Site Visit Checklist for an Under Construction Flat in Mumbai
Dasadia Editorial Team · Updated October 2026
Quick answer: A site visit checklist for an under construction flat in Mumbai has three parts. Before you go, read the project’s MahaRERA page and its latest progress filing. On site, match the slab count, materials and sample flat to what was filed and promised. Before you leave, get the carpet area, cost sheet and payment plan in writing.
A visit to a half-built tower tells you more than any brochure, but only if you walk in knowing what to look for. If RERA is new to you, start with our plain guide to RERA.
Print this list and take it with you.
Key takeaways
- Developers must file a quarterly progress report on MahaRERA by 20 January, April, July and October.
- Match the floors you can count on site with the latest filing before you discuss price.
- Under the RERA Act, a developer can't take more than 10% of the price before the sale agreement.
- Visit twice, once at the evening peak and once in heavy rain, before you pay a booking amount.
What should you check before reaching the site?
Start at your desk. Search the project on the MahaRERA portal with its registration number and note three things. The completion date the developer declared, the approved carpet area of the unit type you want, and the date of the last quarterly progress report. Those reports carry Form 1 and Form 2 on construction progress and Form 3, a financial statement of flats booked, money received and money spent. We checked the filing calendar MahaRERA follows, and reports fall due on 20 January, 20 April, 20 July and 20 October. A project that skipped the July 2026 filing should explain why before you book. Compliance has improved a lot. By February 2025, 11,080 of 18,012 active projects in Maharashtra were updating their reports, up from almost none in January 2023.
Search the developer’s name on the portal’s complaints records as well. A few complaints against a large builder aren’t unusual, but a pattern of delay orders on earlier projects is worth a call to past buyers.
Then ask the sales team for two approvals in advance. The IOD, or Intimation of Disapproval, is the BMC’s conditional plan approval. The CC, or commencement certificate, is permission to build, and in Mumbai it is often issued floor by floor. Ask which floors the current CC covers. Our MahaRERA lookup guide shows where each document sits on the portal.
Site visit checklist for an under construction flat in Mumbai: on the ground
Count the slabs yourself. It takes two minutes from the road, and it’s the quickest check that the progress filing is honest.
Look at the concrete where it isn’t plastered yet. Smooth faces are a good sign, while honeycombing, patches of exposed gravel or steel bars left rusting in the rain point to poor site control. You don’t need to be an engineer to notice it, and if you’re unsure, bring one on the second visit.
Treat the sample flat as a sales tool. Show flats often use thinner partitions and hide columns behind furniture, so carry a measuring tape and compare the rooms with the carpet area on MahaRERA. Carpet area is the usable floor inside your walls, and the Maharashtra Real Estate Appellate Tribunal has held that the figure in your agreement for sale overrides any brochure.
Time your visits. Go once at the evening peak, because the stretch to Andheri-Kurla Road or the Western Express Highway looks very different at 7 pm. Go once in heavy rain too. On 24 June 2026 the Andheri subway was shut after overnight waterlogging, and a short walk round the block in a downpour tells you whether your lane floods.
Never book on the first visit. A good project will still be there in a week.
What should you ask before you leave?
Ask for an all-inclusive cost sheet that lists the agreement value, parking, floor rise, club charges, society deposits, GST and stamp duty. Ask which banks have approved the project for home loans, and whether payments are linked to construction stages or to dates. A construction-linked plan protects you if work slows.
We checked three RERA Act provisions every buyer should quote on site. Section 13 bars a developer from taking more than 10% of the price as an advance before the sale agreement is signed. Section 4 requires at least 70% of buyer money to be kept in a separate project account. Section 14 makes the developer fix structural defects found within five years of possession, within 30 days and at no cost to you. If a sales executive pushes for 20% on booking, that’s your answer.
Finally, ask how the carpet area in the agreement compares with what the brochure shows. Our note on RERA carpet area versus builder carpet area explains the gap.
Don’t sign anything on the day. Take the cost sheet and draft agreement home and read them with a lawyer.
The bottom line is short. Check the paperwork before the visit, verify it on the ground, and take nothing home that isn’t written down.
Frequently asked questions
Count the completed slabs and match them with the latest MahaRERA progress report. Inspect the sample flat with a measuring tape, ask for the materials brand list in writing, and check the approach road for drainage and evening traffic.
Open the project page using its registration number and download the latest quarterly progress report. Forms 1 and 2 show construction status and Form 3 shows bookings and spending. Reports are due on the 20th of January, April, July and October.
At least twice. Visit once at the evening peak to judge traffic, and once in heavy rain to check waterlogging near the gate and access road. A third visit with a civil engineer is worth it for a large purchase.
Not always. Show flats can use thinner walls, hide columns and stage furniture to look bigger. Measure the rooms and compare them with the carpet area on MahaRERA. The carpet area written in your sale agreement is the binding figure.
Ask for the MahaRERA registration certificate, the IOD and commencement certificate, the approved floor plan, the materials specification, an all-inclusive cost sheet, the payment schedule and the list of banks that have approved the project.
Under Section 13 of the RERA Act, a developer cannot take more than 10% of the flat’s cost as an advance before the agreement for sale is signed. Any demand above that is a reason to stop and seek advice.
It helps on at least one visit. An engineer can spot poor concrete finishing, honeycombing, exposed steel and drainage problems that buyers usually miss. The fee is small compared with the price of a Mumbai flat.
Fewer slabs than the progress filing claims, no change between visits, a missed quarterly report, no site engineer, vague material specifications and pressure to pay more than 10% before the agreement are all warning signs.
Fact check
- MahaRERA quarterly progress reports fall due on 20 January, 20 April, 20 July and 20 October (Punekar News, February 2025).
- 11,080 of 18,012 active MahaRERA projects were filing progress reports by February 2025 (Punekar News).
- RERA Act Section 13 caps the advance before the sale agreement at 10% of the cost (RERA Act, 2016).
- RERA Act Section 14 requires structural defects reported within five years of possession to be fixed within 30 days (RERA Act, 2016).
Sources and references
- MahaRERA, Government of Maharashtra
- Punekar News, MahaRERA quarterly report compliance
- Lloyd Law College, RERA Act provisions
- The Law Suits, Maha REAT ruling on carpet area
- JLL Homes, under-construction property checklist
- Dwello, site visit checklist
- NewKerala, Andheri subway shut after waterlogging, June 2026
This checklist is general guidance for buyers in Mumbai as of October 2026, not legal or engineering advice. Filing dates and RERA rules can change, so confirm them on the MahaRERA portal and have a lawyer review the agreement before you pay.
Planning a site visit in Andheri East?
Explore 153 East by Dasadia Developers LLP, a freehold residential address in J.B. Nagar, Andheri East. Bring this checklist with you, ask for the brochure with floor plans and amenities, or book a site visit with the team.
MahaRERA registration no. PR1180002502968, verifiable on the MahaRERA portal. Compare it with other options in our guide to the best residential projects in Andheri East.
