Construction status: how to track your flat after you book

8.2.1 How do you track construction after you book a flat?

You track construction through two sources: the project’s K-RERA page each quarter, and your own visits to the site. The K-RERA page is the formal record. Section 11(1) of the RERA Act, 2016 makes the builder keep the project’s web page on the K-RERA website up to date. Rule 15 of the Karnataka RERA Rules, 2017 sets what goes there and when. It says the builder must upload updates within fifteen days from the end of each quarter. A quarter ends on 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December. So a new update must appear by about the 15th of the next month. Note the date of each update, and save a copy. A site visit fills the gap between updates, because a quarterly update can be up to three months old. Use both together, and compare them with your payment demands and the possession date in your agreement for sale.

Source	What it shows	How often
K-RERA quarterly update	Bookings, construction status with photos, approvals	Each quarter, within 15 days
Your site visit	What you can see on the day	When you choose
Builder’s demand letter	The stage the builder says is done	At each construction-linked stage
Your agreement for sale	The payment schedule and possession date	Fixed when you sign

8.2.2 What does the K-RERA quarterly update show?

The K-RERA quarterly update shows bookings, construction status with photographs and the status of approvals. Rule 15 of the Karnataka RERA Rules, 2017 lists what the builder must upload. The first item is the number and types of flats booked, and the number of garages booked. The second item is construction status: each building, each floor, and the internal infrastructure and common areas, all with photographs. The third item is the status of approvals. It covers approvals received, approvals applied for with the expected date, and approvals still to apply for with the planned date. It also covers any modification or revision that an authority issued. On the project page, open the Quarterly Updates tab, and open the latest quarter. Check the photographs for your tower and floor. Look at the work percent for each item, such as slabs, brickwork, plastering and painting. Then check the approvals list for any approval that is still pending.

Part of the update (Rule 15)	What to check
Flats and garages booked	How many flats are sold, and whether sales are slow
Status of each building and floor, with photographs	Your tower and floor, against your payment stage
Internal infrastructure and common areas	Roads, water, power and amenities, against the brochure
Approvals received, applied for and still to apply	Any approval pending close to the possession date
Modifications and revisions	Any change to the plan or permit

8.2.3 How do you check a payment demand against the construction status?

Check that the stage named in the demand is visible in the latest K-RERA update and on site before you pay. In a construction-linked payment plan, each instalment falls due at a stage of work, such as a slab. Read the stage in the demand letter, and find it in the payment schedule of your agreement for sale. Then open the latest quarterly update and look at the work percent and the photographs for that stage. If the update is old, ask the builder for the architect’s certificate or a dated photograph. The law also controls how the builder uses buyers’ money. Section 4(2)(l)(D) of the RERA Act says seventy percent of the money from buyers goes to a separate account in a scheduled bank. The builder can withdraw from it only in proportion to the percentage of completion. An engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant must certify each withdrawal. The payment plans chapter explains construction-linked plans.

1. Read the stage named in the demand letter.
2. Find it in your agreement’s payment schedule.
3. Check the latest K-RERA update for that stage.
4. Ask for an architect’s certificate or a dated photograph.
5. Pay only the amount set for that stage.

8.2.4 What should you look for on a site visit?

On a site visit, look at your own tower, count the work you can see, and compare it with the last K-RERA update. Visit with the builder’s site team, and follow their safety rules. Count the floors that are cast on your tower. Look for brickwork, plastering, windows and paint on the floors where the update says the work is done. Look at the common areas: the roads inside the project, the clubhouse and the water and power works. Note how many workers and machines are on site, because very few workers for many weeks can signal a slowdown. Take dated photographs from the same spots on each visit, so you can compare them over time. Ask the site team what is planned for the next quarter. A visit is not an engineer’s inspection, so do not judge the quality of the structure from it. The site visit checklist chapter has a fuller list.

What to look at	What it tells you
Floors cast on your tower	Whether the structure matches the update
Brickwork, plaster, windows, paint	Whether finishing matches the update
Common areas and services	Whether roads, water and power are progressing
Workers and machines on site	Whether work is active
Your photos from the same spots	Progress over time

8.2.5 What should you do if construction falls behind?

If construction falls behind, write to the builder first, and use the RERA Act if the delay affects your possession date. Compare the work percent in the latest update with the time left to the possession date in your agreement. If many items are far from complete close to that date, ask the builder in writing for a revised schedule. Keep a copy of the request and the reply. Also check whether the quarterly updates have stopped. Rule 15 requires an update every quarter, so a missing update is itself a point to raise. If the builder fails to give possession by the date in the agreement, Section 18(1) applies. You can withdraw and get your money back with interest and compensation, or stay and get interest for every month of delay. Section 31 lets you file a complaint with K-RERA. The delays chapter explains your rights and the complaint route in more detail.

Sign	What to do
Work percent far behind the time left	Ask the builder for a revised schedule in writing
Quarterly update missing	Ask the builder why, in writing; Rule 15 requires it
Possession date passed	Use your rights under Section 18(1)
No reply from the builder	File a complaint with K-RERA under Section 31

Sachi reads the K-RERA quarterly updates for Bangalore projects. To compare your project’s progress with its possession date, Ask Sachi.