Maharashtra Govt Bans Registration of Property Deals in Unauthorised Buildings

Mumbai, 14th October 2026: In a move to curb property fraud and protect homebuyers, the Maharashtra government has barred the registration of sale and transfer documents for flats, shops and other units in unauthorised buildings, as well as flats with areas exceeding those approved in sanctioned plans.

The Revenue Department has directed sub-registrar offices across the state not to register such transactions if the buildings lack approval from the competent authority, including municipal corporations, municipal councils, planning authorities or district collectors.

The decision follows complaints of unauthorised construction projects being developed and sold without statutory approvals. In several cases, buyers were allegedly misled about the area of flats, with the actual area exceeding that permitted in sanctioned building plans.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the government had taken a serious view of the issue and introduced stricter requirements to prevent people from losing their savings by investing in unauthorised properties.

Under the new circular, sub-registrars must verify mandatory documents before registering first-sale agreements, sale deeds, deeds of apartment or transfer deeds for properties in construction projects. The department has warned that departmental inquiries will be initiated immediately against sub-registrars found registering documents for unauthorised properties, whether deliberately or through negligence.

For projects requiring registration under Section 3 of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, documents must be accompanied by the MahaRERA registration certificate or occupancy certificate, along with the sanctioned building plan clearly specifying the flat’s area.

For projects exempt from MahaRERA registration, the required documents include construction permission or a commencement certificate from the competent authority, the sanctioned building plan, a zoning certificate and a measurement plan.

“Preventing people from being cheated after investing their lifetime savings in unauthorised constructions is the government’s primary responsibility,” Bawankule said, adding that the decision was aimed at curbing such malpractice and protecting homebuyers from substantial financial losses.