What a possession date on an under-construction home actually commits the developer to

01Three dates, one of which counts

A buyer of an under-construction home usually hears three dates: the one in conversation, the one in the brochure, and the one in the agreement. Only the last is enforceable, and under RERA it should match the completion date the developer registered with MahaRERA.

If the date you are told is earlier than the registered one, the registered one is the promise. If it is later, ask why the project has not been updated on the register.

02If the date is missed

Section 18 of the RERA Act gives the buyer a choice when possession is not given as agreed:

• Withdraw, and receive the amount paid back with interest, or
• Stay in the project, and receive interest for every month of delay until possession is handed over.

In Maharashtra the rate is set by the state's RERA rules, linked to the State Bank of India's lending rate plus two percent. Check the current figure when you need it rather than relying on one quoted in a sales conversation.

03What can move a registered date

The Act allows the regulator to extend a registration in limited circumstances, such as force majeure. An extension is recorded on the register, so a date that has moved should be visible there too.

04Why we talk about this at all

Our second promise is that possession dates are commitments, not projections. The simplest way to hold any developer to that, including us, is to read the registered date yourself and ask about any gap between it and what you were told. Families living in the homes we have already handed over are the other reference worth taking.