Nearly 19,000 Mumbai buildings without OCs as experts flag low awareness and high regularisation costs

Nearly 19000 buildings in Mumbai are estimated to be without Occupation Certificates OCs but the BMCrsquos latest amnesty scheme has reportedly received just one or two applications so far Citing a lack of awareness about the schemersquos eligibility criteria concessions and application process the Practising Engineers Architects and Town Planners Association PEATA India is organising a seminar to guide housing societies and flat ownersThe initiative comes amid criticism from housing experts who say the scheme places a disproportionate financial burden on flat owners for violations committed by developersAdvocate Shreeprasad Parab expert director of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation LtdThe seminar will explain the schemersquos provisions benefits eligibility criteria and application procedure under the Urban Development Departmentrsquos notification dated December 11 2025Notably midday had highlighted this issue on September 14 2021 reporting that MahaSEWA urged the chief minister to regularise over 10000 structures by collecting finesBuildings awaitYomesh Rao president of PEATA IndiaBuildings without Occupation Certificates remain a longstanding concern in Mumbai Unofficial estimates suggest that around 19000 buildings lack OCs excluding approximately 6000 MHADA and SRA structures Conservative BMC estimates put the number at no fewer than 4500 ldquoThere are substantial building in Bombay Jurisdiction that do not have OC for various reasons The Unverified Estimate is around 19000 Bldgs SRA buildings both 3310 Slum Scheme and 33 11 PTC scheme totalling about 25000rdquo said Yomesh Rao PEATA presidentThe absence of an OC can create hurdles for property owners and housing societies in regulatory compliance property transactions and obtaining civic permissions said RaoRecognising these challenges the BMC introduced a standard operating procedure SOP for the amnesty scheme allowing eligible housing societies landowners developers and individual flat owners to apply for OCs through a prescribed process Rao saidFinancial concessions but few applicationsEffective September 8 2026 the scheme offers financial concessions during its initial six months to encourage eligible societies and property owners to regularise their buildingsHowever the response has been limited with only one or two applications received so far Rao saidldquoThis low turnout is largely attributed to poor public awareness regarding eligibility financial benefits documentation and application procedures leaving many eligible owners unaware of the opportunityrdquo he saidHigh costs deter applicantsCA Ramesh Prabhu founderchairman of the Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association MahaSEWA said the updated scheme repeated shortcomings of earlier versions while introducing additional hurdlesldquoRelaunched for the third time since September 2026 the updated OC Amnesty Scheme repeats past missteps while introducing fresh hurdles It applies strictly to residential units up to 80 sq meters caps regularisation at 15 per cent and mandates valid title deeds Fire NOCs and demolition of nonregularisable structures Applications must be submitted through an architect via the online AutoDCR portalrdquo he saidPrabhu said purchasing additional floor space index FSI to regularise unauthorised construction could leave individual flat owners facing premiums of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakhRather than providing genuine relief he said the scheme appeared to be a revenue collection exercise for the BMC He also flagged ambiguities over its applicability to SRA MHADA and MMRDA structuresldquoTo drive meaningful adoption the civic body must simplify the application workflow eliminate procedural bottlenecks and slash regularisation premiums to 10 per cent or lessrdquo Prabhu saidProposed solutionParab advocated a technologydriven singlewindow system supported by a trafficlight monitoring framework to identify unauthorised construction at an early stageHis proposed system would classify buildings as Green Compliant with approved plans and regulations Amber Minor deviations requiring corrective action Red Serious violations requiring interventionHe said a singlewindow clearance mechanism would improve transparency streamline approvals and safeguard safe lawful housing He also invoked Article 21 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to life in advocating access to safe housinglsquoDevelopers must be held accountablersquoAdvocate Shreeprasad Parab expert director of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Housing Federation Ltd said the number of buildings without OCs was a growing concern across Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMRHe said developers frequently deviated from sanctioned plans leaving flat owners to deal with higher water charges increased property taxes and legal hurdles during redevelopmentWhile compounding provisions under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning MRTP Act and amnesty schemes offer a route to regularisation through penalties Parab described them as temporary fixesHe said accountability should extend to developers responsible for the violations and authorities tasked with monitoring construction rather than placing the burden entirely on homebuyersWhat is an Occupation CertificateAn Occupation Certificate OC is issued by the competent planning authority after verifying that a completed building complies with applicable approved plans and regulatory requirements It permits the building to be occupied subject to the conditions of the certificateWhy is it important Legal compliance It confirms that the building has received the required occupation approval Property transactions Its absence can complicate resale and other propertyrelated transactions Redevelopment Outstanding approvals and deviations can create hurdles during redevelopment Civic charges Residents of buildings without OCs may face higher charges or penalties under applicable rulesAn OC is not required to register a flatrsquos sale deed However its absence can have significant legal and financial implications for buyers and housing societiesWho should attend the seminar Housing societies and managing committees operating without OCs Landowners and developers seeking regularisation Individual flat owners concerned about their buildingrsquos OC status Architects engineers and town planners handling regulatory approvals Construction redevelopment and real estate professionalsFree seminar Understanding the BMCrsquos OC amnesty schemeOrganiser PEATA IndiaDate November 3 2026Time 5 pm onwardsVenue Yogi Sabhagrah Dadar East MumbaiTopic Understanding the BMC Occupation Certificate amnesty schemeObjective Explaining eligibility financial concessions and the stepbystep application process