Delay in Occupancy Certificates Irks People
Hyderabad: Municipal authorities have not issued occupancy certificates (OC) to more than half of the buildings constructed in and around the city, creating hardships for home buyers and real estate companies.
While the BRS government was selective in issuing building permits and OCs, officials have kept occupancy certificates pending even after the Congress government took over.
According to the TS Building Permission Approval & Self Certification System (TS-bPASS), only 1,374 OCs were approved out of the total 2,257 from November 2020 to March 31 in the HMDA region.
While the HMDA rejected 576 OC applications, 187 were kept in limbo citing some issues, five kept on hold and four closed. The verification of 104 applications is under progress.
During the same period, the GHMC approved 4,563 applications out of 7,101. It rejected 1,143 applications, another 1,046 OCs have not been granted, 20 are on hold, while 119 have been closed. Presently, 206 OC applications are in process.
The OC is an essential legal document for property owners to obtain before occupying their property. It serves as a proof that the property is legally constructed and safe to occupy. As per norms, it is issued only after a thorough inspection of the building's construction.
As per the municipal norms, the civic body should issue an OC in 21 days for non-residential buildings and residential buildings constructed in plots above 500 square metres (sq. m.) and having building height of up to 10 metres. For residential buildings in a plot area between 200 and 500 sq. m., and height above seven metres, the OC should be granted instantly.
Speaking about the delay in issuing OC, a home buyer said he is facing issues related to filing of income-tax returns as his builder is delaying the certificate.
“We bought the property in the initial stages of construction, but the OC has not been issued. Following this, we are facing issues related to the filing of ITR in addition to occupancy,” said Akhil Agarwal, a business person.
The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (Credai) said that they have brought the issue related to OCs to the notice of the state government.
“The issue was brought to the notice of the state government. The authorities have responded positively and the process has been sped up. If the process further picks up momentum, home buyers and real estate industry will be benefited,” said president V. Rajashekhar Reddy, president, Credai, Hyderabad.