Builder has stopped construction — what can flat buyers do in Maharashtra?

Updated 5 October 2026 · Based on the RERA Act 2016 and MahaRERA’s rules · General information, not legal advice

Short answer

First confirm the facts on MahaRERA — the project's status, its completion date and any lapsed or revoked listing. Then record the site's condition, write to the builder, and get in touch with other buyers: a group can file one strong complaint with MahaRERA under Section 31 for interest or a refund under Section 18, and if the registration is revoked, Section 8 gives the buyers' association the first right to complete the work.

1. Check the facts on MahaRERA first

Search the project on MahaRERA and note its registration status and the completion date the builder declared. Projects that weren't completed or extended in time appear in MahaRERA's lapsed-projects list (Registration › Lapsed Projects), and revoked registrations are listed too.
Look at the builder's quarterly updates on the project page — builders must keep the project's status and bookings up to date every quarter. Months without a real change is itself a warning.
Check for complaints and orders already filed against the project: other buyers may have started.

2. Record what is happening at the site

Take dated photos or videos of the site every few weeks: no workers, no material, no machinery.
Keep every message, email and notice from the builder — reasons given, new dates promised.
Keep your payment receipts and your registered agreement for sale together; you'll need them for any complaint.

3. Write to the builder

Send a short written letter or email asking when work will restart and asking for the revised timeline. A written reply — or the lack of one — is useful evidence later. Under the RERA Act, a delay can only be excused by a genuine force majeure event as defined in Section 6 of the Act; MahaRERA treats this as a non-negotiable clause in every agreement.

4. Act together with other buyers

One buyer is easy to ignore; forty buyers filing the same week are not. Find the other buyers — through site visits, the project's buyers, or GharKundli's owners' group for the project — and agree on what you want: completion with interest for the delay, or a refund.

If the promoter's registration is revoked, Section 8 of the Act lets MahaRERA arrange for the remaining work to be completed, and MahaRERA states that the association of allottees has the first right of refusal to carry out the remaining development.

5. File a complaint with MahaRERA

If the builder doesn't restart work or answer, file a complaint online with MahaRERA under Section 31. You can ask for interest for every month of delay while you stay in the project, or for a refund with interest if you withdraw (Section 18). Buyers often file together, each with their own documents.

How GharKundli helps

Check the project’s record — a GharKundli report pulls the project’s MahaRERA filings into one place: registration status, completion dates, complaints, construction progress and the builder’s other projects.
Act with the other buyers — join your project’s verified owners’ chat. If something serious is confirmed, we connect the owners who agreed to act together; your number is shared only with owners who also agreed.

Check your project Join your project’s owners’ group

Common questions

Should I stop paying instalments if construction has stopped?

Pay only what is due under the payment schedule in your registered agreement. If an instalment is tied to a construction stage that hasn't been reached, it isn't due yet — but put your reason in writing. Your home-loan EMIs to the bank usually continue regardless; speak to your bank before missing any.

Can MahaRERA make the builder finish the project?

MahaRERA can revoke a defaulting builder's registration (Section 7) and then take steps under Section 8 for the project to be completed, including by the buyers' association, which has the first right of refusal.

Is the money I paid safe?

The RERA Act requires 70% of the money collected from buyers to be kept in a separate project account and withdrawn only in proportion to completed work, certified by the project's architect, engineer and chartered accountant. Whether the builder followed this is something a complaint can bring out.

Also asked as

Builder ne construction band kar diya, ab kya kare?
Work stopped at my under-construction project for months
What are my rights if the builder abandons the project?

Sources

This page explains the law in general terms. Every case is different — for a complaint or any legal step, speak to a lawyer experienced in RERA matters. GharKundli is not a law firm.