How-To Guide · Consumer · Real Estate
How to Complain Against a Real-Estate Agent in India (2026)
If a property broker or agent cheated you, took a commission and did nothing, hid a defect in the flat, or sold you a plot that was never his to sell, you have two main ways to act in India. The first is the state RERA authority, because under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 most agents who work on registered projects must themselves be registered and must follow the law. The second is the consumer commission, if the agent took a fee from you and the service was deficient. You do not always need a lawyer or a court notice to start. This guide explains which forum fits your problem, whether a notice is needed, what your complaint must contain, the time limit, and what happens after you file. Last verified October 2026.
- Where: the state RERA authority under Section 31 of the RERA Act, 2016, or the consumer commission for deficiency in service.
- Notice: not mandatory, but a short written notice demanding a refund or fix often settles it without a case.
- Time limit: two years from the cause of action for the consumer route; act quickly for RERA too.
- Unregistered agent: acting without RERA registration is itself a breach and can draw a penalty under Section 62.
01What this complaint covers
A complaint against an agent is different from a complaint against the builder. The builder, called the promoter, is the one who constructs and sells the project. The agent is the middleman who finds buyers and earns a commission. If your problem is delay in possession or poor construction, that is really against the builder; see how to file a consumer complaint against a builder.
This page is about the agent or broker. Common complaints are:
- Misrepresentation: the agent lied about the price, the area, the approvals or the title.
- Commission disputes: you paid a fee or token amount and the agent took it and vanished, or refused to refund it when the deal fell through.
- Selling in an unregistered project, or acting as an agent without being registered with RERA.
- Hiding a defect in the property or a problem with the paperwork.
02Step 1: Check if the agent is registered
Under Section 9 of the RERA Act, a real-estate agent who deals in a registered project must register with the state RERA authority and get a registration number. Section 10 lists the agent's duties, such as not making false statements and keeping proper records.
Before you complain, check the agent's registration on your state RERA website. If the agent was never registered but was selling flats in a registered project, that is itself a breach, and RERA can impose a penalty under Section 62, which can run up to 5 percent of the cost of the property. You can look up the agent and any project online; see how to check RERA case status.
03Do you need to send a notice first?
A formal legal notice is not mandatory before you file a RERA or consumer complaint. You can go straight to the forum. But a short written notice is often the fastest way to get your money back without any case at all, so many people send one first.
If you send one, it should say:
- Who you are and the deal you had with the agent.
- What went wrong, in plain facts and dates.
- What you want: a refund of the commission or token, or the harm made good.
- A deadline, often 15 days, after which you will complain to RERA or the consumer commission.
You can write and send this yourself; you do not need a lawyer, though many people have an advocate draft it. For the structure, see the legal notice format for India. If the agent ignores it, the notice becomes useful evidence that you tried to settle.
04Route A: Complain to RERA
Under Section 31 of the RERA Act, any aggrieved person can file a complaint with the state RERA authority or its adjudicating officer against a promoter, allottee or agent for breaking the Act or the rules. This is the main route when the agent acted in a registered project.
How it works:
- File the complaint online on your state RERA portal, in the form and with the fee that state prescribes.
- Set out the agent's breach, such as misrepresentation or dealing without registration, and the relief you want.
- RERA hears both sides and can order the agent to pay compensation, refund money, or face a penalty.
For the full method, see the RERA complaint procedure. If you are unhappy with the order, you can appeal to the Real Estate Appellate Tribunal in your state, generally within 60 days.
05Route B: The consumer commission
If the agent took a fee from you, you are a consumer and the agent's work is a service. A failure to do that work honestly or at all is a deficiency in service under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. You can file a consumer complaint asking for a refund and compensation.
You pick the commission by the amount you claim:
| Forum | Value of the claim |
|---|---|
| District Commission | Up to Rs 50 lakh |
| State Commission | Above Rs 50 lakh up to Rs 2 crore |
| National Commission | Above Rs 2 crore |
These limits come from the Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction) Rules, 2021. You can file online through the national consumer e-filing portal; see how to file a consumer complaint on e-Daakhil. The consumer route is useful when the agent is not registered with RERA, or when your real grievance is the fee and the broken promise rather than a project breach.
06Time limit and what happens next
For the consumer route, the complaint must be filed within two years of the cause of action under Section 69 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. If you are late, you must explain the delay and ask the commission to condone it for good reason.
RERA does not fix a single short limitation for complaints the way the consumer law does, but you should still act quickly, because evidence and memories fade. After you file, the forum issues notice to the agent, hears both sides, and passes a reasoned order. If the order goes against you, or the relief is too small, you can appeal to the next level, the Appellate Tribunal for RERA or the State and National Commissions for consumer matters.
07What your complaint should contain
Whether you go to RERA or the consumer commission, a strong complaint has the same bones:
- Your details and the agent's name, firm and, if any, RERA registration number.
- The facts, in order of date: what was promised, what you paid, and what went wrong.
- Proof: the booking or commission receipt, messages and emails, the agreement or brochure, bank statements, and any notice you sent.
- The relief: the exact money you want refunded, the compensation, and interest.
Keep every receipt and chat. In broker disputes it is often the WhatsApp message or the stamped receipt that decides the case.
08Where Claw fits
Claw is an all-in-one legaltech platform for Indian advocates, law firms, and corporate legal teams, combining AI-based case search, an AI legal assistant (Legal GPT), case management, and compliance automation across all Indian courts and tribunals.
Most agent disputes end with a notice or a single complaint. But if yours becomes a contested case or an appeal, it can run for months across a RERA authority, an Appellate Tribunal, a consumer commission or a High Court, and it is easy to miss a date. Claw tracks cases, orders and hearings across 9,102 courts, benches and forums, so you can follow your matter by party name and get an alert for the next hearing and any new order, instead of checking portals by hand. You can also search 30 crore+ judgments, with Supreme Court decisions from 1950 and High Court decisions from 1990, to see how similar broker and RERA disputes were decided, with results in under 5 seconds. Claw does not use your case documents to train its AI models.
Create a FREE Claw account to track your complaint by party name and get hearing and order alerts, and use case search across Indian courts to find how similar cases were decided. You can also run case search across RERA authorities.
09Sources and further reading
- India Code (RERA Act, 2016 and Consumer Protection Act, 2019): indiacode.nic.in
- Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (RERA): mohua.gov.in
- Department of Consumer Affairs: consumeraffairs.nic.in
- Claw: clawlaw.in
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Agent and lawyer fees vary and depend on your matter, so get a quote and take advice from an advocate before you act. Law and limits can change, so check the current rules first.
10Frequently asked questions
How do I complain against a real-estate agent in India?
If the agent worked on a registered project, file a complaint with your state RERA authority under Section 31 of the RERA Act, 2016. If the agent took a fee and the service was deficient, you can instead file a consumer complaint before the District, State or National Commission by the amount claimed. A short written notice first often gets a refund without any case.
Is a legal notice compulsory before complaining?
No. A legal notice is not mandatory before a RERA or consumer complaint. But sending one, stating the facts, what you paid, what you want and a deadline, is the quickest way to settle and becomes useful evidence if the agent ignores it. You can write it yourself or have an advocate draft it.
What if the agent is not registered with RERA?
An agent who deals in a registered project must register under Section 9 of the RERA Act. Acting without registration is itself a breach, and RERA can impose a penalty under Section 62, which can run up to 5 percent of the cost of the property. You can also use the consumer route for the fee you paid.
Can I get my commission or token money back?
Yes, if you can show the agent did not do the work or misled you. RERA can order a refund and compensation, and the consumer commission can order a refund of the fee with compensation and interest. Keep the receipt, messages and agreement as proof.
What is the time limit to complain?
For a consumer complaint, two years from the cause of action under Section 69 of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. RERA does not set the same short limit, but you should act quickly. If you are late on the consumer route, explain the delay and ask the commission to condone it.
Agent dispute or builder dispute, which is it?
If the problem is delay, poor construction or possession, that is against the builder or promoter, not the agent. If the problem is the broker who misled you or took a commission and did nothing, that is the agent. The two can be complained about separately.