Own Land, JDA, Joint Venture or Development Management: How Bangalore Projects Are Structured
Two apartment projects carrying the same brand can be set up in very different ways. In one, the developer bought the land and builds on it. In another, the land belongs to someone else and the brand only manages the work for a fee. This guide explains the five common project structures in Bangalore, how the law treats each one, and what a home buyer should check.
Why the Structure Matters to a Buyer
The structure decides who owns the land, who receives the buyer's money and who is answerable when something goes wrong. A brand name on the hoarding does not settle any of these three points. The answers are in the land papers, the RERA registration and the agreement for sale.
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 uses the word "promoter" for the party that is responsible to buyers. Section 2(zk) defines it widely. It covers a person who builds apartments for sale, a person who develops land into plots for sale, and a development authority that sells homes or sites. It also covers anyone acting as a builder or developer under a power of attorney from the landowner.
The definition ends with an explanation that matters for every shared project. Where one person constructs and another person sells, both are deemed to be promoters. Both are jointly liable for the duties the Act places on a promoter.
The Five Common Structures
Most residential projects in the city follow one of the five structures below. Listed developers often use several at once. Shriram Properties, for example, groups its project pipeline under four heads in its March 2026 corporate presentation: own, JDA, JV and DM.
Own land (outright purchase)
The developer buys the land through a registered sale deed and holds the title in its own name or in a subsidiary. One party owns the land, builds, sells and collects the money. For a buyer this is the simplest structure to read, since the seller in the agreement and the owner in the title deeds are the same.
Joint development agreement (JDA)
The landowner contributes the land and the developer builds at its own cost. The two share the finished flats (area share) or the sale receipts (revenue share) in an agreed ratio. The owner keeps the title until the flats are sold, and the developer usually acts under a registered power of attorney.
Joint venture (JV)
The landowner and the developer, or the developer and an investor, become partners in one project entity. This is usually a separate company or a limited liability partnership formed for that project alone. The entity holds the land or the development rights, raises the funds, and shares the profit among its partners. The promoter on record is the project entity, which may have a name the buyer has never heard.
Development management (DM)
The landowner remains the developer of record and pays the full cost of the project. A known brand is hired to plan, market, sell and manage construction in return for a fee. The project carries the brand's name, while the land, the bank account and the financial risk stay with the landowning company. The brand's fee does not depend on owning any part of the project.
Land allotted by a public authority
The land comes from a government body through allotment, lease or auction. The allotment letter or lease deed carries conditions on land use, building timelines and transfer. A breach of those conditions can put the allotment at risk, so the conditions are part of the title a buyer must read. Where the authority itself builds and sells, the Act treats the authority as the promoter.
How the Five Structures Compare
The table sets out who holds the land and who a buyer deals with under each structure.
| Structure | Land held by | Project cost paid by | Main point to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Own land | Developer | Developer | Title deeds and any loan on the land |
| JDA | Landowner | Developer | Whose share the flat falls in, and the power of attorney |
| Joint venture | Project entity | Project entity | Who owns the entity and how it is funded |
| Development management | Landowning company | Landowning company | Whether the brand is also a promoter on the registration |
| Public authority land | Authority, or the allottee on its terms | Allottee or authority | Conditions in the allotment or lease |
How RERA Applies to Shared Projects
Three provisions of the Act apply whatever the structure. A project needs registration with the state authority unless the land is 500 square metres or less, or the apartments number eight or fewer, counting all phases. Seventy per cent of the money collected from buyers must go into a separate bank account for land and construction cost. Withdrawals from that account follow the percentage of work completed, certified by an engineer, an architect and a chartered accountant.
In a JDA, the landowner who sells flats is a promoter along with the developer. Karnataka RERA issued a circular in 2019 on including landowners in the project registration. Under it, money received from buyers of the landowner's share is also subject to the seventy per cent rule. A buyer of a landowner's flat therefore holds the same rights on delay and defects as any other buyer.
A development management project needs a closer look. The registered promoter is normally the landowning company, and the brand works under a service contract. Where the brand also signs sale documents or collects money, the joint liability rule in section 2(zk) comes into play. Where it does neither, a buyer's claim under the Act runs first against the landowning company.
How to Find Out the Structure of a Project
The structure is rarely printed in a brochure, and three documents reveal it. Each one is available before booking.
- The project entry on the Karnataka RERA portal, which carries the promoter's name, the landowner details and the uploaded title papers
- The draft agreement for sale, where the parties on the first page are the people legally bound to the buyer
- The payment instructions, where the account holder's name should match the promoter and the designated project account
When the promoter's name differs from the brand, the sales team should explain the link in writing. A subsidiary, a project entity, a landowner under a JDA and a development management client are all legitimate answers. Each one leads to a different set of checks.
Checks Before Booking
A short list of questions covers every structure.
- Who holds the title to the land today, and is there a mortgage on it
- Which company is the promoter on the RERA registration, and who owns that company
- In a JDA, does the flat fall in the developer's share or the landowner's share
- In a joint venture or DM project, what happens to the project if the brand and the landowner part ways
- Who signs the sale deed, and under what authority
- Who gives the five-year structural defect cover and handles the handover to the owners' association
An independent lawyer's title opinion remains the main protection under every structure. The opinion should cover the development agreement, the power of attorney and any lender's charge, along with the title deeds. Our team is glad to help buyers request these papers for a project on our site, and our contact page has the details.
