From tomorrow, you can register property at your convenience

Sandeep Ashar TNN 

Mumbai: Starting Thursday, island city residents will not have to skip work to register their property documents. For, the state government will provide a new facility that will allow them to register their property documents virtually throughout the day—from 7 in the morning to 9 in the evening. 

    At present, registration of property documents takes place between 10am and 5pm. Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat will inaugurate two new offices at Adarsh Nagar in Worli as part of the new arrangement. 

    While one office will function from 7am to 2pm, the second will operate between 2pm and 9 pm. “This will allow office-goers to register property documents before or after office hours,” said S Chockalingam, inspector general of registration and stamps. 

    A similar arrangement for suburban residents is being readied in Khar (on the telephone exchange premises on Linking Road). Chockalingam said the suburban facility will be operational by month-end. 

    On June 20, TOI had carried a news report highlighting the government’s plan in this regard. “With the inauguration of the two offices in Worli, the number of offices for transaction in island city will go up to five. The new facility will ease the burden on the existing setup,” said Chockalingam. 

    In the next few months, the state plans to set up more offices in the city, which sees an average 2 lakh document registrations annually.

Source::: Times of India, 03-10-2012, p.02. http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Client.asp?Daily=TOIM&showST=true&login=default&pub=TOI&Enter=true&Skin=TOINEW

Builders Cut out of Resale Deals

If developers do not give conveyance certificates, Govt. will

Sudhir Suryawanshi l Mumbai

Developers will no longer have a say in redevelopment or resale plans, the state government recently announced. So if you are still to get the conveyance certificate of your flat, do not despair. The state housing department has a backup plan. If a builder has failed to give a conveyance certificate within four months of completion and handing over flats, the local deputy registrar’s office will issue a deemed certificate.  This effectively means no objection certificates from developers will not be needed anymore. It is well-known that builders/developers deliberately hold on to conveyance certificates even after handing over flats to buyers. Till now certificates were a must for redeveloping or reselling flats. Even banks made NOCs from developers compulsory while disbursing home loans. Ramesh Prabhu, chairman of Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association (MSWA), said developers often exploited buyers in the name of certificates. “They charge Rs500 per square feet on average while giving NOCs in connection with resale of flats or seeking bank loans to buy a flat or registering housing societies or simply going for redevelopment,” he said. “I hope, this new circular will curb the malpractice in the housing sector.” The state housing department has already informed the property registration and stamp duty department and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). “The deputy registration officials at the district level will call a housing society and the building’s developer if certificates are not issued,” Prabhu said. “And they will issue deemed certificates in case the builder hasn’t issue any within four months of handing over flats.”  Advocate Mahendra Sandhanshiv said the state housing department’s decision will stop developers from exploiting flat buyers. “As it is housing rates are very high. And then there is developer’s commission in exchange of NOC. “Even after selling a flat, a developer continues to reap monetary benefits by holding on to certificates,” he said. “Now that will stop.” Despite repeated attempts, Paras Gundecha, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry, could not be contacted. Source::::: DNA, 01-10-2012, p.01.  http://epaper.dnaindia.com/