Are you truly the owner of your flat?

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Only 8.5 percent of housing societies in the city have completed their conveyance deed registration, exposing a serious gap in legal property ownership among flat owners. As per the latest data, just 125 out of 1,456 registered societies have obtained the conveyance deed, a process that officially transfers land ownership from the builder to the housing society. Recently appointed District Deputy Registrar (DDR) Samrut Jadhav now faces the daunting task of improving this situation.

The situation raises a fundamental question: Are you the actual legal owner of your flat? According to the Maharashtra Apartment Ownership Act, 1963-64, Section 11, a builder/developer/promoter is legally obligated to transfer property ownership to the cooperative housing society within four months of its registration. However, a shocking 91.5 per cent of societies have neglected this crucial legal step.

Why conveyance deeds matter

Without a conveyance deed, the additional Transferable Development Rights (TDR) and Floor Space Index (FSI) benefits remain with the builder, not the flat owners. It becomes difficult to initiate redevelopment of old buildings. Ownership rights remain legally incomplete, despite years of residence.

Legal backlog

The experts claim that while the city dreams of 23-story high-rises, the low rate of conveyance registration reveals a major legal and civic gap. There is an urgent need for public awareness and proactive legal facilitation. The citizens and housing activists hope for renewed momentum in resolving these long-pending issues and helping societies secure their legal property rights.

Total registered housing societies: 1,456

Flat-owner-based societies: 723

Plot-holder-based societies: 733

Societies with conveyance deeds registered: 125

Societies still without conveyance (deemed or otherwise): 1,331

Pending deemed conveyance applications: 598