E-Registration of Property Sales Gains Momentum in Maharashtra
Pune: State property registration officials have reported that the online process to register first-sale properties from the offices of builders has been gaining significant traction since its introduction two years ago. This initiative has helped reduce pressure on sub-registrar offices, with nearly 700 developers now participating in the system.
Since 2023, over 11,000 property documents have been registered online from developers' offices, and the number stands at 3,974 in the current financial year till September, according to the department's data. DIG (IT) Abhay Mohite stated that online registration numbers are expected to rise further during the festive season. "The user experience has been positive. Developers' bodies are creating awareness about the facility. We expect the number of participating developers to touch 1,000 by the year-end," he added.
The facility, introduced two years ago, is being increasingly adopted and is helping reduce footfall at sub-registrar offices. Senior officials emphasized that they are encouraging more developers to opt for the system, which helps speed up the buying process for customers. Industry associations such as the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (Credai) and the National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) have been urging their members to use e-registration to ease congestion at government offices.
"Many have already made the switch. We have told developers to register new projects from their own offices during the festive season," said a Credai member. Credai's national governing council member Shantilal Kataria noted that early teething issues have been resolved. "The registration department has been supportive, and developers are now comfortable with the process. Many more builders will start to register properties from their offices by year-end," he told TOI.
NAREDCO (Pune) vice-president Abhay Kele highlighted that the initiative is steadily gaining momentum year after year. "We need more awareness regarding e-registration across the state. The process is simple, hassle-free, and saves time for both developers and homebuyers," he said. Officials also mentioned that Maharashtra is among the first states to roll out e-registration of property sales through developers' offices, a model now being studied by other states.
Additionally, the registration department has announced faster clearance of online leave and licence agreements. Starting next week, the agreement can be processed by any sub-registrar office in a district, instead of being limited to a few taluka-level offices. "It will reduce pendency and speed up the tenant registration system," said a senior official after a departmental review.
DIG (IT) Abhay Mohite explained that the upgraded Leave and Licence 2.0 system has been running smoothly. "No major issues have been reported. The new process, including an Iris-based Aadhaar verification, has simplified registration, especially for senior citizens who lease out flats and for younger tenants who face Aadhaar update delays," he said. Moving away from OTP-based Aadhaar verification has improved the reliability of the system. Since February, 1,64,439 leave and licence documents have been registered in Pune rural, Mumbai city, and Mumbai suburban areas using the new software.
