RERA project registrations reach 1,16,117; up 63% since 2021

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) has experienced a substantial surge in project registrations, marking a notable 63 per cent increase, reaching a total of projects as of November 2023. This surge is a significant leap from the approximately 71,307 projects registered by the end of November 2021, according to data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Maharashtra emerged as the leader in project registrations, boasting 42,204 registered projects, followed closely by Tamil Nadu with 18,915 projects. This trend signals widespread adoption of RERA regulations across various regions.

From complaints to closure

The efficiency of RERA in addressing consumer complaints is evident in the rise in the disposal of cases over the last two years. The number of resolved complaints has increased from 78,903 cases in November 2021 to approximately 1,16,300 cases by November 2023. Uttar Pradesh has taken the lead in resolving complaints, with 44,602 cases disposed of since the inception of UP-RERA. Haryana and Maharashtra follow suit, collectively accounting for 69 per cent of the resolved cases.

The momentum of RERA is further underscored by the increase in real estate agent registrations, now totalling 82,755. This reflects a significant 47 per cent growth in the past two years. “More than 1.16 lakh consumer complaints have been handled by the various state and union territories’ RERA bodies,” said Anuj Puri, Chairperson, ANAROCK Group.

Nationwide RERA implementation

Dominating the nationwide implementation of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), Maharashtra takes the lead with 36 per cent of all registered projects, spanning across 34 states and Union Territories. Following closely, Tamil Nadu claims a 16 per cent share, while Telangana and Gujarat hold substantial shares of around 7 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively. A comprehensive adoption of RERA rules is evident across almost all states and UTs, with a few exceptions. Nagaland is currently in the process of finalising its notification, while West Bengal faced a legal setback, leading to the Supreme Court’s annulment of the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulation Act in March 2022. Amongst the states and UTs, 32 have established a Real Estate Regulatory Authority, and 28 have instituted a Real Estate Appellate Tribunal. However, certain regions, including Ladakh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim, are yet to formalise the establishment of their regulatory authorities and tribunals.

Source: https://www.republicworld.com/business/rera-project-registrations-reach-116117-up-63-since-2021/

RERA gains massive traction; UP leads in resolving consumer complaints

The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), has gained massive traction ever since it was introduced in India, particularly in handling consumer complaints. According to the data from the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA), as of November 28, 2023, the relevant state authorities resolved up to 1,16,300 cases. Out of this, 38 per cent of the cases were resolved in Uttar Pradesh alone, followed by Haryana (18 per cent) and Maharashtra (13 per cent). The three states cumulatively accounted for nearly 69 per cent of the total disposed cases under RERA in the country.

Registrations for projects and real estate agents under RERA have also been increasing steadily. Almost 1,16,117 projects and 82,755 real estate brokers nationwide were registered under RERA as of November 28, 2023. Approximately, 71,307 projects and 56,177 real estate agents were registered over the same period in 2021. This represents a 63 per cent and 47 per cent growth, respectively, over the previous two years.

“Resolving home buyer concerns is one of the main functions RERA has been demonstrably fulfilling. More than 1.16 lakh consumer complaints have been handled by various state and Union territories. Over the last two years, the pace of project and real estate agent registrations has not slowed down. In fact, over the past two years, project registrations have increased dramatically by 63 per cent. Also, RERA authorities of various states and UTs have resolved over 37,397 consumer complaints in this period. Uttar Pradesh has resolved the highest number of cases. Considering how severely Noida and Greater Noida in UP had been impacted by unscrupulous players, this is noteworthy,” said Anuj Puri, chairman, ANAROCK Group.

Almost all states and UTs have notified rules under RERA, except Nagaland. West Bengal, which earlier enacted its own legislation, was challenged on this by MoHUA before the Supreme Court. In March 2022, the apex court struck down the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulation Act, 2017 (WBHIRA), observing that it overlapped with RERA. Thirty-two states and UTs have set up a real estate regulatory authority since its implementation, and of this at least 5 are interim. Ladakh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Sikkim are yet to establish RERA.

Twenty-eight states/UTs have set up real estate appellate tribunal for disposing of consumer complaints, including four as interim. Arunachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal and Sikkim are yet establish theirs. Regulatory authorities of 30 states/UTs have operationalized their websites under RERA provisions. Arunachal Pradesh, and Manipur are under process to operationalise. Twenty-six states/UTs have appointed adjudicating officers, while 10 states/UTs i.e., Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh are yet to do so.

Source: https://www.theweek.in/news/biz-tech/2023/12/22/rera-gains-massive-traction-up-leads-in-resolving-consumer-complaints.html

Haryana govt appoints Arun Kumar as Chairperson of Gurugram RERA

Arun Kumar, a retired IAS officer and former head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has been appointed as the chairperson of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority in Gurugram by the Haryana Government.
The appointment, made under the authority granted by Section 20 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, also includes the appointment of Parneet Singh Sachdev, the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, as the chairperson of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority in Panchkula, Haryana. The government order states that the appointments will take effect from the dates they assume their respective positions.

According to the order, the tenure for the office of the chairperson for both the Real Estate Regulatory Authority in Gurugram and Panchkula, Haryana, will be five years or until they reach the age of sixty-five, whichever comes earlier.

Source: https://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/haryana-govt-appoints-arun-kumar-as-chairperson-of-gurugram-rera/48166

Promoters must ensure compliance of issued directions to avoid penalty: UP-RERA

Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UP-RERA) on Friday reviewed the status of the directions passed recently and found that promoters have indulged in non-compliance of its directions besides granting them sufficient time.
During the review, it was found that out of 1,810 promoters, only 666 promoters have uploaded details of director for correspondence. The authority has issued approximately 130 notices to promoters in violation of advertisements rules.
Sanjay Bhoosreddy, chairman, UP-RERA, “The directions had been issued to ensure swift registration, extension along with bringing transparency, responsibility and answerability. We expect that promoters will act as per the directions.”

Hence, UP-RERA has issued an office notice under the provisions of section-37 of the RERA Act to promoters of registered projects and expressed its displeasure about non-execution of passed direction in a time bound manner.
Also, the authority has instructed to ensure the execution of all directions without further delay. According to the provisions of the RERA Act, non-compliance of passed directions from RERA is a punishable act and promoters will be responsible for this. The authority, using its powers under section 63 of the RERA Act, may take strict action and impose appropriate amount of penalty.

In previous months, UP-RERA had issued directions about promotion and advertisements of registered and unregistered projects and mentioning RERA registration number and portal prominently, uploading coordinates of a designated director of organization for correspondence with RERA, update and correct the filled details of projects on the RERA portal, maintain active telephone numbers for consumers and appointing knowledgeable person to answer them and activate helpline numbers for mega projects.

Apart from this, the directions include providing complete details in project registration applications, all three bank accounts with standing instructions to banks to speed up project registration process, utilize model agreement for sale uploaded on the portal for agreement with consumers, uploading all QPRs for approval of extension applications, etc.

Source: https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/rera/promoters-must-ensure-compliance-of-issued-directions-to-avoid-penalty-up-rera/105670784

RERA 2.0 portal to make Processes Paperless, Faceless

The Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GujRERA) will introduce its RERA 2.0 portal on November 24. The authority had discontinued the use of its older portal on November 16. Sources said the new portal is designed in accordance with the RERA Act and GujRERA rules and will ease business for the real estate sector. RERA 2.0 will make the processes of registration, alteration and extension paperless and faceless. GujRERA sources said they received several representations from stakeholders about changes needed on the old portal, which was in place for more than five years. “The older portal required some details online and others offline. Processes under the new portal will be fully online. On the older portal, the due diligence for town planning, finance and legal aspects were done one after another, while the new portal will carry out these processes simultaneously so the registration process will get quicker.”
The sources said the new portal will have data filling instead of the uploading of PDFs required on the older portal. “This will ensure that if there is an error in the data, it can be rectified immediately. Project alteration and extension applications were also physical thus far. These will be online with the new portal, so developers from other cities do not need to come to Gandhinagar for them,” said a GujRERA officer on condition of anonymity.
“GujRERA had introduced a revised version of its portal on March 14, 2022, and some 350 registrations were done on that. However, there were certain issues so the revised portal will go live from November 24,” a GujRERA source said.
Dhruv Patel, president of Credai Ahmedabad, said, “There were some technical issues on the older portal which will be resolved in the new one. It will ensure ease of doing business for the real estate industry.”

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/rera-2-0-portal/articleshow/105400489.cms

Mumbai Metropolitan Region to get more RERA Certified Estate Agents

With the third batch of real estate agents gearing to appear for the online examination conducted by Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) on November 22, Mumbai region is expected to get a steady flow of MahaRERA-certified agents. There are 5592 candidates who have successfully completed the prerequisite preliminary training thus making them eligible for the online examination to be conducted by MahaRERA at 19 centres across the state.

These agents play a crucial role as intermediaries between home buyers and developers, serving as the primary source of information for potential clients. Recognising this pivotal role, MahaRERA emphasises the importance of agents being well-versed in the key provisions of the RERA Act.

To date, 3217 candidates have successfully passed the examination, which was conducted twice this year. It is noteworthy that approximately 45,000 agents were initially registered in the state, with the current active workforce standing at 32,000. The shortfall arises from 13,000 agents who have not renewed their certification.

“RERA authorities have made it compulsory for real estate agents from January 2023 to pass this exam and this will be the third time in the year RERA is conducting the exam. Agents form the link between buyers and sellers so it will be very much helpful for the buyers if all agents are on the same page with respect to the rules according to RERA Act,” said an official from MahaRERA office at Bandra.

The training programme focuses on ensuring uniformity, consistency and clarity in providing essential information related to regulatory provisions, such as the agreement for sale, allotment letter issued after registration of the house, carpet area and defect liability period, among others. This knowledge is crucial as it forms the basis on which consumers make informed decisions when purchasing a home.

Source: https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/mumbai-metropolitan-region-to-get-more-rera-certified-estate-agents-23320455

To avail benefits of registration extension, promoters must upload QPR on portal: UP-RERA

Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UP-RERA) has directed promoters to upload latest Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) on the portal to avail benefits of extension of project registration. Uploading QPR periodically on portal is one of the key responsibilities of the promoter that enables the consumers of real estate sector to access progress of the project on regular intervals. Pramod Kumar Upadhyay, secretary, UP-RERA said, “Promoters must ensure their responsibility as per the RERA Act which is important for the consumers. Updating QPR on portal is one of them which are completely connected with project completion. All promoters must focus on this part and assign knowledgeable person for this to ensure its implementation and avoid penalty.”

While reviewing applications of extension of registered projects, the Regulatory Authority noticed that promoters have not uploaded QPR of many quarters. Apart from this, promoters of 732 projects have not filled targets and promoters of 356 projects have not updated targets on the portal. Hence, UP-RERA has imposed penalty of Rs 2 lakh per project on 732 projects and Rs 1 lakh per project on 356 projects. The authority has advised promoters fill details of QPR autiously.

They have to ensure that QPRs of past quarters have been filled before filling latest. In case of due QPR of past quarters, they have to pay delay charges. Then only they will be allowed to fill QPR of current quarter. Further, only after updating all QPRs on the portal, the promoters will be allowed for extension of project registration. The projects having completion certificate (CC) and being uploaded on the portal, need to pay delay charges and update QPR till the time of CC obtained.

Source: https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/rera/to-avail-benefits-of-registration-extension-promoters-must-upload-qpr-on-portal-up-rera/105111296

MahaRERA revives 7,500 stalled Real Estate Projects in Maharashtra

The Housing Minister of Maharashtra, Atul Save, has announced that the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) will be reviewing and reviving 7,500 legacy stalled real estate projects within the next two weeks. This initiative will be carried out in collaboration with financial institutions and developers’ bodies.

Save stated that this action aligns with the recommendations made by a committee led by former NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant. The committee proposed state intervention or a rehabilitation policy to revive stagnant projects and submitted its report to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in August.

Furthermore, Save emphasised the government’s commitment to expediting the approval process for proposals submitted by new developers working on stalled projects. This effort aims to prevent financial losses for homebuyers and ensure the revival of expired plans. Save also mentioned his intention to personally assess each of these projects in coordination with MahaRERA.

The MahaRERA authority has already compiled a list of projects that have lapsed since 2017. According to Save, approximately 7,500 projects have either lapsed or stalled without making any progress. Consumer bodies have urged all states to present their revival plans, especially considering that it has been four months since the Kant committee report was submitted.

Source: https://www.constructionworld.in/latest-construction-news/real-estate-news/maharera-revives-7500-stalled-real-estate-projects-in-maharashtra/46347

K-RERA warns builders who do not provide Basic Facilities

The Karnataka REAL ESTATE REGULATORY AUTHORITY (K-RERA) has taken the task of the builder for not providing the necessary basic facilities to the apartment and not properly maintaining it and not serving the residents there. For the first time, it has ordered to hand over the entire fund of Rs 62.26 lakh earmarked for the maintenance of ‘K-Rera’ apartments to the Resident Welfare Association (RWA). This order of Karnataka Real Estate Regulatory Authority is a cautionary lesson for other builders.

Because, there are thousands of apartments in Bangalore city and many of them are managed by builders. On the other hand, apartment dwellers are managing themselves by forming associations. Wherever maintenance is done by builders, monthly maintenance fee is collected from the apartment dwellers. However, it is not managed accordingly. So, in most of the apartments, there are frequent arguments and fights between the builder and the residents.

Shree Senior Homes has developed a ‘Sharadindu State-3’ housing project near Ranganakoppalu village near Pandavapura in Mandya district. Most of the senior citizens lived there. Since 2016, the builder was collecting management fee and managing it himself. However, after the formation of the Apartment Residents Welfare Association (RWA) in 2022, they stopped managing it. Before that they used to collect maintenance fee of Rs 4.50 per square feet. Due to this, a lot of money was accumulated in the revolving fund.

However, the builder is not maintaining it properly and many amenities including push button, intercom, swimming pool, hobby room have not been provided. In addition, Senior Commune Owners’ Association ‘K-Rera’ complained that the money in the fund was not being transferred to the association.

Hearing the complaint, the bench headed by the chairman of the authority, Dr HC Kishorechandra, ordered that the builder should complete the housing project within 60 days as agreed and provide all the amenities and collect and transfer the funds kept in the fund to the association.

Also, it is said that the entire housing project is still in progress. Although the project was approved in 2012, it has not yet been completed. The developer has not yet handed over the undivided share of the common area to RWA. Also, many infrastructures are yet to be created. So, it directed the builder Shree Senior Homes to complete the project immediately.

Besides, ‘K-Rera’ has also taken up the association of unregistered residents. In case the housing project is delayed, stopped or cancelled, the RWA can approach RERA to take over the project itself. The order explained that only RWAs registered under cooperative societies have such authority and can undertake housing projects.

Source: https://www.thehansindia.com/news/cities/bengaluru/k-rera-warns-builders-who-do-not-provide-basic-facilities-832845

1,702 Real-estate Projects Lapse in Maharashtra in 2023

In 2023, 1,702 real-estate projects registered with the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) have lapsed, owing to delays, according to data provided by the authority.

With this, more than 7,700 projects have lapsed since the inception of MahaRERA in May 2017.

This means real-estate developers cannot advertise, market or sell apartments in these 7,700 projects.

What is a lapsed project?

Every real-estate project, which is registered with MahaRERA, is given three to four years or more for completion. After this, a registration number is issued for the project.

The registration number is to be published by the developer in every advertisement or promotion activity. However, a project is termed as lapsed when the timeline given for completion is not met, and the developer has not applied for an extension despite the project being incomplete.

Once the registration of the project is declared lapsed, the developer cannot advertise, market, book, sell or offer to sell, or invite people to invest in these projects. Such projects cannot be registered by the Registrar of the revenue department, according to the provisions of the RERA Act, 2016.

Year-wise data

According to MahaRERA, in 2017, a total of 66 projects had lapsed, 342 in 2018, 783 in 2019, 624 in 2020, 1,341 in 2021, 2,845 in 2022, and 1,702 in 2023. This takes the total number of lapsed projects to 7,703.

What is MahaRERA doing?

The MahaRERA had, in June 2022, launched a special vertical for lapsed projects that are stuck owing to several reasons.

Over the past 16 months, the lapsed project vertical of MahaRERA has issued several notices to developers to come forward and ensure the stuck projects get on track.

“We have issued notices, divided projects into several buckets, issued non-compliance notices over non-uploading of quarterly progress reports (QPRs) and so on. Action is happening as we speak. We are also in the process of issuing notices to developers who do not upload QPRs on the MahaRERA’s website,” said a senior MahaRERA official.

The MahaRERA had, in February 2023, announced dividing projects into four groups, according to their current status. The first group includes projects that can be completed without compromising the rights of home buyers.

The second contains those where there is a need to reconcile developers and home buyers. In the third group are projects that require the MahaRERA’s intervention due to certain issues with local authorities or lending banks. And in the fourth category are projects in which the developer is missing and home buyers can complete the project by replacing the developer.

Grading of developers

MahaRERA had announced, on September 4, that it will start grading real-estate projects in the state from April 2024. This, MahaRERA maintained, will help homebuyers make informed decisions.

The grading matrix will be updated every six months of the financial year. The first quarter that will be considered for grading of projects will be October 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024.

The MahaRERA has set several parameters based on which grades will be given. One is based on the information uploaded by the developer on the MahaRERA website, followed by other parameters like technical details about the project, financial declaration about the project, bookings made, legal complications, complaints filed against the developer in a particular project and the overall project overview compliance etc.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/real-estate/1702-real-estate-projects-lapse-in-maharashtra-in-2023-11563171.html