MahaRERA tells Alamdar Infrastructure not to sell flats to protect tenant

Mumbai
After the representatives of a real estate firm repeatedly failed to appear before the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA), the company has been restrained from selling, accepting bookings or transferring any unsold flat in a project at Marine Lines till a complaint by a woman tenant of the redevelopment project is resolved.

According to the complaint filed by Pervin Bahadurji, she had surrendered her premises for the redevelopment of Marine Palace off Princess Street at Marine Lines and was allocated flat no. 2101on the 21st floor of the building with carpet area 1221.39 sqft by developer Alamdar Infrastructure Pvt Ltd.

As per an agreement signed on March 15, 2017, she was supposed to get possession within 42 months from the first commencement certificate. The developer had also agreed to pay rent to her for temporary alternative accommodation but the rent was stopped from March 19, 2019.

Advocate Avinash Pawar, appearing for Bahadurji, submitted that the commencement certificate (CC) issued by the planning authority showed 20th floor as the last floor in the building, which means that the developer was not permitted to construct the 21st floor where the flat has been promised. The complainant requested MahaRERA to direct the developer to execute a supplementary agreement for allotting her a flat on the 20th floor of the building.

According to the registration page of Marine Palace project, the completion date is November 11, 2025. Its latest CC, issued on September 25, 2019, and valid till May 11, 2020, mentions that the projection has permission to go up to 20th floor. Out of the 54 flats in the building, only 8 have been booked, as per data uploaded by the developer on the MahaRERA portal.

MahaRERA member Bhalchandra Kapadnis noted that despite several notices served on Alamdar Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, the developer has not appeared for hearings to inform whether any unsold flat is available in Marine Palace which could be allocated to Bahadurji. He also took note of Bahadurji’s apprehension that unless the developer is prevented from selling flats, she won’t be allocated a flat.

Kapadnis directed the developer to appear before the authority on April 29, 2020, to disclose its unsold inventory.

Advocate Pawar said, “My client is the original tenant of the old building. Despite three hearings being scheduled, the developer did not appear before MahaRERA. If the developer has already sold all the flats, where will she go? This MahaRERA order will serve as adeterrent to builders.”

Source: https://realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/regulatory/maharera-tells-alamdar-infrastructure-not-to-sell-flats-to-protect-tenant/74544804

Keep Wet areas of your home hygienic

Detect Issues

Trap not provided at floor drain outlet.

Describe Issues

Trap not provided at floor drain outlet and debris noted inside drain outlet pipe. In plumbing, a trap is used to the retain fluid and waste material to prevent sewer gases from entering the unit/ building. It also avoids blockage in pipeline. Hence it is important to rectify this to avoid unhygienic and unhealthy condition in your home.

Direct Solutions

We recommend installation of suitable size cockroach grating.

Meaning of Cockroach Grating

It is a type of grating which has three levels, it prevents entry of cockroach and also smell too.

Tips to maintain balcony Railing of your home

Good quality & Safety are the most desired attributes for our homes. When we are standing on the edge of a balcony many of us often overlook the importance of railings.

Although many of us use railings everyday, we do not often stop to consider the significance of it for safety. We like to lean on them, but we often take for granted the fact that our railings are strong.

It is easy to assume that your railings are in good shape until proven wrong, but just like any building material, they can also fail. So today, we are here to share with you its advantages & importance and some tips to maintain them.

Advantages of balcony railings

Using durable balcony railings are crucial for ensuring all-around home safety. Some advantages of railings are as follows:

  • For Balance: When a person loses balance on a platform, they usually cling to the railing. It provide stability – which is important for children and the elders.
  • Prevention: To protect curious children and pets, railings provide a needed barrier which prevents from accidents.
  • Comfort: During wind movement, high platforms can be dangerous. Railings provide enhanced support and allow others to feel more comfortable walking in balconies.

Apart from this, in reference to affordability, balcony railings are considered to be an affordable option in comparison to costly liabilities that occur without them. In this way, these are important.

Some tips to maintain railings in your homes

After understanding about railing, maintaining the railings in your house takes a priority. Mostly mild steel railing is used in home. Some tips for maintaining them are below:

1. Check and repair rusted railing

Rust is not only a visual problem. It is said that rust is like the disease of cancer in the world of metals. It deteriorates the metallic material from inside. When iron comes in contact with air and moisture, it produces iron oxide which is known as rust.

Deposition of rust on railing corrodes the railing further and ultimately causes damages to it. So, the removal of rust or repairing a rusted railing is essential to protect the railing.

Remember, no painting protection will survive long if you do not remove rust from the original metallic surface. Hence cleaning is vital for repairing rusted railings. So for rusted railing, clean and sand off rust from affected surface and apply red oxide primer1 over it along with oil paint.

2. Ensure tightness and repair loose fasteners

After removal of rust on a railing, you should check all joint of railing using screws and bolts. If there is any loose joint, immediately tighten the fasteners with the help of a screw driver. Replace the bolts or screws if they are not sufficient to ensure the tightness of the joint of the railing. If the existing screws are not enough to tighten the joint, you should select a larger screw or a wall anchor to ensure the tight fittings of the joint.

3. Repair paint deterioration

If there is any paint deterioration, clean and repaint the affected part to avoid any type of other defects like rust too. If you feel that if there is requirement of reapplying of primer, then it can be done before applying the paint.

4. Look at the bottom portion of railing

Observe the condition of bottom portion of railing and sill. If there is some damage or cracks, repair them as soon as possible to avoid any future problems.

5. Check the gap between wall and railing

If space between wall and railing exceed more than 4 inches, then it will create unsafe condition for kids. Read: Make your home safe for kids.

Conclusion

Beware of poor quality balcony railings2 at your home or apartments. If railings are not maintained properly, they can cause safety hazard. Our objective was to make you aware about the role of railings in your home and tips to maintain them. It is important to take care of railings as soon as possible the trouble is detected.

Reference links used:
1. https://homeguides.sfgate.com/painting-red-oxide-primer-34873.html
2. https://www.commonfloor.com/news/beware-of-poor-quality-balcony-railings-at-your-apartments-18142

Explanation video of Home health trivia – V

MACJ – A Buyer’s Choice Home Inspections wants to explain another two trivias related to home care in this video. One is related to anti rat guard for washing machine and other is related to checking of water pressure. We hope this will be useful for you.

High Court directs Sahyog Homes to deposit 60 per cent of a refund amount before tribunal hears the appeal

Upholding a Maharashtra Real Estate Appellate Tribunal order, the Bombay High Court directed a developer to deposit 60 per cent of a refund amount set by the tribunal, before the tribunal hears the appeal.

Justice Bharati Dangre in an order last week refused to interfere with a MREAT order dated December 13, 2019, directing Sahyog Homes to first deposit 60 per cent of Rs 82 lakh refund to be given to a homebuyer.

Section 43 (5) of Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act states that a promoter may approach the appellate tribunal but it shall not entertain the appeal unless the promoter deposits a minimum of 30 per cent of the penalty or higher percentage as determined by the tribunal.

An aggrieved Sahyog Homes moved the high court against the MREAT order. When the court indicated that it would not like to interfere with the order, the counsel for the developer submitted that they will deposit 60 per cent of the amount within six weeks from the order. The court then disposed of the appeal.

This is not the first time that a developer has tested this RERA provision before the high court. In February 2019, ITMC Developers Pvt Ltd, the promoter of Sapphire 1 project in Kurla, had also moved court after the tribunal asked the developer to deposit 50 per cent of the refund amount imposed by MahaRERA. The high court had confirmed the tribunal decision and rejected the appeal.

Advocate Tanuj Lodha who represented homebuyer Krishna Agarwal in this case, said, “It’s important that section 43(5) of RERA is adhered to since it safeguards the interest of the allottees.” In September 2019, MahaRERA had held that even an unregistered Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was evidence enough that the homebuyer had booked a flat and directed Sahyog Homes to refund Agarwal Rs 82.95 lakh with 10.75 per cent interest from 2012.

Agarwal had booked flat no 2202 in Verona Tower S2 in Oshiwara in 2012 and paid Rs 82.95 lakh out of the flat cost of Rs 89.41 lakh based on a MoU. The developer promised possession in the 35-storey tower by 2016, but in 2017 it unilaterally revised the possession date to July 31, 2022, the complaint said.

During the hearings, the developer claimed that the Agarwals were not homebuyers but investors and that the MoU was not registered and hence a void document. The company attributed the delay in construction to noncooperation by slum dwellers in the SRA component.

MahaRERA member Madhav Kulkarni observed that the appellate tribunal had held that even in the absence of a registered agreement, such complaints were maintainable. Stating that the developer should not have accepted such huge amounts when the project was not progressing as per schedule, Kulkarni held that the developer had failed to deliver possession of the flat as per agreement and directed it to refund the entire amount with interest. This order was challenged by the developer before the tribunal.

Source: https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/other/builder-to-pay-part-of-refund-before-tribunal-hears-case/articleshow/74431967.cms

Look for proper grating installation

Detect Issues

Grating installation is higher than surrounding floor level.

Describe Issues

If the grating is higher than than the floor level, water being used in bathroom or wet area will not easily drain and get accumulated at corners. If not rectified on time, will lead to water accumulation which can then lead to water seepage/ damp problems in below unit/ floor as well in adjacent walls.

Direct Solutions

We recommend review and repair by professional plumber for installation of grating in same level as of the floor.

10 Hacks to Make Living Alone Easier for Old Parents

When parents get old, they become somehow dependent on their grown-up kids. Their physical and emotional well-being becomes a serious concern for their children, and taking care of them turns into a round-the-clock duty regardless of whether they stay with them or alone in a separate establishment. Now, it’s an obvious thing that elderly parent care cannot be completely stated. It differs depending on the general health, personal discretion, and available support system at home for the concerned seniors. However, the biggest concern is when they are left alone or unattended at home.

For ensuring safety of the seniors, we can make some arrangements at home so that their living alone becomes easier. Implementing these hacks will help us to trim down the chances of mishaps.

If you are one of those who have aged parents staying alone at home, you can use the checklist suggested here to assess the environment. Also, you can take other necessary steps to make it safer for your old parents.

1. A useful “to do” list to prevent falls

Seniors mostly suffer from balance and reflex problems. As a result, fall-off risk for them becomes a major concern. Making the home fall-safe is the best way to avoid any such accidents. You can try a few safety tricks:

  • Keep the floor free from clutter.
  • Discard the furniture that occupies a large amount of space on the floor.
  • Arrange non-slip footwear for your parents.
  • Don’t use extension cords across the floor.
  • Restrict the use of throw rugs on the floor.
  • Check if the floor tiles are too slippery and find out the reason why they are so.
  • Check for any leakage in the basin areas of the living room or kitchen. Get them repaired soon to avoid unnecessary flooding.

It is always desirable that our parents do not have to climb stairs to get some fresh air. They should have the privilege to enjoy nature in their balcony or lawn garden. If that is not feasible in your case then make sure the staircase has strong handrails to give support.

2. Keep emergency numbers reachable

Keep the mobile phones of your parents up to date in terms of saving the phone numbers, whom they should call in case there is an emergency in your absence, and that they never run out of balance. These numbers must include the contacts of the local police station, electric supply call centre, doctor’s number, phone numbers of the nearby home delivery food centres and similar other utility service providers including yours in the emergency dial list.

Arrange for them in an easy-to-operate basic mobile phone that they can handle easily. The handsets must be sturdy as well as offer longer battery standby time.

3. Maintain fire safety measures

A fire accident can cause severe disorder at home and it is highly traumatic, especially, for the seniors. Some of the prevention you must ensure are:

  • Use appliances with the best safety features. Get the servicing of AC machines, geysers, kitchen appliances, etc. done by authorized service centres at regular intervals. That will help you stay worry-free about their optimum functionalities.
  • If possible, install a fire alarm, where the smoke detector will keep your parents and the immediate neighbours alert.

4. Take care of the bathroom

A slippery and difficult-to-access bathroom is a real-life hazard for senior people. If you want to minimize the bathroom hazard for your aged parents, few safety measures will surely work.

  • Use non-slippery marble/ tile flooring.
  • Install grab rail beside the toilet seat and near the shower so that the users can maintain their balance better.
  • An exhaust fan or dehumidifier will help keep the bathroom floor dry.

Again, check for any leakage in the plumbing line to avoid constant dripping of water from taps and resultant flooding of the bathroom floor.

5. Take care of the bedroom

You may not have the idea that in your absence, your parents spend major time in taking rest or enjoying napping. Therefore, you must make their bedrooms safe enough. Some of the suggestions are:

  • Change the soft mattress into a hard one on bed. This will help in managing their joint pain.
  • Install a night bulb in the bedroom. Some good bedroom lighting options are wireless motion sensing lights, touch lamps, automatic night lights, etc. For advanced lighting solutions, click here1.

6. Arrange lights for safer movement at night

The arrangement of lights is important for the easy and safe movement of the seniors inside the home, especially at night. Check these points:

  • Use bright lights, because your parents may not have a bright vision.
  • Always stay alert for the lights in the rooms of the seniors. If you have a care taker for them, then get batteries and bulbs checked at regular intervals. If any of the bulbs or tube lights are not working properly, get it changed immediately. Trying to light a bulb and failing to do so might make them nervous. They may also collide against a wall and hurt themselves.
  • Preferably make them two-way switch arrangements.

Additionally, if possible install a high-capacity inverter as a backup plan for power cut.

7. Modify the kitchen

In the kitchen, keep things within the reach of the elderly people. Some of the suggestions are:

  • Keep hazardous materials away from general access.
  • Arrange for a microwave oven for heating foods. The use of a gas oven may not be safe for your aged parents.
  • Install easy-to-operate faucets in the kitchen so that they can open and close the taps without putting too much effort into it even in your absence.
  • Keep adequate storage of foods and that too within easy access; aged people may feel the urge of having foods/ snacks in odd hours.
  • Check & Discard food items with an expired date, at least, once in a month.

8. Take care of the overall safety

This is crucial for stay-alone seniors. The main entrance should be absolutely secured, preferably with a double guard system in the form of a collapsible or grill gate fitted outside the wooden door. The lock system, the eye-hole everything should be in place and functional. Please click click to get more useful tips on safety enhancement at home.

9. Ensure electrical safety

Electrocution can be another dreadful accident. Keep your aged parents safe by following these electrical safety suggestions:

  • Check for any fault in the concealed electrical wiring system, switches, and fuses. How do you do that? Hire a professional electrical inspection company. They will warn you if something is wrong in the line.
  • Always use shockproof fixtures.
  • A damp house welcomes a myriad problems. Dampness near a switchboard or big electrical appliances can be a major source of accident. So, get your homes inspected and find a solution for damp.

10. Keep communication

Regardless of your frequency to return home, call your parents at least 2-3 times a day. Also, always attend their calls as a priority no matter how busy you are. It is advisable to keep handy the phone numbers of their nearest neighbour, a caregiver at home, or the security person of the building.

Also, make a few habits like

  • Taking care for their banking needs.
  • Taking regular care for their laundry so that they can feel relaxed.
  • Explaining them about the recent scams possible on the phone: once they will get to know the problems, they will not respond to any scam call.
  • If you have any outside assignments, communicate with them frequently so that they stay emotionally pacified and worry-free.
  • Arrange for their regular health check-ups so that your parents stay fit.

Check the availability of their regular medicines at home and keep a first-aid box ready with SOS medications.

Well, these are a few 10 hacks you should maintain to keep your aged parents safe and worry-free at home even in your absence. Sometimes, a situation may demand some more precautions. In that case, you have to enhance the security & safety system of your home. In general, precise care about the daily amenities and sincere care towards their well being can keep your parents happy and protected.

Reference links used:
1. https://www.lighting.philips.co.in/consumer/home-lighting-innovations

Know your home better: Related to slope of floor

Today we have come with a new series i.e. Know your home better, which will help to make you understand your home better. Watch the video to know about one of common issues of home.

Builders in MP should get power connection after RERA registration: Anthony de Sa, Chairman of RERA writes to ACS energy

Bhopal

The builders should be given permission for power connection only after they get registered with RERA.

Chairman of RERA, Anthony de Sa, has dashed off a letter to the additional chief secretary of the energy department about it.

There was confusion among RERA, builders and the power distribution companies over how permission for power connection should be given.

Builders take power connection to complete their project. A house should not be sold to a customer until builder is registered with RERA.

The builders are selling houses without RERA registration and power connection. Consequently, the number of illegal colonies is increasing.

To impose a ban on the illegal colonies, RERA has written that the builders will get power connection when they get registered with RERA.

De Sa has written that, for sale of a house constructed on more than 500sq meters and for sale of more than eight units, RERA permission is necessary.

Such projects as have not been registered with RERA are illegal.

He has also written that RERA registration number should be mentioned in the forms for seeking power connection for housing complexes and housing projects. This should be done so that consumers do not face any problem.

Source: https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/builders-in-mp-should-get-power-connection-after-rera-registration-anthony-de-sa-chairman-of-rera-writes-to-acs-energy

Check the condition of external wall tiles

Detect Issues

Wall tiles installed on entire external wall.

Describe Issues

Tiles are highly non breathable material & does not allow any moisture to evaporate. So the entrapped/ seep in moisture creates damages in the inner face of the wall. If not treated, this will lead to spreading of moisture to associated/ internal areas resulting in damage to the structure and high cost of repairs.

Direct Solutions

We recommend:
Work 1 – Internal wall should be painted with a breathable material to release the moisture.
Work 2 – Tile joint filling to be done with appropriate sealant in such a way that no moisture gets seeped in from external wall.