The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has initiated a statewide verification of 2,600 Occupancy Certificates (OCs) submitted by developers on its official portal. These certificates have been sent to respective planning authorities to ensure authenticity and prevent discrepancies or forgery, officials said.
The move follows the fallout of the Dombivli scam, where developers used fake approvals for illegal constructions across multiple projects. The crackdown stems from the 2022 Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) scam, in which 65 illegal buildings were constructed using forged documents, including fake 7/12 extracts (land records), fabricated building plans, and counterfeit MahaRERA registrations.
The scam led to the arrest of 15 individuals, including developers and agents, and a Bombay High Court-ordered demolition drive that displaced over 6,500 residents.
The OC serves as the completion certificate for a real estate project. As per an earlier directive by the state's Urban Development Department (UDD), verified Commencement Certificates (CCs), building plans, and OCs issued to developers must be sent by planning authorities to MahaRERA's designated email if their websites are not integrated. While many authorities have submitted CCs and building plans, it was noted that OCs are often not uploaded by developers.
So far, only 136 OCs have been verified by the authorities, with the remaining still under process. Officials said integration of local authority websites with the MahaRERA portal would have significantly expedited the process.
MahaRERA is also checking whether the submitted certificates indicate full or partial occupancy, after several instances of developers misrepresenting partial OCs as full approvals to mislead homebuyers.
MahaRERA has instructed planning authorities to verify OCs within a stipulated timeline. If no response is received within that period, the certificates will be deemed valid by default. However, any discrepancies found later will make the concerned authorities fully liable.
Many homebuyers complain that while project details are available through the MahaRERA registration number, OCs are often missing. Under MahaRERA norms, developers must register projects before selling units, submit quarterly progress and financial reports, and upload verified OCs before withdrawing project funds from escrow accounts.
