Owning a home has long been a symbol of stability and success in India. Families save for years, giving up luxuries to secure their dream house. Yet, for many, this dream has turned into a nightmare of delays, fraud, and unkept promises. Despite the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) of 2016, buyers still face poor enforcement and regulatory gaps.
Across cities, projects remain unfinished, flats are delivered without Occupancy Certificates (OC), and court orders go ignored. Buyers lose money, peace, and years of life waiting for justice.
The Wait That Seems Endless
In Gurugram’s Sector 103, buyers of Ansal Estella have waited nearly a decade for their homes. Begun in 2011, the project promised completion by 2015. Most buyers paid 95% of the cost, but construction stopped in December 2015. Legal disputes followed, and even after rulings in buyers’ favour, enforcement has failed.
Residents live under “fit-out possession” without OC—illegal under law. They depend on tanker water, generators, and struggle with basic utilities. “Even though RERA has given judgments in our favour, there is no enforcement. It feels like the system has abandoned us just like the builder did,” says buyer Ranjana Sinha.
When Possession Still Feels Incomplete
Sneha Yadav, a fashion consultant, bought a flat in Supertech Ecovillage 1, Greater Noida, in 2019. She cannot register it due to lack of OC, as the builder faces insolvency. “The electricity connection we have is provided by the builder, which is more expensive than a government one. Even the electricity charges are getting deducted from the maintenance fund,” she says.
Residents face flooding, contamination, and uncertainty. “There is also a big question over how this unregistered house will be transferred to my son,” Yadav adds.
Rifts in Dreams
Delays are the most common grievance. RERA data shows that late possession dominates buyer complaints.
“We see three broad categories of grievances,” according to Anand Moorthy, Cofounder and Chief Business Officer of Square Yards. “The first, and by far the largest, is the delay in possession. The second is linked to subvention schemes, where defaults by developers left buyers saddled with EMIs. The third set of complaints revolves around amenities; buyers discover later that the project was split or facilities quietly reduced.”
He continues:
“Developers told banks they would pay buyers’ EMIs until they got possession. When projects stopped, banks looked to buyers, hurting credit scores and leaving families in incomplete homes. I was caught in one such scheme. It took me five years of litigation, hundreds of emails and hearings, to recover my money with interest. If this can happen to someone in the industry, imagine what it means for an ordinary buyer without legal guidance.”
Moorthy stresses the importance of awareness:
“The responsibility cannot lie only with the courts or regulators. Homebuyers need to be vigilant as well. Before investing Rs 50 lakh or a crore, spend an hour checking whether the project is RERA registered, whether the documents have been uploaded, and what the draft agreement states. These details are all online, but very few buyers verify them.”
He adds:
“It surprises me that people will commit their life savings but not read a 20-page document. That one step can prevent years of trouble.”
“Most grievances we see could have been avoided if buyers had done three things — checked the RERA site, read the agreement and got a title check of the land and unit bought. State regulators and sub-registrars have made this information available. Prevention is still far less painful than litigation years down the line.”
What RERA Promises and Where It Fails
RERA was designed to ensure accountability and transparency in real estate. It mandates registration for large projects and provides remedies for delays or false claims. However, nearly a decade later, uneven enforcement continues to limit its effectiveness. Many states still rely on interim authorities, and progress tracking often depends on self-reported data.
Even when buyers win in RERA courts, developers appeal, delaying refunds or compensation. Weak monitoring and procedural delays make justice slow and uncertain.
Mindfulness Checklist for Homebuyers
- Verify RERA registration on the state website.
- Check the developer’s background and past projects.
- Read the draft agreement carefully.
- Confirm clear land title and legal ownership.
- Inspect financial filings via the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.
- Avoid subvention schemes and unrealistic offers.
- Hire independent experts to assess construction quality.
Learnings from Hardships
Cases like Ansal Estella and Supertech Ecovillage show that despite reforms, Indian homebuyers remain vulnerable. RERA has improved transparency, but weak enforcement leaves thousands waiting for relief. Until regulation matches its intent, due diligence is the buyer’s strongest protection and perhaps the only way to keep the dream of homeownership from turning into despair.
Read more through the links below to uncover the key trends and market leaders driving this growth:
The Economic Times– http://bit.ly/4q3y0fe
Published Date: 7 Oct, 2024
