RERA project extension under section 6: why a new date on the portal does not change your possession date

Rules and rates as of 20 October 2026.

Your builder's project page on the state RERA portal now shows a new completion date, a year later than the one you were sold. Does that new date replace the possession date in your agreement? The short answer from the Act, and from recent tribunal and High Court orders, is no. This guide explains what section 6 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) actually allows, what it does not change, and how to work out what a delay is worth to you. It is not legal advice; take your papers to a lawyer before you act.

Two dates, two different documents

A flat under construction carries two completion dates, and they live in different places.

• The registration date. When a promoter registers a project, section 4(2)(l)(C) requires a declaration of "the time period within which he undertakes to complete the project". Under section 5(3), the registration is valid for that declared period. This is the date on the RERA portal.
• The agreement date. Your agreement for sale names the date by which your flat will be handed over. Section 18(1) makes the promoter liable if it fails to complete or give possession "in accordance with the terms of the agreement for sale", or by "the date specified therein".

Section 6 deals only with the first of these.

What section 6 allows

Section 6 lets the Authority extend a project's registration on the promoter's application, in a case of force majeure, in the form and on the fee set by regulations. Its key limits:

• Force majeure is narrow. The Explanation defines it as "a case of war, flood, drought, fire, cyclone, earthquake" or any other calamity caused by nature that affects regular development.
• Other reasons need a clean record. The first proviso lets the Authority extend registration in reasonable circumstances, without default by the promoter, based on the facts of each case and for reasons recorded in writing.
• One year in total. Extensions under the proviso cannot, in aggregate, exceed one year.
• A hearing before rejection. The second proviso bars rejecting an extension application without giving the promoter a chance to be heard.

States fill in the procedure. Telangana's 2017 rules, for example, say (rule 6) the application goes in Form 'E' within three months before the registration expires, with half the registration fee and an explanatory note on the reasons for delay. No fee is payable when the ground is force majeure, and the extension cannot go beyond the completion period allowed under local laws. Check your own state's rules for its version.

When the year runs out: sections 7 and 8

Section 7 lets the Authority revoke a registration, for instance where the promoter defaults on anything the Act requires. Section 7(3) gives it another option: instead of revoking, it may let the registration "remain in force subject to such further terms and conditions" as it thinks fit in the allottees' interest. Section 8 then deals with what happens on lapse or revocation: the Authority may consult the state government on having the remaining work completed, including by the association of allottees.

In Maharashtra, law-firm summaries describe a MahaRERA process for section 7(3) extensions that asks for the consent of a majority of allottees. We could not open MahaRERA's own order to confirm the details, so ask the Authority or your lawyer what applies to your project.

Does an extension move your possession date?

Recent orders say it does not.

Telangana appellate tribunal, September 2026. In Vasavi Realtors LLP v. Taru Trivedi and 30 connected appeals (T.A. Nos. 17 to 47 of 2026, 9 September 2026), the agreements promised possession by 31 August 2024 plus six months' grace. The registration ran to 7 February 2025 and was extended to 7 February 2026. The tribunal held that extending registration "does not automatically mean" the due date for completion moves, and that a registration or its extension "cannot rewrite the contract between the parties". The promoter had signed no supplementary agreements changing the date, so the agreed date prevailed. Interest of 10.70% a year (SBI MCLR plus 2% under Telangana's rule 15) runs on each buyer's payments until possession.

Bombay High Court, April 2026. In Rare Townships Pvt. Ltd. v. Saji Mathews (Second Appeal No. 144 of 2026, 15 April 2026), possession was due by 31 December 2018. The Court said force majeure events "cannot be given an expansive meaning" as a buffer against the promoter's obligations, and found the agreement's clause, which listed things like "economic slowdown in general", too broad. Because the due date was well before the pandemic, the Court held the Authority "could not have granted" a Covid moratorium on interest. Interest at the Maharashtra rule 18 rate runs until possession.

The extension certificate itself. Haryana RERA, Gurugram's extension certificate No. 15 of 2025 (28 March 2025, issued under section 6) states that the extension is "without prejudice to rights of allottees under section 18". It also bars passing on to allottees any increase in taxes or levies after the scheduled completion date.

Worked example: what the gap is worth

Suppose you paid ₹75,00,000 before your agreed possession date of 31 March 2025. The registration was extended under section 6 to 31 March 2026, and possession is actually offered on 30 September 2026. You stay in the project and claim interest for each month of delay under section 18(1).

For illustration we use 10.70% a year, simple interest, the rate in the Telangana order above. Your rate depends on your state's rule and the lending rate on the relevant date.

• Monthly interest = 75,00,000 × 10.70% ÷ 12 = ₹66,875
• From the agreement date (1 April 2025 to 30 September 2026, 18 months) = 66,875 × 18 = ₹12,03,750
• If the extended date were wrongly used (1 April 2026 to 30 September 2026, 6 months) = 66,875 × 6 = ₹4,01,250

The difference, ₹8,02,500, is the 12 months of the extension. That is the money at stake if you accept the portal date as your new possession date.

Start date used	Months of delay	Interest at 10.70%
Agreement date (31 Mar 2025)	18	₹12,03,750
Extended registration date (31 Mar 2026)	6	₹4,01,250
Difference	12	₹8,02,500

In practice, interest is often worked out separately on each instalment from its date of payment, so your figure will differ.

Where buyers lose ground

• Signing a new date. The Telangana tribunal noted that no supplementary agreement had changed the date. A letter or addendum you sign that accepts a later possession date may be read differently. Have a lawyer read it first.
• Accepting a broad force majeure clause. The Bombay High Court read such clauses narrowly, but you still have to argue the point.
• Not reading the extension record. The project page should show whether the extension was on force majeure or other grounds, and the reasons and conditions recorded. These help your complaint.

Our earlier guide on delayed possession covers the complaint, appeal, consumer and insolvency routes in detail; this piece covers only what an extension does to your date.