Does this sound like your project?
- The date in your agreement has passed, or is close.
- The builder gave a new date and missed that one too.
- You've been told the delay is force majeure and nothing can be done.
- You heard RERA extended the project and assumed your date moved with it.
- You aren't sure a complaint is worth the time.
Every figure on this page comes from published RERA orders, and the case list is free to download so you can check any of them.
What we found
87%
of delay cases decided on merits went to the buyer (103 of 118)
10.95%
a year: the delay-interest rate today, SBI's highest MCLR plus 2%
0
of 161 readable orders cut interest for Covid, weather or other force majeure
- Buyers won 103 of the 118 delay cases RERA decided on merits, or 87%. Add the builders who settled before a ruling and buyers came out ahead in 142 of 157 cases (90%).
- Every interest award used the same rate, SBI's highest MCLR plus 2%. Today that's 10.95% a year.
- In 161 readable orders, RERA never cut or refused interest because of Covid, weather, labour or any other outside event.
- In one Bengaluru case the builder had a one-year RERA extension, and RERA still counted interest from the original completion date.
- In 36 of the 57 delay-interest wins, interest keeps running until the buyer actually gets possession.
- Mental agony and legal costs usually add ₹5,000 to ₹2 lakh. Nearly all the money comes from the interest.
Your rights
If the builder misses the date in your agreement, Section 18 of the RERA Act lets you choose. You can stay and get interest for every month of delay until handover, or you can leave and get your money back with interest.
The rate is set by law. Karnataka's RERA rules fix it at SBI's highest MCLR plus 2%. SBI raised its 3-year MCLR to 8.95% on 15 September 2026, so the rate is 10.95% a year, simple interest, and it changes whenever SBI changes its rate.
A builder can ask RERA to extend the project's registration, usually by up to a year, citing events outside its control. The extension saves the builder from penalties on a lapsed registration. The date in your agreement stays where it was. In Newtech Promoters v State of UP (2021), the Supreme Court held that a buyer's Section 18 right is unconditional and doesn't depend on unforeseen events.
To get that extension, the builder files a sworn affidavit with its reasons, and it usually promises to comply with Section 18. You can download the affidavit from your project's page on the K-RERA portal and quote it back to the builder.
What the interest is worth
Interest is worked out on the money you've paid the builder, not the price of the flat. Stamp duty and registration don't count. At 10.95% a year:
| Amount you've paid | 12 months late | 24 months late | 36 months late |
|---|---|---|---|
| ₹50 lakh | ₹5.5 lakh | ₹11 lakh | ₹16.4 lakh |
| ₹1 crore | ₹11 lakh | ₹21.9 lakh | ₹32.9 lakh |
| ₹2 crore | ₹21.9 lakh | ₹43.8 lakh | ₹65.7 lakh |
In the ten interest orders we read in full, awards ranged from ₹5 lakh to ₹58 lakh, with a median of about ₹16 lakh. Delay interest is usually taxed as income, so ask a CA before you count on the full amount.
How RERA cases end
We read 180 Authority orders. The 179 in our published list break down like this:
Five of the 15 losses say plainly that the buyer didn't turn up or didn't file papers; the rest just say "dismissed". Plenty of builders pay or sign an undertaking once a complaint is filed, before RERA rules.
Compensation on top of interest goes to a separate officer, the Adjudicating Officer. Across 597 delay-related cases from 2022 to 2026, the officer ordered the builder to pay in 39%. The builder settled first in 48%, 9% were rejected or the buyer didn't appear, and 4% were withdrawn. Awards were usually ₹5,000 to ₹2 lakh for mental agony plus ₹7,000 in costs, going up to ₹5 lakh only for a specific loss the buyer could prove. The median case took 463 days from filing to order.
Collecting the money takes longer. RERA's realisation list records 293 payments with amounts. The median is ₹3.5 lakh, three in four are under ₹10 lakh, and 47 are above ₹25 lakh. An order gives the builder 60 days to pay, and if it doesn't, you have to apply for recovery yourself.
What to do, step by step
1. Find your two dates.
One is the completion date in your agreement for sale, plus any grace period. The other is the completion date on RERA. Your interest runs from the agreement date.
2. Check real progress.
Search your project on rera.karnataka.gov.in and open Quarterly Updates. Skip the headline percentage and look at electrical and plumbing finishing, painting and the power substation. A building can't get its occupancy certificate without a working power connection, and those jobs usually finish last.
3. Keep paying every milestone on time.
If you fall behind, the builder can set off its own interest against yours, and RERA takes a dimmer view of your claim.
4. Send a written demand.
Use registered post, addressed to the company RERA lists as promoter. Cite Section 18 and the missed date. Ask for a revised date and written confirmation of interest at SBI MCLR plus 2% from your agreement date. It costs only postage and puts your claim on record.
5. File with K-RERA if you get no written answer in about 45 days.
Complaints are filed online at rera.karnataka.gov.in. Expect an order in roughly 12 to 15 months, and interest keeps running while you wait.
6. Attend every hearing.
Skipped hearings and missing papers are the most common reasons buyers lose.
7. Claim compensation separately if it's worth your time.
After the Authority rules, you can go to the Adjudicating Officer for mental agony and costs. The amounts are small.
Questions to put to your builder in writing
- What is the revised completion date, and have you applied for another RERA extension?
- When will the power connection and substation be commissioned?
- Which floors or towers will be handed over first?
- Will delay interest be credited automatically, and at what rate and from what date?
Common mistakes
"RERA extended the project, so my date changed."
The extension is a matter between the builder and RERA. Your agreement date still applies.
"Covid and rain are force majeure, so I get nothing."
In 161 readable orders, that argument never reduced the interest.
"The agreement already promises interest, so I'll wait."
Most agreements do have a delay clause. If you wait, though, the builder picks the rate, the start date and the arithmetic, then adjusts it against your last instalment.
How we did this
We read the operative orders in 180 Karnataka RERA Authority cases about delay, interest or refunds. Thirty came from RERA's August 2026 order list. The other 150 were drawn at random from the 4,417 delay and interest orders on its September 2026 list (random seeds 7 and 11). We read the orders by OCR and checked each by hand. Eighteen were handwritten or in Kannada, and we marked them unreadable. One order from the original count is missing from our case list, so the download has 179 rows; none of the headline figures change.
Compensation figures come from RERA's Adjudicating Officer order list (3,301 orders, 597 of them delay-related, 2022 to 2026). Payment figures come from RERA's Complaint Realisation List (1,074 entries, 293 with amounts). The interest rate is from SBI's MCLR page, checked 15 October 2026.
These are cases that ended in a ruling or a recorded settlement, so cases still pending aren't counted. Your result will depend on your agreement, your payment record and your paperwork. This is research, not legal advice. Have a lawyer read your agreement before you file.
Download the case list
All 179 orders with complaint number, order date, outcome and amount. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
Download CSVHow to cite
PropVision (2026). Is your flat delayed? What Karnataka RERA orders show. https://propvison.com/research/delayed-project-karnataka-rera-2026/
Journalists and lawyers: email [email protected] for the study notes.