are allowed if you ask for them. They are also allowed for architectural or structural reasons, if an authorised architect or engineer recommends and verifies them. The builder must then declare and tell you. The Act says “minor” excludes structural changes, a change in area or height, and changes to a required means of access. Second, any other alterations or additions to the buildings or common areas need previous written consent from at least two-thirds of the allottees who agreed to take apartments in that building, excluding the builder. One buyer, or one family, counts as one allottee. Section 2(n) says common areas include parks, play areas, open parking areas and the entire land of the project or phase.

How to check for changes:

1. Open the project’s K-RERA page and look for a section headed “Modification of Plan Details”. Not every page has one.
2. If it exists, compare the “As Per Registered Plan” column with the “As Per Modified Plan” column.
3. Ask the builder for the written consent record of allottees for any change to common areas.
4. Compare the plan in your agreement for sale with the plan on K-RERA.

6.1.4 How far apart must towers be in Bangalore?

In the area of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), the Revised Master Plan 2015 (RMP 2015) zoning regulations set the gap. The Government approved them by G.O. No. UDD 540 BEM AA SE 2004, dated 22 June 2007. Regulation 3.6 says that, for more than one building on a site, the distance between buildings is half the height of the tallest building. If the buildings have different heights, the setbacks follow the tallest building. Two later notifications changed the setback tables, but not regulation 3.6. Notification No. UDD 31 MNJ 2022(E), dated 1 August 2025, replaced Table 9. Table 9 now applies to buildings above 12 m in total height, instead of above 11.5 m. A stilt parking floor up to 3 m high is not counted in the total height, if the building is not taller than 15 m. Notification No. UDD 235 MNJ 2025(E), dated 5 January 2026, replaced Table 8. For a plot over 4,000 sq m, it keeps a minimum setback of 5.0 m on all sides.

Regulation 9.1 requires open spaces up to 6 m wide on all sides of multi-storeyed and high-rise buildings. They must carry an 18-tonne fire engine, be free of obstruction and be motorable. The January 2026 rules apply to new and ongoing constructions that get plan approvals or modified plan approvals after they came into force. So an older sanction can follow the earlier tables. A draft notification, No. UDD 338 MNJ 2026(E), dated 4 June 2026, proposes more changes. Sachi did not find a final version of it on 9 October 2026. Other planning authorities around Bangalore can have different rules. Ask which authority sanctioned the plan, and on which date. A legal minimum gap does not guarantee daylight or privacy.

Building height (total)	Minimum front, rear and side setback (RMP 2015, Table 9 as amended)
Above 12 m up to 15 m, with stilt floor, plot above 250 sq m up to 4,000 sq m	Front 1.50 m, rear 1.00 m, sides 1.00 m, or Table 8 if higher
Above 12 m up to 15 m, with stilt floor, plot above 4,000 sq m	5.00 m
Above 12 m up to 15 m, no stilt floor	5.00 m
Above 15 m up to 18 m	6.00 m
Above 18 m up to 21 m	7.00 m
Above 21 m up to 24 m	8.00 m
Above 24 m up to 27 m	9.00 m
Above 27 m up to 30 m	10.00 m
Above 30 m up to 35 m	11.00 m
Above 35 m up to 40 m	12.00 m
Above 40 m up to 45 m	13.00 m
Above 45 m up to 50 m	14.00 m
Above 50 m	16.00 m

Source: BDA RMP 2015, Volume III, regulations 3.1, 3.6 and 9.1; Table 9 as substituted by Notification No. UDD 31 MNJ 2022(E) of 1 August 2025 and amended by Notification No. UDD 235 MNJ 2025(E) of 5 January 2026; checked 9 October 2026. Illustration (Sachi arithmetic): if the taller of two towers on one site is 60 m, regulation 3.6 gives a 30 m gap. The stilt-floor exclusion does not apply to a tower this tall, because it applies only up to 15 m total height.

6.1.5 How much open space must a large apartment project keep?

It depends on the plot size and the zoning regulations that applied. RMP 2015 defines a “residential development plan” as a plan for one or more residential buildings on a plot of more than 20,000 sq m. Regulation 7.1 includes these rules for such plans. First, 10 percent of the land is reserved for park and open space, relinquished to the authority free of cost. Second, at least 5 percent of the total plot area is for civic amenities. The developer builds them and hands them over to the residents association. Third, the FAR (floor area ratio) is calculated on the land area after the civic amenity site is deducted. The 2025 and 2026 notifications did not change regulation 7.1 or Table 20. Sachi did not verify the open-space rule for apartment plots under 20,000 sq m. For these, read the area statement on the sanctioned plan. A brochure figure such as “70 percent open space” can count setbacks, fire paths or roads. Ask the builder what the figure includes.

Road width	Maximum ground coverage	Maximum FAR
Less than 12.0 m	60%	2.00
Above 12 m up to 18 m	55%	2.25
Above 18 m up to 24 m	55%	2.50
Above 24 m up to 30 m	50%	3.00
Above 30 m	50%	3.25

Source: BDA RMP 2015, Volume III, regulation 7.1 and Table 20 (residential development plan on a site area over 20,000 sq m), checked 9 October 2026.

6.1.6 How do you check project density from the master plan?

Density is the number of homes that share the same land, roads and amenities. Do not rely on a label such as “low density” in a brochure. Calculate it from the K-RERA filing instead. Section 4(2)(h) of the RERA Act requires the builder to file the number, type and carpet area of apartments for sale. The registration filing and the sanctioned plan show the land area of the project or phase. Divide the number of homes by the land area in acres. For example (Sachi arithmetic, not a real project), 600 homes on 5 acres is 120 homes per acre. Next, count the homes in each tower and the lifts that serve them. Then check the FAR and ground coverage limits that apply to the plot. A plot near the maximum FAR has more built floor area on the same land. Compare two or three projects in the same area with the same method. Count all phases. A later phase can share the same gate, clubhouse and roads.

Density check	Where to find the numbers
Homes per acre	Number of apartments and land area in the K-RERA filing
Homes per lift	Tower floor plans; see chapter 6.2 on tower plans and lift ratio
Built area on the land	Area statement on the sanctioned plan, FAR limits in the zoning regulations
Shared amenities	Clubhouse size and the total homes in all phases

6.1.7 What can the master plan not tell you?

A master plan shows positions on a flat drawing. It does not show how tall the facing tower feels from your balcony, or how much sun reaches your rooms. It does not show construction quality, water supply, real travel time or how well the builder will maintain the amenities. It can omit land outside the project boundary, where a neighbour may build later. It can also omit later phases that the builder has not sanctioned yet. The RERA Act requires the builder to file the plan, but K-RERA does not certify that the design suits you. Use the plan to make a list of questions. Then answer them with a site visit, the unit floor plan and the documents on K-RERA. If density, tower gaps or open space affect your choice, ask an independent architect to read the sanctioned plan with you.

Checks to finish before you book:

1. Find your exact tower and flat on the sanctioned plan, not only on the brochure.
2. Mark what faces your windows, inside and outside the project boundary.
3. Note which amenities and towers belong to later phases.
4. Visit the site and compare what is built with the plan.
5. Read the clause in the agreement for sale that names the plan.