Industry domain
Real Estate & Construction
Land, development structures, RERA and delivery — for developers, landowners, investors and occupiers.
Industry Context
Real estate is a state-law sector with a central regulator layered on top. Title comes from local revenue and registration law and the state's land records system — Dharani, Webland, Bhoomi, Kaveri — while the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 and the state rules under it govern how a project may be marketed, funded and delivered.
RERA changed the economics of development, not just its paperwork. Project registration before marketing, the discipline of the separate account and withdrawal limits, mandatory quarterly disclosure, and a defined allottee remedy have shifted risk onto promoters and made delivery timelines a legal commitment rather than a marketing statement.
Transaction Patterns
Development work follows a familiar sequence: title investigation, acquisition or a joint development arrangement with landowners, approvals from the municipal and development authorities, RERA registration, construction contracting, sales documentation and allottee conveyances, and handover to the owners' association.
Alongside it sits investment and credit — institutional equity into projects and platforms, and real estate debt with security over land and receivables — and the leasing market, where commercial and industrial occupiers negotiate long-term arrangements. Disputes tend to be about delay, title, or partition claims from within a landowning family.
Common cases in this domain
Title Investigation and Reporting
Chain of title over the statutory period, encumbrance and revenue record searches, litigation and acquisition checks, verification of authority to sell, and a written report distinguishing curable from fatal defects.
Acquisition and Development Structures
Sale deeds and agreements to sell, joint development and revenue or area sharing agreements, development management arrangements, landowner allocation mechanics, and the step-in and security rights each side needs if the project stalls.
RERA and Project Compliance
Project and phase registration, promoter disclosures, allottee agreements compliant with the state rules, separate account and withdrawal discipline, quarterly updates and extension applications, and proceedings before the authority and appellate tribunal.
Approvals and Clearances
Layout and building plan approvals from GHMC, HMDA, APCRDA, BBMP and BDA, agricultural conversion and land ceiling checks, environmental clearance where thresholds apply, and occupancy and completion certificates.
Leasing and Occupancy
Commercial, retail, industrial and warehousing leases, leave and licence arrangements, fit-out and rent-free periods, lock-in, escalation and exit provisions, CAM structures, and registration and stamp duty on lease instruments.
Real Estate Finance and Investment
Construction finance and lease rental discounting, security over project land and receivables, escrow arrangements, platform-level equity investment, and exit and buy-back mechanics.
Representative Work
Factual descriptions of the kind of work handled in this sector. Client names and identifying details are omitted, and nothing here is a representation about the outcome of any case.
- Advised a developer and a landowning family on a joint development agreement for a Hyderabad residential project, including area sharing and step-in rights.
- Conducted title investigation and prepared the title report for a multi-owner industrial land aggregation in Telangana.
- Advised a promoter on RERA registration and the allottee agreement suite for a phased residential development in Andhra Pradesh.
- Represented a developer in RERA and consumer commission proceedings concerning project delivery timelines.
- Acted for a corporate occupier on a long-term Bengaluru office lease, including fit-out, lock-in and exit terms.
- Advised on financing documentation for capital city infrastructure development, including security over project land and receivables.
Regulators and Forums
The authorities, tribunals and courts that cases in this sector most often involve.
- Real Estate Regulatory Authorities of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and the Appellate Tribunals
- GHMC and HMDA; APCRDA; BBMP and BDA
- Registration and Stamps Departments and Sub-Registrar offices
- Revenue authorities under Dharani, Webland, Bhoomi and Kaveri
- State Environment Impact Assessment Authorities
- Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions
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Frequently Asked Questions
General information about legal issues in this sector. It is not legal advice and does not create a lawyer–client relationship.
What is the most common title problem you encounter?
Unrecorded family arrangements. A partition or settlement within a family is acted on for decades without being registered or reflected in revenue records, and the person selling is not the person the records show as owner — or is one of several who should be signing. It is usually curable, but only with the cooperation of people who may be difficult to locate.
Do we need separate RERA registration for each phase?
Yes. Each phase is treated as a standalone project for registration, with its own timeline, separate account and disclosure obligations. Promoters who register phase one and market phase two on the strength of it are in contravention, and it is one of the more commonly enforced provisions.
How is a joint development agreement usually structured?
Either area sharing, where the landowner receives a defined share of the built space, or revenue sharing on sale proceeds. Area sharing gives the landowner a tangible asset and avoids arguments about sale price; revenue sharing is simpler to administer but depends on the developer's accounting. Either way, the provisions that matter are the delivery milestones, the consequences of default, and the landowner's security until their share is conveyed.
Can allottees claim a refund for delay?
Under the RERA framework an allottee can generally choose between withdrawing from the project — with a refund plus interest — and continuing while claiming interest for the period of delay. Force majeure and authority-caused delays may support an extension application, but that has to be applied for; treating delay as excused without applying is where promoters most often come unstuck.
Related services
Practice areas that serve this domain
Real Estate
Land acquisition, development structures, RERA compliance and project documentation across the Telugu states and Karnataka.
Banking & Finance
Lending, borrowing and security across rupee and foreign currency structures — from term sheet to enforcement.
Litigation
Civil and commercial litigation, company and insolvency proceedings, writs and appeals, before the courts and tribunals of South India.
ADR
Arbitration, mediation and conciliation, and the interim relief that often shapes settlement long before a hearing.
Taxation
Direct tax, GST and transaction tax advice, with representation from assessment through appeal.