MahaRERA vs HRERA vs KRERA: State-Wise RERA Rules Compared

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 is a central statute, but every state framed its own rules and set up its own authority. The resulting variation — in registration timelines, escrow certifications, disclosure formats, fee schedules and penalty practice — is much larger than most developers expect. A compliance template that works in Mumbai can fail in Gurgaon or Bengaluru because a form is different, a timeline is shorter, or an authority interprets Section 18 more aggressively.

This guide is a comparative working document focused on the three most active state authorities: Maharashtra (MahaRERA), Haryana (HRERA) and Karnataka (KRERA). These three regulators together supervise a very large share of India's organised real estate development. Understanding their material differences is the fastest route to building a single internal compliance playbook that actually works across projects.

1. The Constitutional Architecture

The RERA Act was enacted by Parliament under entries relating to "contracts", "transfer of property other than agricultural land" and "registration of deeds and documents" in List III of the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution. Because real estate is a concurrent-list subject in most operational respects, each state was empowered under Section 84 to make rules for carrying out the provisions of the Act. Each state was also required under Section 20 to establish a Real Estate Regulatory Authority.

The result: one central Act, thirty-plus sets of state rules, and thirty-plus authorities with meaningfully different personalities.

2. Establishment and Institutional Character

MahaRERA was notified on 1 May 2017 through the Maharashtra Real Estate (Regulation and Development) (Registration of Real Estate Projects, Registration of Real Estate Agents, Rates of Interest and Disclosures on Website) Rules, 2017. It is headquartered in Mumbai and operates a highly digital portal with automated disclosure dashboards. MahaRERA has produced a substantial body of interpretive orders, including several widely cited circulars on quarterly updates, grace periods for possession and extension.

HRERA operates through two principal benches — Gurugram and Panchkula — under the Haryana Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017. The Gurugram bench covers the high-volume NCR developments; the Panchkula bench covers the rest of Haryana. HRERA Gurugram has issued some of the strictest Section 18 interest orders in the country, particularly against large promoters with delayed NCR projects.

KRERA (the Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority) was established under the Karnataka Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Rules, 2017 and operates from Bengaluru with state-wide jurisdiction. KRERA tends to be less volume-heavy but very document-intensive: its registration reviews are known for extensive title and encumbrance scrutiny.

3. Registration: Where the Rules Actually Diverge

Forms and Fees

MahaRERA. Registration is filed through Form A on the MahaRERA portal. Registration fee for residential projects is calculated by project area, typically ₹10 per square metre subject to a cap, with a higher rate for commercial development. Project extension fees are also prescribed.

HRERA. Registration is filed through the HRERA-specific Form A under the Haryana Rules, 2017. The Haryana fee structure has its own scale based on project type, size and location (Gurugram versus Panchkula jurisdictions).

KRERA. Registration is also filed through a Form A in the Karnataka Rules, with a fee schedule that differs by project size and commercial/residential character.

Supporting Documents

All three require the standard set: title deed, encumbrance certificate, sanctioned plans, layout plans, specifications, CA-certified cost statement, engineer's certificate and architect's certificate. The differences are in the details:

• MahaRERA expects an extensive self-declaration module on the portal, with line-item declarations by apartment type, amenity and stage.
• HRERA places particular emphasis on land ownership documentation, licence documents from the Directorate of Town and Country Planning Haryana, and zoning approvals for NCR plots.
• KRERA scrutiny often extends to a full thirty-year title chain with express encumbrance certificate references. Discrepancies between sale deeds and approved plans are commonly flagged.

Timelines

The statutory maximum under Section 5 is thirty days for the authority to approve or reject a registration application, failing which deemed registration can be claimed. In practice:

• MahaRERA issues registration numbers in two to four weeks for clean applications.
• HRERA Gurugram timelines are comparable but can extend in high-scrutiny cases.
• KRERA tends to be slower, with multiple document requisitions common in the first two weeks.

4. The 70% Escrow Rule in Practice

All three state rules carry the Section 4(2)(l)(D) escrow obligation without material deviation. Where they differ is in the operational templates:

• MahaRERA has a mature bank ecosystem — most scheduled commercial banks have standardised RERA master account products, and the certification flow (CA, engineer, architect) is well-rehearsed.
• HRERA emphasises separate bank accounts per project with stricter expectations on intra-project transfers.
• KRERA expects detailed project-wise CA reports on an annual basis, and withdrawal certifications are routinely audited.

5. Quarterly Disclosures: The Same Law, Different Portals

Section 11 of the central Act requires quarterly disclosures. The disclosure mechanics differ:

• MahaRERA. The authority has developed a granular portal with separate modules for booking status, financial progress, construction progress, updated approvals and legal cases. Updates are time-stamped and missed quarters are flagged.
• HRERA. Quarterly updates are submitted on the HRERA portal, with particular attention to progress photos and the form of project reports.
• KRERA. Karnataka's portal has historically been less feature-rich, though it is continuously improving. Developers must pay particular attention to manual submission deadlines.

In all three states, missed quarterly disclosures are the single most common trigger for suo motu complaints and Section 61 penalties.

6. Model Agreement for Sale: State-Level Divergence

The Model Agreement for Sale is prescribed differently in each state's rules. While the spine is consistent (carpet area, timelines, payment plan, default interest, handover), state model formats differ in:

• Schedule-level templates for amenities and common areas.
• Specific consent clauses for plan changes (Section 14).
• Force majeure language.
• Dispute resolution and jurisdiction clauses.
• Stamp duty incidence (which differs by state Stamp Act).

A Maharashtra Model Agreement adjusted for a Gurgaon project will almost certainly contain clauses that are inconsistent with Haryana stamp practice and HRERA expectations.

7. Section 18 Interest: Who Pays What, Where

Section 18 interest is the prescribed rate under the state rules, typically SBI's highest MCLR plus two percent. In practice:

• MahaRERA has built extensive jurisprudence on computing interest from each instalment date, treating grace periods narrowly and rejecting promoter-drafted force majeure clauses that contradict the Act.
• HRERA Gurugram has been particularly assertive on full interest recoveries in high-profile delayed NCR projects, with orders routinely exceeding tens of crores per complaint.
• KRERA typically grants interest but has been relatively more receptive to COVID-specific extension requests during 2020–2022, with residual jurisprudence continuing to affect 2024–2026 orders.

8. Penalty Practice

The statutory maxima are identical across states because penalty sections (59 to 68) are central. The gap is in enforcement aggression:

• MahaRERA publishes orders regularly and has a reputation for issuing Section 61 fines against repeat defaulters without hesitation. Its case list gives useful developer-side signalling.
• HRERA Gurugram has been the most activist on penalty quantum, particularly in consolidated allottee complaints where the cumulative interest burden is large.
• KRERA has been more measured but has shown willingness to apply Section 60 penalties (false information) where registration-stage documents are found to be materially inaccurate.

Match Your Agreement to State RERA Rules

9. Appellate Routes

All three states have Real Estate Appellate Tribunals under Section 43. Appeals from the state authority lie before the Tribunal within sixty days, and appeals from the Tribunal lie before the respective High Court on substantial questions of law.

• Maharashtra Real Estate Appellate Tribunal (Mumbai) has a substantial body of decisions on procedural aspects of RERA.
• Haryana Real Estate Appellate Tribunal (Chandigarh) has issued significant rulings on force majeure, Section 14 consent and escrow-diversion claims.
• Karnataka Real Estate Appellate Tribunal (Bengaluru) has issued rulings on scope of registration, particularly in plotted developments.

10. State-Specific Structural Quirks

Maharashtra

• Circulars on pre-registration marketing are unusually strict — even a brochure with an RERA application number but no registration number is treated as unregistered marketing.
• Dedicated conciliation forum under MahaRERA has become a routine first stop for small disputes.
• MahaRERA's order-publishing cadence is the fastest; a developer can realistically monitor trends from daily orders.

Haryana

• HRERA requires prior departmental approvals — particularly from DTCP for licence renewals — to be reflected accurately in the RERA portal.
• Plotted developments in Gurugram are subject to additional sector-specific obligations layered over the central RERA framework.
• Stamp duty on agreements for sale under the Haryana Stamp Act is a recurring developer pitfall.

Karnataka

• KRERA's title-scrutiny posture is the most demanding — under-documented chains are frequently returned for rectification.
• Bengaluru municipal approvals (BBMP and BDA) and RERA approvals must be aligned before registration, and any subsequent variation requires careful documentation.
• The Karnataka Stamp Act's article for agreements for sale of immovable property is materially different from Maharashtra's.

11. Interaction with Other State Statutes

Across all three states, developers must remember:

• Transfer of Property Act, 1882. Uniform across states but applied through state-specific rules.
• Registration Act, 1908. State-specific amendments — Maharashtra has mandated registration of agreements for sale under Section 17 since 1985; Karnataka and Haryana also require registration of agreements for sale in line with state amendments.
• Stamp Acts. Maharashtra Stamp Act (for instruments executed in Maharashtra), Karnataka Stamp Act (for Karnataka), and Indian Stamp Act as applicable in Haryana.
• State-specific planning laws. Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966; Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961; Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development Act, 1963 as applied in Haryana.

12. The Stamp-Duty Gap Most Multi-State Developers Miss

Stamp duty on agreements for sale varies dramatically:

• Maharashtra. Stamp duty on agreements for sale of immovable property is typically at the conveyance rate, subject to set-off against the subsequent sale deed. Effective rate in Mumbai is approximately five to seven percent.
• Haryana. Stamp duty under the Indian Stamp Act as applicable in Haryana has its own sliding scale depending on whether the property is urban, rural or residential versus commercial.
• Karnataka. The Karnataka Stamp Act provides for stamp duty on agreements for sale that is lower than on conveyance deeds, with set-off mechanics that must be captured in the sale deed later.

An agreement drafted for Maharashtra and executed in Bengaluru is almost certainly under-stamped under the Karnataka Act.

13. A Side-by-Side Quick View

| Area | MahaRERA | HRERA | KRERA | |---|---|---|---| | Jurisdiction | Statewide, Mumbai HQ | Gurugram + Panchkula benches | Statewide, Bengaluru | | Registration speed | 2–4 weeks typical | 2–4 weeks typical; can extend | 3–6 weeks typical | | Portal maturity | Most mature | Mature | Improving | | Order cadence | High | High (Gurugram) | Moderate | | Penalty activism | Moderate-High | High | Moderate | | Title scrutiny | Moderate | Moderate-High | Strict | | Plotted-project jurisprudence | Mature | Very active | Growing | | Section 18 interest practice | Strict | Very strict | Strict | | Stamp Act alignment | Maharashtra Stamp Act | Indian Stamp Act (as applicable) | Karnataka Stamp Act |

14. Practical Template Discipline for Multi-State Developers

If you operate across states, your internal compliance stack should include:

• A state-parameterised Model Agreement repository — MahaRERA, HRERA and KRERA versions separately maintained.
• State-specific registration dossier checklists.
• Bank-level master templates calibrated by state for escrow operation.
• A state-specific possession timeline risk register.
• A unified RERA compliance calendar parameterised by state.
• A regulatory alert mechanism that aggregates circulars and orders from all three state authorities.

This is where contract intelligence tools pay for themselves; hand-maintaining state variants is the cheapest way to introduce errors.

Standardise Your RERA Stack Across States

Frequently Asked Questions

If a project is in Maharashtra and the developer is headquartered in Bengaluru, which RERA applies?▾

The RERA of the state where the project is located always applies. A Karnataka-headquartered developer with a project in Pune is subject to MahaRERA and the Maharashtra RERA Rules, 2017, including the Maharashtra Stamp Act for stamp duty on the agreements for sale and sale deeds. The developer's head office location is irrelevant for RERA purposes. Group entities with projects across states must register each project with the respective state authority.

Can one RERA registration cover multiple phases of the same project?▾

No. Under Section 3(2)(a) read with the state rules, each phase of a phased development is a distinct real estate project and must be registered separately. MahaRERA, HRERA and KRERA all enforce this strictly. A developer that launched three towers across three calendar years would need three separate registrations, three separate escrow accounts, and three separate sets of quarterly disclosures. Attempting to treat all phases as a single project is a common source of Section 59 penalty exposure.

How does HRERA treat force majeure claims in the context of NCR construction-ban orders?▾

HRERA has taken a narrow approach to force majeure but has accepted specific, documented impacts of construction bans imposed by the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR. The developer must show the exact days when construction was stopped due to specific orders and must have updated its project timeline disclosures on the HRERA portal contemporaneously. Generic references to "pollution-related disruptions" have routinely been rejected. Documented day-by-day records succeed; narrative claims do not.

Does KRERA accept digital signatures on registration dossiers?▾

KRERA accepts digital signatures that comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000 for the online portal submissions. However, certain supporting documents — particularly the title documents, encumbrance certificate and CA-certified cost statement — continue to be submitted as scanned copies with physical signatures. The affidavit under Section 4(2)(l) typically requires physical execution and notarisation. Developers should plan for a hybrid workflow: portal-based digital signatures for the form, physical signatures for the sworn documents.

What is the appellate timeline if a promoter wishes to challenge a MahaRERA order?▾

An appeal to the Maharashtra Real Estate Appellate Tribunal must be filed within sixty days of the MahaRERA order under Section 44 read with the Maharashtra rules. The appellate route from the Tribunal lies before the Bombay High Court on substantial questions of law, under Section 58, within a further sixty days. A developer intending to appeal a refund or interest order generally must deposit the disputed amount or provide a bank guarantee before the appeal is entertained — a design feature of RERA intended to deter delay tactics.

Are plotted development projects treated differently under HRERA compared to KRERA?▾

Both authorities require registration of plotted developments, but their expectations differ. HRERA, particularly the Gurugram bench, has a large docket of plotted projects and has issued numerous orders on internal development works, layout modifications and conveyance of common amenities. KRERA also registers plotted projects but tends to focus on title-chain integrity and exact correspondence between sale deeds, layout sanction and RERA disclosures. Developers in Karnataka should expect slower registration processing for plotted projects due to the title scrutiny, while developers in Haryana should budget for post-registration litigation risk if sector amenities are not delivered as promised.

Do MahaRERA, HRERA and KRERA publish their orders on their respective websites?▾

Yes. All three authorities publish orders on their portals, though with varying structure and search usability. MahaRERA has the most searchable order database and publishes daily orders with downloadable PDFs. HRERA Gurugram and Panchkula benches publish orders with reasonable search functionality, though some older orders require manual browsing. KRERA publishes orders on its site with a less-refined search interface. For a multi-state compliance stack, it is worth aggregating these feeds into a single internal dashboard or using a legal-tech tool that does the aggregation automatically.