Most buyers ask about price first and paperwork last. It should be the other way round, because a wrong price costs you a few lakh and a wrong document can cost you the flat. This guide lists the things to check before buying a flat in Bhubaneswar, in the order they can hurt you, with the exact place to verify each one. Every check works for any builder and any project, ours included.
Quick answer
The 12 things to check before buying a flat are: RERA registration, land title, sanctioned plan, developer record, carpet area, layout and site, specifications in writing, construction stage, payment plan, the Agreement for Sale, the total cost with taxes, and your home loan approval. Pay nothing beyond 10% of the price until the Agreement for Sale is signed and registered. A RERA number on a brochure proves nothing until you have looked it up yourself.
The 12 checks at a glance
| # | Check | Where to verify | Walk away if |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RERA registration | ORERA project list | You cannot find the project, or the details do not match |
| 2 | Land title | Title deed, encumbrance certificate | The builder has no clear right to develop the land |
| 3 | Sanctioned plan | BDA or BMC approval letter | No approval number, or floors exceed the sanction |
| 4 | Developer record | Two completed projects, ORERA filings | Past projects were handed over years late |
| 5 | Carpet area | Written unit details | The builder will not give carpet area in writing |
| 6 | Layout and site | Floor plan, two site visits | Water stands outside the gate after rain |
| 7 | Specifications | Annexure to the agreement | Brochure promises are missing from the contract |
| 8 | Construction stage | Quarterly progress report, site | Payment demands run ahead of the work |
| 9 | Payment plan | Payment schedule | More than 10% is asked before a registered agreement |
| 10 | Agreement for Sale | The draft, read with a lawyer | Delay interest favours only the builder |
| 11 | Total cost | Written cost sheet | Charges appear only after you commit |
| 12 | Loan and EMI | Your bank | Your bank has not approved the project |
Is this flat safe to book?
Tick off the 12 checks, see which questions are still open, then work out what the flat really costs. Your ticks stay on this device.
Part one: paper checks, before you pay a token
1. RERA registration, checked by you
Any project with more than eight apartments or land above 500 square metres has to be registered with the state authority. In Odisha that is the Odisha Real Estate Regulatory Authority. Do not accept a registration number from a brochure or a sales executive, because anyone can print a number. Open the project list, search for the project, and check four things: the promoter name matches the company you are paying, the location and unit count match what you were told, the registration validity runs past the promised possession date, and quarterly progress reports have been filed.
That last item matters more than it sounds. ORERA publishes a list of promoters who defaulted on their quarterly progress reports and has frozen their project bank accounts. A gap in filings is a warning worth taking seriously.
Try it on any project, including ours. HP Square is registered as MP/19/2022/00691 and EKAM as MP/07/2024/01283. Look both up and compare what the sales team says with what is filed. RERA registration is the entry ticket, not the verdict. Plenty of registered projects still run late, so treat the other eleven checks as equally necessary.
2. Land title and encumbrance
A beautiful building on disputed land is a bad purchase, however good the finish. Ask for the title documents, the chain of ownership, and an encumbrance certificate showing no mortgages or claims on the land. If the land belongs to a landowner and the builder is developing it, the development agreement should be registered. Ask about land use as well, since the land should be cleared for residential construction.
You will not read these papers well yourself, and you do not need to. Hand copies to a property lawyer. The fee is small next to the price of the flat, and this is the one check where an expert opinion changes what you do.
3. The sanctioned plan and approvals
In Bhubaneswar, building plans are sanctioned by the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, or the municipal corporation inside city limits. This is not a formality here. In August 2024, according to reports, the state ordered the demolition of 191 unauthorised buildings in the BDA area, out of 491 cases. The same reports say the housing department has since tied electricity, water and sewerage connections to a valid Occupancy Certificate.
So ask for the sanction letter and approval number, then compare it with what is being sold. The floors, unit count and amenities in the approved plan should match the brochure. After completion, the promoter must obtain a Completion Certificate and an Occupancy Certificate, and ORERA requires both to be uploaded to its site. If the builder cannot show you an approval number, stop there.
4. The developer’s delivery record
Paperwork tells you what a builder promised. Delivery tells you what the builder does. Visit two completed projects, and go in the evening when residents are around. Ask three things: was the flat handed over on the originally promised date, has the residents’ association taken over management, and does the builder fix defects when asked.
Our own completed project is a fair test. HN Regalia, near Khandagiri Square, is finished and ready to move in, registered as RP/19/2021/00627. Go and talk to the residents. Whatever builder you are considering, ask for a list of completed projects with the promised and actual handover dates side by side, and treat reluctance to share it as an answer.
Part two: product checks, before you sign anything
5. Carpet area, in writing
RERA defines carpet area as the net usable floor area inside the flat, including the internal walls but excluding the external walls, service shafts, exclusive balcony, verandah and open terrace. So the balcony is not carpet area, which surprises many buyers. Super built-up area adds your share of lobbies, stairs and other common spaces, and the gap between the two is commonly 25 to 30%.
Get the carpet area of your exact unit in writing, then divide the price by it. Take HP Square’s published 3 BHK band: 915 to 1,291 sq ft of carpet area at ₹1.67 to ₹2.22 crore. That works out to roughly ₹17,000 to ₹18,000 per carpet sq ft. Do the same sum for every project on your shortlist. The rate quoted on super built-up area will never tell you which flat is cheaper.
6. Layout, orientation and the site itself
A floor plan can hide waste. Long passages, awkward corners and bedrooms that cannot fit a bed and a wardrobe all eat into the area you paid for. Draw your furniture on the plan before you book. Check that rooms have light and cross ventilation, and note which way the living room faces, because a west-facing living room in a Bhubaneswar summer takes the afternoon sun.
Then visit the site twice, and make one of the visits inconvenient. Go at evening peak hour, and go the day after heavy rain. Look at drainage, the state of the approach road, and how long the drive to your workplace takes at nine in the morning. A flat can look perfect at noon on a Sunday and be a daily irritation on a Tuesday.
7. Specifications and amenities, as written in the agreement
Brochures are marketing. The agreement is the contract. Ask for a specification annexure covering flooring, fittings, doors, electricals and lifts, with brands or grades named, and make sure it is attached to the Agreement for Sale. For amenities, ask which are ready at possession and which are phased, because a clubhouse that opens two years after you move in is not the amenity you were shown.
Two more items live here. Get the parking allotment in writing, including whether it is covered and which slot. And ask for the maintenance rate per square foot, who runs the building until the residents’ association takes over, and how much corpus fund you are expected to pay.
8. Construction stage against the promise
For an under-construction flat, compare what you see with what is filed. The latest quarterly progress report on the ORERA site shows the stage the builder has declared. Stand on the site and see whether it matches. Also ask for the project bank account details, since RERA requires promoters to keep 70% of buyer money in a separate account for that project’s land and construction costs.
The simple test is whether payment demands follow the work. If the builder asks for the slab-stage instalment while the structure is still at the foundation, that gap deserves an explanation in writing.
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Part three: money and contract checks, before more money moves
9. The payment plan and the 10% rule
Under Section 13 of the RERA Act, a builder cannot take more than 10% of the price as an advance before signing a written, registered Agreement for Sale. That 10% includes the booking amount and any token. An allotment letter is not the agreement. If you are asked for more before the agreement is registered, the answer is to say no, politely, and ask for the agreement first.
After that, the payment plan should follow construction stages, not calendar dates. Ask for the full schedule in writing and check each instalment against the stage it is tied to.
10. The Agreement for Sale, clause by clause
Ask for the draft a few days before signing, and read it with a lawyer. Check the possession date and any grace period. Check delay interest: under RERA the interest a builder pays you for late possession should match what you pay for late instalments, usually the SBI highest MCLR plus 2%. Confirm the cancellation and forfeiture terms, and look for escalation clauses that let the price rise after booking.
Also confirm the defect liability clause. Section 14(3) makes the promoter fix structural and workmanship defects reported within five years of possession, within 30 days and at no extra charge. If the agreement quietly shortens that, it should be corrected before you sign.
11. The total cost, not the sticker price
The agreement price is where the cost starts, not where it ends. Here is what a ₹1 crore flat really costs in Odisha, using 5% stamp duty (4% if a woman is the buyer), registration at 2%, and GST of 5% on an under-construction flat.
| Item | Under construction | Ready, OC issued |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement price | ₹1,00,00,000 | ₹1,00,00,000 |
| GST | ₹5,00,000 | Nil |
| Stamp duty (5%) | ₹5,00,000 | ₹5,00,000 |
| Registration (2%) | ₹2,00,000 | ₹2,00,000 |
| Total before extras | ₹1,12,00,000 | ₹1,07,00,000 |
Parking, maintenance deposits, legal fees and interiors come on top. Registration is commonly quoted at 2% but confirm the current rate and any cap with the Sub-Registrar, and note that a purchase of ₹50 lakh or more carries 1% TDS, which you deduct from the builder payments and deposit yourself. If you are still deciding what your budget can buy, our breakdown of what ₹1 crore gets you in Bhubaneswar is a good place to start.
12. Home loan approval and EMI comfort
Your bank runs its own legal and valuation check on the project, independent of anything the builder tells you. That makes bank approval a useful second opinion. Ask which banks have approved the project, and be cautious if none have.
Then be honest about the EMI. A common rule of thumb keeps it near 40% of take-home income, and you also need room for interiors, moving and the months when income dips. On an under-construction flat the loan is released in stages, so you pay interest only on the amount disbursed at first, but the full EMI arrives at possession. Plan for that date, not the first month.
Run the checklist on your own flat
The tool below turns these twelve checks into a report. Mark each as verified, not yet, or a red flag, see which questions to put to the builder, and work out the true cost and EMI on the second tab. You can send the result to family on WhatsApp, which is worth doing, because the person who pays the token is rarely the only person who should see this list.
What to do next
Print the table near the top and take it to your next site visit. If a builder is uncomfortable with any of the twelve, you have learned something useful for free. If you would like to see how HP Square and EKAM hold up against these checks, see HP Square’s configurations and price ladder and ask us for anything on the list. We would rather you verify us than trust us.
Frequently Asked
Your Questions, Answered
Start with RERA registration on the state portal, then the land title, the sanctioned plan, and the developer’s record on completed projects. After those, get the carpet area in writing, read the Agreement for Sale, and work out the total cost including taxes. Do not pay beyond 10% until the agreement is registered.
Search for the project on the Odisha RERA website’s project list. Confirm that the promoter name, location, unit count and registration validity match what you were told, and that the builder has filed its quarterly progress reports. A number printed on a brochure is not proof.
Not more than 10% of the flat’s price. Under Section 13 of the RERA Act, that limit includes the booking amount and any token, and it applies until a written, registered Agreement for Sale is signed.
The Completion Certificate confirms the building was constructed according to the sanctioned plan. The Occupancy Certificate confirms it is fit to be lived in. Both are issued by the competent authority, and in Odisha ORERA requires developers to upload both to its website.
Stamp duty is 5% of the property value, or 4% when a woman is the buyer. Registration is commonly quoted at 2%, so confirm the current rate and any cap with the Sub-Registrar. On an under-construction flat, GST of 5% applies as well, while a ready flat with an Occupancy Certificate carries no GST.
No, when the Occupancy Certificate has been issued, since the sale is treated as a completed property. Under-construction flats attract 5% GST without input tax credit, or 1% for affordable housing priced up to ₹45 lakh within the carpet area limit.
Under RERA you can either withdraw and claim a refund with interest, or stay in the project and claim interest for every month of delay until possession. The interest rate is generally the SBI highest MCLR plus 2%, so check that your agreement says the same. Complaints go to the state RERA authority.