Developer told to refund ₹7.99 lakh; Service Society to be formed within 90 days; compensation claims of ₹47 lakh sent to AO
The Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) has partly upheld a complaint by the allottees’ association of the Samanvay Sequence commercial project in Vadodara, issuing key directions against developer Samanvay Realty.
RERA has ordered the developer to return ₹7,99,345 to the Service Society’s account once it is registered. The amount represents maintenance charges for September 2019 to January 2021, which the developer had wrongly deducted during the handover phase.
The Authority noted that Samanvay Realty was responsible for project maintenance until the Building Use (BU) certificate was issued on October 25, 2021, or until handover to the residents’ body — whichever occurred first. Both the developer and the complainants have been directed to ensure the Service Society is registered within 90 days.
RERA also observed that the developer failed to form the Service Society within the timeframe mandated under Section 11(1)(e) of the RERA Act, which requires such a body to be set up within three months of most units being booked. The ruling is expected to offer clarity amid numerous disputes statewide on maintenance responsibility during the transition period.
However, compensation demands amounting to over ₹47 lakh were not entertained. RERA stated that these claims fall under the jurisdiction of the Adjudicating Officer (AO). These include ₹40 lakh for constructing only one front ramp instead of the two approved, ₹30,000 per unit for omitting attached rear toilets shown in sanctioned plans, and ₹7.55 lakh for fire safety equipment installed after a notice from the Vadodara Municipal Corporation’s Fire Department.
Though the developer initially filed a written reply denying the allegations and questioning the complainants’ credentials, neither Samanvay Realty nor its representatives appeared for subsequent hearings. RERA therefore proceeded ex parte on August 14, 2025.