5 latest orders from MahaRERA to protect homebuyers in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has recently issued several orders to safeguard the interests of homebuyers. Let’s look at what these are and how they affect the Homebuyers.
- Parking Space Details in Agreement and Allotment Letter
- What: Developers must now mandatorily include specific details about the parking spaces such as the size, height, and width related to the parking allotted or sold to homebuyers in the annexure of the sale agreement and allotment letter.
- Why: This decision was made in response to complaints from homebuyers about building beams obstructing the parking of vehicles, inability to park in the allotted slot, inadequate manoeuvring space, etc., which they came to know after possession.
- Senior Citizen Homes
- What: MahaRERA has issued guidelines for senior citizen housing projects, which is a FIRST IN INDIA. These guidelines cover design, accessibility, mobility, bathrooms, green principles, and safety features among others. Once they are implemented, all senior citizen homes will have to be built as per these guidelines.
- Why: It was reported to the Authorities that many of the projects were wrongly being advertised by Developers as “retirement homes” and were being designed without understanding the requirements of senior citizens.
- Delivery Date of Amenities
- What: Developers will now be required to specify the details of the amenities such as a swimming pool, tennis court, gym, etc., along with their delivery date, specifications, dimensions, and location of amenities promised at the time of booking.
- Why: MahaRERA has received several complaints from the buyers that the Developers have delayed the amenities or the amenities are different from what was promised to them. Hence, to remove this ambiguity and protect the Homebuyers, MahaRERA has issued this order.
- Mandatory certification of Real Estate Agents
- What: MahaRERA is ensuring that only Agents that have appeared for the MahaRERA exam and have the Certificate of Competency can sell MahaRERA registered projects To enforce this, they have suspended 20,000 real estate agents for one year for failing to obtain the mandatory certificate.
- Why: This action restricts the agents from engaging in any transactions, ensuring that only certified agents operate in the market. Certified agents are better equipped to help the customer understand what they are purchasing and give them property guidance.
- Quality of Construction
- What: A new framework, First In India, has been proposed for appointing third-party agencies to monitor and determine the quality of construction and defect-free apartments for Homebuyers. It will be carried out in 3 stages, a) during the advanced stage of construction, b) pre-handover to the homebuyer, and c) verification of rectification of the issue if any defects were identified by the Homebuyer.
- Why: This will ensure that Homebuyers, including those who lack technical understanding, will get sufficient information to make an informed decision.