Every year, real estate ad campaigns across India get pulled, fined, or forced into last-minute rewrites because the creative missed a RERA requirement that has nothing to do with the offer itself — a registration number in the wrong font size, a disclaimer that shouldn't be there, or a pricing claim that isn't backed by what was actually filed with the authority.
This guide covers what the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) actually requires in your advertising, based on the directives issued by state authorities including Haryana RERA, and how to build campaigns that pass review the first time.
Why RERA Governs Advertising, Not Just Construction
RERA exists to protect homebuyers from exactly the kind of vague, aspirational advertising that plagued the real estate sector before 2016. A promoter cannot legally advertise, market, book, sell, or invite bookings for a project — through brochures, pamphlets, hoardings, digital ads, or "word of mouth" — without first registering that project with the relevant state RERA authority.
This means the compliance requirement kicks in before a single rupee is spent on media. If the project isn't registered, there's no legally advertisable project yet.
Rule 1: The Registration Number Is Mandatory
Once registered, every advertisement — digital or print — must display the project's unique RERA registration number. This isn't optional fine print; state authorities including Haryana RERA have issued specific directives requiring it on hoardings, print media, and by extension the digital creative that mirrors that messaging.
For Google and Meta campaigns, this typically means the registration number appears in the ad's landing page and, where format allows, in the ad copy or sitelinks — not buried three clicks deep.
Rule 2: Font Size Requirements
The rule that trips up the most campaigns: the RERA registration number and the project website must be printed in a font size equal to or larger than the contact details shown in the same advertisement. On outdoor and print media, several state directives specify the registration number's lettering must be more than half the size of the largest text in the ad.
In practice: if your phone number is set in 24px, your RERA number cannot be an afterthought at 10px in the corner.
Rule 3: No Misleading Disclaimers
A specific and easy-to-miss directive: advertisements should not carry a disclaimer stating that "information is subject to change." Under RERA, project details that have been officially registered are exactly that — registered. A blanket disclaimer disclaiming your own advertised facts undermines the entire point of registration and has been explicitly flagged by regulators as non-compliant.
Rule 4: Content Must Match What's Filed
Every claim in an advertisement — possession date, pricing, amenities, layout — must be truthful and consistent with what was declared to the RERA authority at registration. No exaggeration, no "starting from" pricing that only one unit qualifies for without saying so, no amenities that are "planned" being shown as "available."
This is the rule most relevant to performance marketing: a Google or Meta ad promising "Ready to Move" for a project still under construction isn't just a compliance risk, it's the single fastest way to generate junk leads that waste a sales team's time when the truth comes out on the first call.
How This Applies Across Google, Meta and Print
RERA's directives were written with print and hoardings in mind, but the underlying principle — truthful, registered, clearly attributed advertising — applies to every channel a project uses:
- Google Search & Display Ads: ad copy claims must match the landing page and the RERA filing; the registration number should be visible on the landing page itself.
- Meta Lead Ads: the Instant Form and any creative claims (price, possession date, amenities) need the same discipline as a printed brochure.
- Landing pages: this is where the registration number, project disclaimers (compliant ones), and RERA-consistent details should live prominently, not just in a footer nobody scrolls to.
A Pre-Launch Compliance Checklist
- Project is registered with the relevant state RERA authority before any advertising begins.
- Registration number is included on the landing page and, where space allows, in ad creative.
- Registration number and website are set at a font size equal to or larger than the contact details in the same creative.
- No "information is subject to change" style disclaimer anywhere in the advertisement.
- Every pricing, possession, and amenity claim matches exactly what was filed with the authority.
- Ad copy has been reviewed by someone who has actually read the RERA filing, not just the brochure.
Every Campaign We Run Is Reviewed for RERA Compliance First
Before a single rupee goes into Google Ads or Meta Ads, we check that the creative matches your RERA filing — registration number, font size, and factual claims included. Zero legal risk, zero surprises.
