While the real estate sector has always shied with the need to have a regulatory body, Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan talking of constituting a regulatory authority to control high property prices seems to have sent alarm bells ringing among major players. Some of the real estate companies are now talking about the need to check pricing rather than just setting up a body.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India has expressed displeasure about the proposed Model Real Estate (Regulation of Development) Act in its present form, saying it could lead to an escalation of prices of housing stock in the country by Rs 300 per sq ft.
It was conceptualised to clean the opaque ecosystem of Indian real estate; was touted to be the biggest reform of the sector; and expected to enhance the home buyers’ confidence index. But seven long years after the enactment of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), it has still not evolved as a stamp of trust for the harassed home buyers. RERA’s tryst with trial & error has not only dented the confidence of the home buyers but also lent credence to the perception that complaint with RERA rather gives an edge to the builders. After all, RERA has been relegated to be the balancing act for both the builder and the buyer. A Track2Realty analysis.
As RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) is close to its 7 years of completion, the home buyers across the nation have more to complain than compliment with what was supposed to be a game changer legislation. The buyers rather question as to RERA has been enacted to serve whose purpose. Most of the home buyers across India’s top 10 cities point out that the ground realities have not changed for them. A vast majority of them feel it has opened another window of litigation and thus hurts than helps the buyers. Issues range from lack of transparency to accountability, and existing market realities to consumer interface.
The real estate market of Uttar Pradesh in general and Noida-Greater Noida in particular is hotbed of consumer grievances, ranging from delay to default and unmet promises to builder’s high handedness. As per the industry estimate nearly 40% home buyers’ grievances in India are reported to be from this market alone. It is hence no surprise that even when the Real Estate Regulatory Authority proposes to clean the market, the builders devise their own ways & means to dispose it.
The Allahabad High Court has rapped the District Magistrate of Gautam Buddh Nagar for non-compliance of RERA Recovery Certificates (RC). The Court has also directed the DM Suhas LY to appear before the court on October 4 to explain the inaction in the RCs issued by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) in several cases.
Following the Apple A Day scam that left more than 800 customers cheated and homeless, Kerala (CREDAI) will pressurize the Union Government for implementing the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.
The home buyers have for long alleged that the RERA has failed to provide them substantial relief in the wake of project delay or defaults. Now the Allahabad High Court has also taken cognizance of the issue and has not only questioned reasons of non-execution but also asked for the roadmap as to how RERA Recovery Certificates would be executed.
Projects worth INR 4,64,300 crore for a total of 575,900 units are already significantly behind schedule. These 5,75,900 units have been stuck since 2013 or before. However, what is even more disturbing than these staggering number is the fact that in many of the states RERA has been diluted to the extent that it allows the erring developers with the existing projects to get away with the fault lines.
The said project, Hawelia Valenova Park, that was launched in 2013 at Tech Zone IV of Noida Extension is yet to be worth habitation, even after seven years. The builder, on his part, claims otherwise, even though the GNIDA (Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority) has only given it a conditional TOC (Temporary Occupancy Certificate).