The district currently has 1,244 projects that are unable to accept new bookings or sales, as MahaRERA has classified them as ‘under abeyance’ — indicating that they have not obtained completion certificates or requested deadline extensions. Consequently, the hard-earned money of numerous individuals remains tied up. After eleven years, a Pune IT professional is still awaiting possession of his flat in a project located at the foothills of Sinhagad.
Despite several MahaRERA rulings in his favor, the project remains incomplete, and he has not received a refund. The project is now listed as under abeyance on the MahaRERA website, preventing any new bookings or sales. The buyer was one of the initial investors in the project, which is less than 20% complete. “My investment of Rs30 lakh is currently inaccessible.
The builder shows no intention of completing the work. I have ceased my follow-ups, as there has been no progress.” Another buyer from the same three-building project mentioned that over the years, the association has lodged numerous complaints with MahaRERA. “The original order from 2017 mandated completion by 2018. The project was granted an extension until October 2020 and then again until March 2025. However, no work has commenced to date,” he stated, noting that his Rs16 lakh is also stuck. Such instances are not unique, they remarked.
MahaRERA has identified 4,904 real estate projects under abeyance throughout Maharashtra. The Pune district alone has 1,244 of these projects, followed by Thane (548), Raigad (473), Mumbai suburban (441), Nashik (250), and Nagpur (247). MahaRERA officials indicated that projects under abeyance failed to provide completion or extension information despite repeated reminders. “We have issued notices to the developers and allowed them ample time.
Projects that did not comply are prohibited from registering any new sales or agreements. The bank accounts associated with these projects have been frozen,” they stated. The state property registration department has also received the list of stalled projects to avert further transactions.
Consumer organizations have called for immediate and stringent measures. “Buyers are unable to finalize the sale deed until the completion and occupancy certificates are submitted.
Their partial payments remain in limbo indefinitely,” stated a consumer rights advocate, who urged MahaRERA to expedite refunds in cases of ongoing non-compliance. Typically, builders and buyers enter into a sale agreement, which is followed by a sale deed once construction is finished and payments are settled. The sale agreement specifies the terms and conditions and guarantees certain amenities, while the sale deed legally transfers ownership.
In the meantime, the developers’ association CREDAI has recognized the problem but indicated that delays are also due to slow updates on the website. “Numerous developers have already submitted their completion certificate (CC), yet the abeyance tag persists. We are addressing this issue,” remarked Sunil Furde, national executive of CREDAI.
A developer, who requested to remain anonymous, commented, “I submitted the CC over a month ago, but it is still not visible. Such delays negatively impact both developers and buyers.” The RERA Act stipulates that developers are required to upload both commencement and completion/occupancy certificates to promote transparency and protect buyers. Data from MahaRERA revealed that only 17,413 out of 50,986 registered projects in the state have been marked as complete.
