Brochure says 28 floors. Does the commencement certificate? Four checks before you pay a token

Rules as of 13 October 2026.

A brochure can show 28 floors. The only floors that exist in law are the ones the municipal authority has sanctioned. Before you pay even a token, the RERA Act gives you two ways to compare what is being sold with what is permitted: the promoter's page on the MahaRERA website, and the approvals the promoter must file with it. This explainer shows what to compare, what the Act says if they do not match, and why a booking taken before registration is itself a red flag. It is general information, not legal advice.

What the promoter must file and display

Under section 4(2) of the Act, an application for registration has to carry, among other things, an authenticated copy of the approvals and the commencement certificate from the competent authority (clause (c)) and the sanctioned plan, layout plan and specifications (clause (d)). Section 11(1) then requires the promoter to create a web page on the Authority's website with the project details, including the registration. Section 11(2) requires every advertisement or prospectus to show the Authority's website address and the registration number. MahaRERA Circular No. 28/2021, as reproduced by the Bombay High Court in Linker Shelter (18 July 2025), also requires a legal title report in a set format with every registration application. And under section 11(3), at the time of booking and allotment the promoter must make available the sanctioned plans and layout plans and the stage-wise completion schedule.

That gives you a simple test: the floors in the brochure, the floors in the sanctioned plan and the commencement certificate, and the floor stated in your allotment letter should match.

The four-document check

Check	What to look for
RERA number in the advertisement	Required by section 11(2). Search the number on the MahaRERA site; confirm the project name and promoter match.
Project page	The approvals and plans the promoter uploaded; the completion date declared.
Commencement certificate	Date, and what it covers: which building or wing, and how many floors.
Sanctioned plan	Total floors, your floor, and the common areas shown in the brochure.

I could not see the live MahaRERA page layout while writing this, so confirm for yourself where each document sits. If a document is missing, ask the promoter for it in writing before paying.

If you pay for floors that are not sanctioned

Section 14(1) requires the project to be developed and completed in accordance with the sanctioned plans. Section 14(2) says that once the sanctioned plans are disclosed to buyers, the promoter cannot make additions or alterations affecting a buyer's unit without that person's prior consent, and cannot change the plans or the common areas without the previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees. Section 12 covers advertising: if you pay on the strength of a false statement in an advertisement or prospectus and want to withdraw, you are to be returned your entire investment with interest at the prescribed rate, plus compensation.

Plans can legitimately be revised with fresh approvals, so a mismatch is not automatic proof of fraud. But if the builder says more floors are "coming", ask to see the revised approval before you pay for those floors, and ask how the MahaRERA page will show it.

A worked example

Illustrative: a brochure shows 28 floors and a Rs 1.5 crore flat on the 22nd floor. The commencement certificate you are shown covers 14 floors. You pay a 10% booking amount, Rs 15 lakh, the most section 13 allows before a registered agreement. If the 22nd floor is not sanctioned, you are holding an allotment for a floor that has no approval. If you then withdraw under section 12 after two years, and we assume an interest rate of 11% simple, the interest would be Rs 15,00,000 x 11% x 2 = Rs 3,30,000, so you would claim Rs 18.3 lakh. That claim is only as good as the builder's ability to pay, so check first and pay later.

Booking before registration: what section 3 says

Section 3(1) says that no promoter shall advertise, market, book, sell or offer for sale, or invite persons to purchase, any plot, apartment or building in a real estate project in a planning area without registering the project with the Authority. Small projects are exempt: no registration is needed where the land does not exceed 500 square metres or the number of apartments does not exceed eight (section 3(2)(a)), though the State can reduce those limits.

Section 59(1) provides a penalty of up to 10% of the estimated cost of the project, as determined by the Authority. For continued violation or non-compliance with an order, section 59(2) provides imprisonment up to three years or a further fine of up to 10% of the estimated cost, or both. For a Rs 200 crore project (illustrative), 10% is Rs 20 crore.

For a buyer, "pre-launch" or "soft launch" bookings before a RERA number exists are the exact stage the section targets. A penalty on the promoter does not by itself return your money, so a booking paid before registration stays at risk. See also our note on festive pre-launch offers.

Questions to put to the sales team in writing

1. What is the RERA registration number, and which wing or phase does it cover?
2. How many floors does the sanctioned plan and the commencement certificate allow for my building?
3. Is the floor in my allotment letter within those floors?
4. If the plan is being revised, where is the approval, and will the MahaRERA page be updated?
5. What is the declared completion date on the MahaRERA page?

A refusal to answer in writing is itself information. Keep the replies; they can matter if you later rely on section 12.

Mistakes to avoid

• Trusting the brochure render over the sanctioned plan.
• Accepting a RERA number without searching it.
• Paying a "refundable" token to an unregistered project.
• Not asking in writing which floors the commencement certificate covers.