The number is small. The habit is bigger.

A buyer cancelling a flat booking in Maharashtra now has a clearer starting point. Per Hindustan Times, MahaRERA has clarified that a developer can deduct up to 2% of the consideration when a homebuyer cancels a booking. A different figure can apply only if that change is disclosed to homebuyers.

That matters beyond Maharashtra because the habit travels better than the number. Buyers in Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Noida and Gurgaon are looking at under-construction homes with possession dates running into 2035. In that kind of purchase, the booking amount is not loose money. It is tied to a written exit term.

Per My Pune Pulse, the Maharashtra rule also turns on disclosure: a builder can use a different allotment condition only after putting the deviation report on the MahaRERA portal, and a buyer who books afterwards is treated as having notice of it.

The five-city supply is a long wait, not a quick turn

Quietlist's read of the official K-RERA, MahaRERA, UP-RERA and HRERA registers shows the same buyer problem across very different markets. The projects are not all in one city, and they are not all on the same possession clock. Mumbai has Sewri and Panvel entries. Bangalore's Fraser Town has a phased Sobha programme. Pune spreads across Kirkatwadi, Bhugaon, Moshi and Saswad. Noida's Indirapuram has two Prestige registrations. Gurgaon has Sobha entries in Sector 71 and Sector 106.

The useful comparison is the time a buyer may need to live with the booking decision.

Metro / locality Project Builder Registered status and possession Reg-number column
Mumbai / SewriSobha InizioSOBHA LIMITEDUnder construction, possession by March 2034PR1170002501523
Mumbai / PanvelBhagwati Elysia IIIBHAGWATI SIGNATURE LLPUnder construction, possession by December 2029P52000056158
Mumbai / PanvelBhagwati Elysia IVBHAGWATI SIGNATURE LLPUnder construction, possession by December 2029P52000056049
Bangalore / Fraser TownSobha Crystal Meadows Phase 2SobhaUnder construction, possession by June 2031KA-11721
Bangalore / Fraser TownSobha Crystal Meadows Phase 3SobhaUnder construction, possession by December 2032KA-11745
Bangalore / Fraser TownSobha Crystal Meadows Phase 4SobhaUnder construction, possession by December 2033KA-11751
Bangalore / Fraser TownSobha Crystal Meadows Phase 5SobhaUnder construction, possession by December 2035KA-11758
Pune / KirkatwadiSignature Space RealtySIGNATURE SPACE REALTYUnder construction, possession by December 2028PM1260002502757
Pune / BhugaonSignature Business CentreSIGNATURE LANDMARKS LLPUnder construction, possession by December 2027P52100049606
Pune / MoshiPrestige Business HubPrestige AssociatesUnder construction, possession by June 2028PC1260002500606
Pune / SaswadPrestige PlatinumTHE PRESTIGE GROUPUnder construction, possession by January 2030PM1260002500447
Noida / IndirapuramMayflower at The Prestige CityPrestigeUnder construction, possession by November 2029UPRERAPRJ430385/07/2025
Noida / IndirapuramMulberry at The Prestige CityPrestigeUnder construction, possession by November 2029UPRERAPRJ470993/04/2025
Gurgaon / Sector 71Sobha Crescent Phase-1SobhaUnder construction, possession by March 2033RERA-GRG-2185-2026
Gurgaon / Sector 106Sobha AltusSobhaUnder construction, possession by December 2031RERA-GRG-1564-2024

The chart is the buyer's risk map in plain form. Pune's latest possession year in this set is 2030. Noida's is 2029. Gurgaon reaches 2033. Mumbai reaches 2034. Bangalore reaches 2035.

That does not make one city better than another. It tells the buyer where the booking decision may sit for longer.

The Bangalore example shows why the clause matters

Bangalore's Fraser Town is the clearest example inside the national picture. Sobha Crystal Meadows is split across four live phases in the supplied K-RERA filings. Phase 2 and Phase 3 each show 59 units in their Q4 2025 QPR filing with K-RERA dated 13 April 2026. Phase 4 shows 42 units in its Q4 2025 QPR filing with K-RERA dated 13 April 2026. Phase 5 shows 93 units in its Q4 2025 QPR filing with K-RERA dated 13 April 2026.

All four show 0.0% construction completion in those QPR filings. Their possession dates are not clustered into one near handover. They run from June 2031 to December 2035.

That is where the Maharashtra news becomes practical for a Bangalore buyer even though the 2% figure itself is a Maharashtra rule. A buyer comparing two phases is not only comparing tower names and floor plans. The buyer is comparing how long the booking amount may remain tied to the purchase, and what the written exit term says during that period.

Maharashtra gives the cleanest number

The central RERA portal says the RERA framework includes a model agreement for sale and promoter disclosure, per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs RERA portal. It does not give one single national cancellation-deduction percentage.

So the cleanest public number in this news cycle is Maharashtra's up-to-2% figure. For Mumbai buyers looking at Sewri or Panvel, that number belongs directly in the first conversation after price and possession date. For buyers in Bangalore, Pune, Noida and Gurgaon, the right move is to ask for the same kind of clarity from the project's registered papers instead of carrying Maharashtra's percentage into another state.

This is not a small paperwork point. A buyer may like Sobha Inizio in Sewri because the Mumbai address works. Another may prefer Sobha Altus in Sector 106 because the Gurgaon date is December 2031. A third may compare Mayflower at The Prestige City and Mulberry at The Prestige City in Indirapuram because both show November 2029 possession. The exit term should be read before the cheque is written in each case.

The buyer's useful judgement

Treat the cancellation term as part of the price. Not after the site visit. Not after the allotment letter is signed. Before the booking amount leaves the account.

MahaRERA has made that discipline easier in Maharashtra by putting a public number around voluntary cancellation. The cross-city lesson is stricter: the more years between booking and possession, the less room there is for a casual assumption about refunds.

The brochure tells you what you hope to buy. The registered papers tell you what happens if you do not.