14 developers get MahaRERA notices for advertising projects without registration number

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has served show cause notices on 14 developers, including five in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), for advertising projects without a registration number from the housing regulator

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has served show cause notices on 14 developers, including five in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), for advertising projects without a registration number from the housing regulator.

HT Image

Taking suo motu cognisance of the issue, the MahaRERA has asked the developers to submit a reply within seven days, failing which they will face penalties. The developers include five from the MMR, three each from Pune and Nagpur, two from Nashik, and one from Aurangabad.

Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), any ongoing real estate project of more than 500 square metre area or minimum eight flats cannot be sold or marketed without prior registration with the housing regulator. However, the authority has observed that developers continue to violate this provision and advertise their projects with just ‘MahaRERA registered’ highlighted in the advertisements without displaying the registered number.

The rationale behind displaying the registration number is to provide transparency to homebuyers who can visit the registration page where all information about the project—its legal title, any encumbrances, any litigations, possession date and copies of all the approvals from competent authorities—are displayed. The registration also provides information on the progress of the project, how many flats booked and unsold as well as complaints filed against the project adjudicated by the MahaRERA.

“We appeal to home buyers to avoid investing their hard-earned money in projects which do not display the MahaRERA project registration number and its link,” a MahaRERA official said.

Interestingly, no action was taken by the MahaRERA on a complaint filed by the Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP) alerting the authority that a big developer’s Andheri West project was being advertised without the project registration number. After HT reported the MGP complaint in its November 3 edition, the developer received the registration on November 7.