Why Occupancy Certificate is Important?

While moving into your new home can be a heady experience, you will need to be extra careful ensuring that you have first received all the right paperwork from your builder. Along with the numerous certificates and permits, you will also need to make sure that your builder has provided you with an Occupancy Certificate (OC), also known as a Possession Certificate.

The OC is furnished by the local municipal authorities certifying that the building process followed all the standard procedures and laws and is safe for occupancy. It is the builder’s responsibility to apply for the OC after receiving the Completion Certificate and this has to be done within 30 days of completion. Some builders who are in a hurry to sell off their properties might tell you that an OC is the same as a completion certificate and try to get away with it. However do note that without an OC, your home is:

  • Considered illegal for human occupation
  • Difficult to get a bank loan against it
  • Not eligible for Khata
  • Difficult to sell-off
  • Difficult to get utility connections like water, sewerage, electricity

Some homebuyers might be in a hurry to finally move into their new home and overlook the need for this legal document. In case your builder refuses to issue you with an OC, you can serve his legal notice, complain to the RERA body or apply for it yourself within 30 days. The habitation of homes without an OC is considered illegal. Without this document your occupation of this building is unlawful and it can be declared inhabitable and liable for destruction at any time.

To apply for an occupancy certificate, the following documents are required:

  • Approved building plan
  • Commencement certificate
  • Completion certificate
  • The latest property tax receipt
  • NOC from various concerned authorities

Your builder might issue you with a partial OC in case it’s a huge project, but this will have to ratified once the project is completed. Even though an OC isn’t required for registration of the property, do note that you will find it difficult to find buyers without an OC and might have to settle for lower prices.

All this and more makes it pertinent that you go with well-known builders when it comes to making your biggest investment – your home. Fortunately for those homebuyers looking for villa homes like the luxurious ‘Under the Sun’ villas located within a fruiting orchard in Devanahalli, Bangalore, there is no requirement for an OC. Find out more about these spacious homes here: https://www.underthesun.co.in/.