Haryana RERA (HRERA) Complaint Procedure 2026: Gurugram & Panchkula Benches — Step-by-Step

Haryana RERA Rules 2017 (as amended) and the State Government notification of 1 May 2019 created two separate authorities with non-overlapping territorial jurisdiction. Section 20 read with Rule 24 mandates that the complaint must be filed before the authority within whose territorial limits the project is located — not where the allottee resides.

HRERA Gurugram bench (project located in any of these districts): Gurugram, Faridabad, Mewat (Nuh), Palwal, Rewari, Mahendragarh, Bhiwani. Portal: haryanarera.gov.in. Office: New PWD Rest House, Civil Lines, Gurugram.

HRERA Panchkula bench (project located in any of these districts): Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Panipat, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Hisar, Fatehabad, Sirsa, Jind, Narnaul. Portal: hrera.in. Office: Plot No. 3, Block-B, Sector-18A, Madhya Marg, Panchkula.

If you mistakenly file in the wrong bench, the registrar will return the complaint with a deficiency memo — you will lose 3-6 weeks. Verify the project HRERA registration certificate (top right corner shows which authority registered the project) before filing.

Section 31 of the RERA Act 2016 permits any aggrieved person — allottee, association, promoter or agent — to file a complaint for contravention of the Act, Rules or Regulations. The most common allottee grounds in Haryana practice are:

1. Delayed possession beyond agreement date — claim Section 18 refund with interest at MCLR+1% (currently ~10.85% under HRERA Regulations 2018) OR continued possession with delay interest.
2. Possession offered without occupation certificate — illegal under Section 17, allottee can refuse possession and claim refund.
3. Deviation from sanctioned plan / structural alteration without consent of two-thirds allottees (Section 14(2)).
4. Failure to maintain 70% escrow (Section 4(2)(l)(D)) — usually emerges in audit during dispute.
5. Non-formation of allottee association / non-handover of common areas post 51% conveyance (Section 11(4)(e)).
6. Misleading advertisement / brochure showing amenities not delivered (Section 12) — allottee can withdraw and claim refund + compensation.

Limitation: HRERA has consistently held (following the Supreme Court in Newtech Promoters v State of UP [2021 SCC OnLine SC 1044]) that there is no limitation under the Act for Section 18 refund claims, but a 3-year period from accrual of cause of action is applied as a guiding principle.

For all Section 31 complaints:

• Builder-Buyer Agreement (BBA) — every page, properly stamped.
• Allotment letter and any subsequent supplements.
• Payment receipts and bank statement showing every instalment paid (Gurugram bench is strict about the Excel ledger).
• Demand letters from promoter.
• Possession-offer letter (if any) — and OC if attached.
• Project HRERA registration certificate (download from the authority's portal — Registered Projects section).
• Cancellation/forfeiture letter if promoter has cancelled allotment.
• Aadhaar of complainant + cancelled cheque for refund receipt.
• Authorization letter if filing through advocate.

File size limits: Each PDF upload is capped at 5 MB on the Panchkula portal and 10 MB on the Gurugram portal. Compress scanned BBAs (often 80-150 MB) using Adobe online compressor before upload.

Fees: ₹1,000 per complaint (uniform across both benches) paid online by net banking / UPI / debit card via the portal payment gateway. Receipt is auto-generated; save the PDF — registrar will ask for it during scrutiny.

1. Open haryanarera.gov.in → Complaint Registration tab → New Complaint.
2. Complainant registration: create login with mobile + email OTP verification.
3. Select complaint type — for refund/interest pick Allottee vs Promoter — Section 31.
4. Project search: type project name or HRERA registration number; system auto-fills promoter details.
5. Fill complaint particulars:

• Date of allotment.
• Date of agreement.
• Promised possession date (as per BBA — quote clause number).
• Amount paid till date with break-up.
• Relief claimed — clearly state 'refund of ₹X paid towards Unit No Y in Project Z with interest @ MCLR+1% from each date of payment till realisation' OR 'delay compensation @ MCLR+1% on amount paid from promised possession date till actual offer of valid possession with OC'.

1. Upload documents (one PDF per category as listed above).
2. Pay ₹1,000 → portal generates HARERA-GGM Complaint Number in format GGM/COMPL/2026/XXXX.
3. Within 7 days, registrar issues scrutiny note. If deficiencies — cure within 15 days. If complete — bench fixes first date of hearing typically 30-45 days out.

1. Open hrera.in → e-Filing → Allottee Complaint.
2. Mobile OTP signup → fill complainant profile.
3. Select 'Project registered with HRERA Panchkula' (drop-down). If your project is not on the drop-down, the project is unregistered — separate complaint under Section 59 first.
4. Fill the Memo of Parties — complainant on top, promoter as respondent, list directors/proprietor by name as 'represented through Sh. X, Director'.
5. Statement of facts in numbered paragraphs — Panchkula bench rejects narrative-style complaints.
6. Grounds of complaint — quote sections (18, 14, 11(4)(e), 12).
7. Prayer clause — separately number each prayer ((i), (ii), (iii)).
8. Upload affidavit (₹10 e-stamp) verifying the complaint.
9. Pay ₹1,000 → PKL/COMPL/2026/XXXX number generated.

The Panchkula bench has been comparatively faster — average disposal in 2025-26 was 9-11 months versus 14-16 months at Gurugram.

Both benches sit Monday-Friday. Gurugram has a three-member bench (Chairman + two members) sitting Tuesday-Thursday for adjudication; Panchkula sits as single-bench (Chairman) plus two-member benches alternately.

Typical hearing sequence:

• Date 1: Notice service confirmation, promoter seeks time to file reply (usually granted 3-4 weeks).
• Date 2: Reply on record; allottee files rejoinder.
• Date 3: Both sides argue, often listed for orders.
• Date 4: Reserved for orders — written order uploaded on portal 4-8 weeks later.

Virtual hearings via Zoom continue for matters where parties opt in — request via miscellaneous application.

Quantum of interest (post 2024 HRERA Rules amendment): SBI MCLR + 2% (revised upward from MCLR+1% in November 2023). For 2026, this works out to approximately 11.10%. The bench applies this on every instalment paid, calculated from the date of each payment till actual refund or possession.

Recovery of amount: Section 40(1) read with Rule 27 HRERA Rules — if promoter does not pay within order period (usually 90 days), allottee files Form CRA (Recovery Application) and bench issues Recovery Certificate to District Collector for recovery as arrears of land revenue. This is now the routine final step in HRERA Gurugram practice.

Appeals from both HRERA benches go to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal, Haryana at Chandigarh. Section 44 read with Haryana Rule 27 — appeal must be filed within 60 days of the order. Tribunal cannot condone delay beyond a further 60 days even with sufficient cause (this is a hard ceiling, unlike some other tribunals).

Pre-deposit for promoter appeal: Section 43(5) — promoter must deposit with the appellate tribunal at least 30% of the penalty or, in case of refund-with-interest orders, the total amount payable to allottees, before the appeal can be heard. The Supreme Court in M/s Newtech Promoters v State of UP (2021) upheld this as constitutional. The Supreme Court in NBCC v Gail (2024) clarified that the 30% deposit is a sine qua non — without it the appeal is non-est, not merely defective.

Allottee appeals are not subject to any pre-deposit.

REAT Chandigarh sits regularly four days a week and typically disposes appeals within 9-12 months. From REAT, the next step is a Section 58 appeal to the Punjab & Haryana High Court on a substantial question of law within 60 days.