MahaRERA's Blocking of Project Details Leaves Home Buyers in the Dark

Mumbai: Home buyers and advocates are finding it increasingly difficult to access crucial details of projects that have been placed on abeyance on the MahaRERA (Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority) website. When attempting to view the details of a project, users are met with a message stating that the project is under abeyance and that the bank account is frozen. However, vital information such as the completion date, occupancy certificate, approval status, and past orders are completely inaccessible to home buyers.

Lawyers argue that this lack of public access to essential details, including Form 4, project approvals, and prior MahaRERA or appellate orders, severely hampers the ability of home buyers to seek legal remedies. Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, who has written to the state housing department to highlight the issue, explained the challenges faced by home buyers and their legal representatives.

“A home buyer approached me seeking to register a complaint regarding a project due to a delay in the handover of the flat with an occupancy certificate to my client. When I tried to access all details of the project, including the orders passed by MahaRERA regarding the project, which would enable me to cite the orders in my complaint, a message on the website said that the project is kept in abeyance. All orders regarding a project are normally displayed on the website, which is for the benefit of the home buyers,” Pimenta stated.

Pimenta further pointed out that Section 4(2)(l) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 (RERA) mandates both developers and regulators to make all project-related information available to the public. He emphasized that while MahaRERA has frozen the project, it has failed to preserve access for prospective complainants.

A MahaRERA official, however, noted that details of lapsed projects are still available on the website. “Details of only those projects which have been kept on abeyance are not available on the website. We can provide the same if a home buyer writes to us. Projects are kept in abeyance when they become non-compliant, including not updating progress and status of the project. After a notice is issued, sufficient time is given. Thereafter, the registration is temporarily suspended, and their website is blocked, along with their bank accounts being frozen. We also ensure no registration of units is carried out in the project. We are not providing any details of the project kept in abeyance in the interest of the home buyers,” the official explained.

The Watchdog Foundation, a consumer rights organization, has demanded that the MahaRERA portal should resume public access to all non-sensitive details of the project while maintaining any regulatory freeze. This move is aimed at ensuring greater transparency and protecting the interests of home buyers who are often left in the dark regarding the status of their investments.