A yr since Tamil Nadu Apartment Ownership Rules 2024 ready by the Housing and Urban Development Department got here into impact, many residence complexes in Chennai are but to full the method involving registration or renewal of affiliation standing.
Tamil Nadu Gazette dated September 24, 2024 requires homeowners of models in an residence (ranging from four-flat flats to huge multiple-tower societies) to submit “Form-A” in direction of preliminary registration. It desires flats with a number of blocks/towers in a compound to type a federation, and make bye-laws. Irrespective of the scale the residence, flat homeowners are required to appoint an auditor, submit audited accounts and stability sheets.
The Act supplies an impetus to redevelopment tasks, permitting homeowners to demolish a constructing if there’s consensus from two-third of residence homeowners. Likewise, it empowers the affiliation to take motion in opposition to residents erring to pay their upkeep payments. There are many options in favour of householders, however communities The Hindu Downtown spoke to observe the method is being delayed due to challenges within the system. Some communities cite ignorance and plenty of are mentioned to be shopping for time.
Most resident associations had been beforehand registered beneath Societies Act. Now they have to migrate to Tamil Nadu Apartment Act and start by finishing necessities in “Form A”.
Ragamalika Apartments in Mandaveli, a registered affiliation, is discovering it troublesome to renew its registration as per the brand new Act. While the Act is obvious, they’re not sure the place and the way to course of it and whether or not any acknowledgement can be offered. Apartments with lower than 15 models say an excessive amount of documentation discourages them from getting the affiliation registered.
Real property consultants say they’re getting extra inquiries from homeowners of buildings in search of to take up redevelopment in serving to register the affiliation, as additionally these in search of assist in drafting bye-laws.
Ongoing tasks
Six years in the past, House of Hiranandani in Egattur fashioned a registered physique involving 9 towers. Now the gated group has 14 towers and extra are beneath completely different levels of building. The Act requires them to type a federation however because the developer continues to be engaged on tasks, the present affiliation has time in hand.
On the necessity for a federation, Raghavan Murti, an lively member of the gated group, says, when the builder leaves the scene, there are roads, membership home and different widespread facilities that have to be maintained. “We need a common body when dispute arises or to negotiate issues between associations, so a federation has to take shape sometime,” he says.
Validation for this gated group’s governance mannequin
From the get-go, a gated group in Kolathur — Orchid Springs — has been following “a federal model of community governance”. That has made the gated group prepared for the Tamil Nadu Apartment Ownership Rules 2024 9 years prematurely. One of its necessities is that communities with a number of towers and blocks have an affiliation for every of the blocks/towers and an overarching federation over them.
According to Ganapathy Suresh, founding president, Orchid Springs All Owners Association, the group has been following this mannequin since residents began transferring in to the group from 2015 onwards. This is certainly spectacular when set in opposition to a backdrop the place comparable gated communities are nonetheless solely chewing the cud over this stipulation, now virtually a yr previous.
Under this mannequin, every block has their personal president, secretary and treasurer and upkeep price is dealt with by the respective affiliation.
An quantity required for the maintenance of widespread facilities is paid to the Federation, which is like an apex physique that’s represented by three members from every block.
“All apartments must follow this seriously otherwise the State Government has the power to disqualify the old association or freeze accounts” Ganapathy Suresh founding president, Orchid Springs All Owners Association
Orchid Springs has greater than 2000 flats unfold throughout eight blocks.
“In such a decentralised approach, there is better accountability, transparency and a low probability of pilferage,” says Ganapathy, including that each affiliation retains account of their cash.
This system works properly for tenants as properly. “The flats in every block are of different sizes, ranging from 600 sq.ft. to 5,000 sq.ft, and the financial status of every resident would be different. So maintenance is charged based on the size of the flat and the amenity one is availing,” says Ganapathy. He had advocated the same system at Gokulam Flats in Nolambur, which has 4,500 flats and 17 associations, earlier than he moved into this group in Kolathur.
The decentralised method additionally ensures there are extra workplace bearers within the Federation who ought to have extra say in issues regarding residents. He says the Act empowers homeowners to take authorized motion in opposition to residents erring in paying their upkeep payments.
The gated group continues to be engaged on finishing the method in direction of registration that the Tamil Nadu Apartment Owners Act mandates. Three blocks have submitted Form A (an necessary step within the registration course of).
Once all of the eight blocks get their Form A executed, the following step can be to apply for Form B.
“All apartments must follow this seriously otherwise the State Government has the power to disqualify the old association or freeze accounts,” says Ganapathy, including that the brand new Act provides extra energy to residents associations.
Published – August 30, 2025 10:30 pm IST
