Every few weeks a new project starts doing the rounds in Noida. A price list appears on WhatsApp, a broker calls with an “early bird” rate, and you’re asked to pay a token to “reserve” a unit before the official launch. and it sounds like a good deal. But the real questions are whether it’s legal and what happens to your money if something goes wrong.

The short answer

No. Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a developer cannot advertise, market, book, or sell a project that needs registration until it is registered with the state regulator. In Uttar Pradesh, that regulator is UP RERA. The law has no separate exemption for “pre launch” or “soft launch” offers. So the safe rule is simple: don’t pay anything for a project until you have found its registration number on the official UP RERA website and the status shows as active.

What is “pre launch” real meaning?

“Pre launch” is not a legal category. People use it for different stages, and the stage decides how risky your money is.

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Stage	What’s Happening	Safe to Pay?
Market talk	Brokers mention a new project. Land may have changed hands.	No. Nothing is approved.
Teaser	The developer confirms a project but shares few details.	No. There’s nothing to book yet.
Expression of interest (EOI)	A token is collected to “record your priority.”	No. It is not an allotment, and the money is not automatically refundable.
Pre launch pricing	Prices and payment plans circulate before registration.	No. Marketing before registration is not permitted.
Registered launch	The project has a live UP RERA number, a declared completion date, and a project bank account.	Yes, once you have verified it yourself.

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What the law says?

Section 3 of the RERA Act says a promoter cannot advertise, market, book, sell, or offer for sale any plot, apartment, or building in a project without registering it first. In Uttar Pradesh, this applies to projects with more than 8 units or land above 500 square meters. The penalty for breaking this rule can be up to 10% of the estimated cost of the project. If the promoter keeps breaking the rule, the law also allows imprisonment of up to three years. Registered projects must also show their RERA number on their advertising.
These are the headline rules. What actually happens in a particular case depends on the facts.

“It’s only a token.” Does that make it legal?

Buyers are often told that a token or expression of interest is not a booking. Regulators have not accepted that argument. Legal commentary treats collecting an EOI or token for a specific unregistered project as marketing or booking it, and several authorities have called it a violation. Some developers say token collection is common in the industry. That may be true, but common is not the same as legal.

For you as a buyer, the practical risk is this. An EOI is not an allotment. Nothing guarantees the money comes back. And you have fewer protections than you would in a registered project, where your payments are meant to sit in a dedicated account.

What is UP RERA Doing About it?

Two developments are worth knowing about.

• Penalties for promoting unregistered projects. Earlier this year, UP RERA reportedly imposed penalties of ₹5 lakh each on three Noida projects that were being promoted on websites without RERA details. The authority also warned that continued violations could bring much heavier action.
• A complaint route for unregistered projects. Reports say that from 25 March 2026, amended UP RERA rules allow buyers in unregistered projects to file complaints. The authority then decides whether the project needs registration and can order registration, penalties, or refunds.

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What this means for you: website promotion is being watched, and there is now a way to complain even about an unregistered project. It does not make paying early safe. A complaint can take time, and the outcome is not guaranteed.

How to Check a Project Before You Pay?

Ask for the exact registration number:

A UP RERA project number starts with “UPRERAPRJ” followed by digits. Ask for the number of the specific project and phase you’re being offered. Phrases like “RERA applied” or “registration in process” are not a registration.

Search it yourself on up-rera.in:

Search by project name, promoter name, or registration number on the official portal. Don’t rely on a screenshot or a link someone sends you. Confirm that the status is active and that the promoter and location match what’s in the brochure.

Check the declared completion date:

The date on the RERA record is the one that counts legally. If the salesperson says 2027 and the RERA record says 2029, believe the record.

Check where your money will go:

Once a project is registered, at least 70% of buyer payments must be held in a dedicated project account. Pay only into the account named in the official documents, never into a personal account or an account in a different company’s name.

Check how much you’re being asked for:

A developer cannot take more than 10% of the property’s cost as an advance before signing the agreement for sale. If you’re asked for more, that is your answer.

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Check your agent, too:

Property agents must be registered with UP RERA as well. Ask for the agent’s registration number and look it up on the same portal. An agent’s registration is valid for five years, so check that it hasn’t expired.

Warning Signs Have to Be Checked.

• No RERA number on the brochure, website, or price list
• “RERA applied,” “registration in process,” or “coming soon” used as if they meant approved
• Pressure to pay today to “lock” a price
• Payment requested into a personal account or a check in a different company’s name
• No written refund terms for the token
• A request for more than 10% before the agreement for sale
• A completion date in the pitch that doesn’t match the RERA record

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What to do If you’ve already paid a token?

In this scenario, don’t panic, but act in an orderly way.

1. Stop making further payments until the project’s status is clear.
2. Collect everything: receipts, messages, brochures, price lists, and the names of the people who collected your money.
3. Ask in writing for the project’s UP RERA registration number and for the refund terms of your token.
4. If the project is unregistered, ask in writing for a refund.
5. Consider a complaint on up-rera.in, since the rules were reportedly amended in March 2026 to cover unregistered projects.
6. Speak to a lawyer before you sign anything or accept a reduced refund.

Your exact rights depend on what you signed and what was collected, so treat this as a starting point, not legal advice.

What your agent or channel partner should do?

A genuine agent is registered with UP RERA and should not be pushing you toward a project that isn’t. A good agent will:

• Give you the RERA number before sharing prices
• Show you how to verify it on the portal yourself
• Tell you plainly when a project isn’t registered yet, and ask you to wait
• Never ask you to pay a token for an unregistered project

If an agent can’t do these things, ask why. Our guide on how to verify an authorized channel partner explains how to check an agency’s claims.

How we handle this at Tierravista?

At Tierravista, we share project pricing and take bookings only once a project’s RERA number is live, and we show that number on every project page. If a project isn’t registered yet, we’ll tell you so and ask you to wait. You’re welcome to check our own registration details on the UP RERA portal before you decide anything.

Frequently Asked Questions

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