What is an Occupancy Certificate and How is it Important?

Buying a home is a dream come true moment for most of us. The hard-earned money, the time spent searching for your perfect home can all be in vain if you are not careful enough about the Occupancy Certificate. The absence of this single paper could even result in your eviction. Since most of the apartments/villas are owned by first time owners, the chances of them being aware of such intricacies are less which in turn might cost them in future.

A legal document issued by the local municipal authority or the building proposal department, upon the completion of the residential project deeming the property fit for living is called an Occupancy Certificate. In other words, until and unless you obtain an Occupancy Certificate, living in your dream home would be illegal.

Things you need to know regarding the Occupancy Certificate

1. In the absence of an Occupancy Certificate, the local authorities have the right to evict you from your house and demolish it.

2. People often confuse Occupancy Certificate with Completion Certificate, which is another document that is in regard with the structural completion of your building, whereas Occupancy Certificate is about your home as a whole.

3. The Occupancy Certificate includes a list of pros including the local bodies to provide all the basic amenities like electricity, water, sanitation etc.

4. If there arises a situation where the builder can’t provide you with the Occupancy Certificate, then you have the right to approach the consumer court and file a petition.

5. RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority) has pointed out that until and unless the buyer is handed over their Occupancy Certificate the possession of the residential property will not be complete.

6. If the payment schedule is linked with the possession of the project, then you have the right to withhold the final payment till the builder can provide you with an Occupancy Certificate.

7. It is also vital to know that one can’t register their brand new home without an Occupancy Certificate.

8. There is another confusion regarding the term ‘Temporal Occupancy Certificate’ however, there is no such thing in existence in any rule books’. But there are ‘Partial Completion Certificate’ that certifies the builder to complete tower-wise construction.

Buyers need to know that the lifespan of such sanctions is only valid for 5 years, which at best can be extended for two more years with a fine.

To acquire your Occupancy Certificate, you need to fill the Occupancy Certificate application with the list of documents given below at your local municipal body.

1. Commencement Certificate

2. Completion Certificate

3. Built & Section Plan

4. NOC for Fire & Pollution

5. Area Calculation sheet of floor signed by an authorized architect

6. Photographs of the completed project

7. Tax assessment paid receipt

8. Photographs of rain harvesting & solar panels

9. Copy of sanctioned plan

Once the application is submitted along with the documents, the concerned authorities will inspect within 30 days and if the papers submitted complies with the legal norms, your Occupancy Certificate shall be issued. One can also check the status of their Occupancy Certificate through the web portal of RERA (concerned state’s).

The authorities issue an Occupancy Certificate once they have ensured that all the requirements are met for the property to be habitable. Only upon issuing the Occupancy Certificate can a property become ready for possession.

The dream called home should be a thing of joy, not tension and hassles. When you join hands with a builder like Victoria Realtors, you can be sure of the promises we keep and the approach we take to make your experience as smooth as possible.