The Gujarat Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GUJRERA) has ruled that builders are not required to pay the lifetime maintenance deposit for unsold flats. Instead, the one-time deposit must be collected from buyers at the time of purchase. However, developers must continue to pay monthly running maintenance charges for unsold units until they are sold.
The order was issued by a GUJRERA bench during the hearing of a dispute related to the Shivay residential apartment project near Amitnagar Circle in Vadodara. The housing society had demanded maintenance deposits for two semi-finished, unsold units, but the authority clarified that such deposits should be recovered from future buyers, not the developer.
The authority also addressed a dispute over a ₹10 lakh maintenance corpus shortfall. It noted that part of the amount had already been spent on maintenance work with valid bills, while the remaining dues were pending from individual members. As the society office-bearers had acknowledged these arrears during the handover, the responsibility to recover the balance now rests with the society.
On complaints regarding incomplete amenities, GUJRERA directed the developer to install children’s play equipment and complete paving work in the garden area within three months, and to provide property-related documents to members on request. Other demands related to construction quality compensation and refund of maintenance shortfall were largely rejected.