MahaRERA steps up project scrutiny to prevent future homebuyer disputes

The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) is strengthening safeguards for home buyers with a new three-step scrutiny system—legal, financial and technical—for project approvals. For each stage, independent expert groups will vet applications to ensure that only viable projects secure registration.

This shift comes as the regulator disposed of 5,267 complaints between October 2024 and July 2025, outpacing the 3,743 fresh cases filed during the same period. For the first time, hearings are being fixed within one to two months of registration, significantly improving the pace of grievance redressal.

The regulator believes this mechanism will reduce the risk of projects stalling midway or failing to deliver on promised specifications.

“The objective is not just to deliver justice when home buyers approach us, but to ensure that disputes are prevented through stronger due diligence at the approval stage,” said a senior MahaRERA official.

By making registration conditional on strict legal, financial and technical vetting, MahaRERA expects to enhance buyer confidence, bring greater discipline among developers and gradually lower litigation risks in Maharashtra’s real estate market.

MahaRERA Chairman Manoj Saunik, along with Members Mahesh Pathak and Ravindra Deshpande, has overseen the recent acceleration in case disposal as well as the tightening of project approvals. According to officials, the preventive scrutiny model is intended to shift the regulator’s role from merely resolving disputes to ensuring that complaints do not arise in the first place.

Since its inception in May 2017, MahaRERA has received 30,833 complaints, of which 23,726 have been resolved. A majority of these disputes—79%—are linked to projects launched before the establishment of MahaRERA, while only 21% stem from projects registered under its oversight. Officials point to this contrast as evidence of the regulator’s growing impact on the state’s housing market.

Currently, 51,481 projects are registered with MahaRERA across Maharashtra, with 5,792 of them having drawn complaints. The most common issues flagged by home buyers include delayed possession, substandard construction quality and non-delivery of amenities promised in agreements.

Under the new framework, every application for project registration will first undergo legal vetting to establish clear land titles and regulatory compliance. A financial assessment will then evaluate the developer’s ability to fund and complete the project. Finally, a technical review will examine the construction feasibility and timelines. Projects that fail to pass any of these three stages will not be granted registration.