Over the years, Himachal Pradesh has witnessed infrastructural development, which boosted its real estate industry. However, given the development, this sector requires proper regulation to operate.

Here's where the function of RERA act in Himachal Pradesh comes into play. This article highlights such details and if you are curious to know about them, keep scrolling!

RERA rules were first notified in February 2017, but the RERA Act in Himachal Pradesh came into force on 28 September 2017. The state appointed a director as a designated officer to look over the state and the whole country's planning.

RERA in Himachal Pradesh applies to ongoing as well as upcoming projects of the state. Moreover, due to this establishment, the state's local authority witnessed a transparent and quick sale of apartments, plots and buildings.

The main purpose of establishing this RERA act was to protect the interests of homebuyers. So, this is how residents of the state enjoy the advantages of the authority.

Here are the rules of RERA that every individual in the real estate sector of Himachal Pradesh must comply with:

• It is illegal to advertise projects without registering them with RERA in Himachal Pradesh. Failure to comply with this rule can lead to legal action.
• Developers cannot receive any deposits or advance from a buyer without a formal agreement with him or her.
• It is mandatory that all real estate agents register themselves under the Himachal Pradesh RERA Act.
• RERA in Himachal Pradesh is liable to solve issues of consumers registered under it.
• Every real estate developer must provide correct details of projects to home buyers.
• If RERA does not approve a project, the concerned developer cannot continue with his or her construction activity.

Follow this stepwise guide to register a project with RERA in Himachal Pradesh:

Step 1: Visit the official website.

Step 2: If you are registering for the first time, register as a ‘promoter.’ For this purpose, you must select the ‘Promoter’ option under the Register tab.

Step 3: Next, fill in the details and submit all necessary documents. Click the ‘save’ option to create your account. Now you can follow the registration process.

Step 4: Visit its home page and locate the ‘Registration’ option. Select the option that mentions ‘Real Estate Project’ and click on ‘Apply new project.’

Step 5: This will take you to a new page where you must log in as a Promoter. 

Step 6: Here, you will find seven pages, and you will need to fill in details regarding:

• Promoter’s Profile: Personal as well as relevant financial details
• Project Details: Important project details like location, size, and ownership.
• Sanctioned Project: Details of the sanctioned project, including sanctioned plan, type of project, stability certificate of the structure, etc.
• Project Professionals: Certificate details and names of the professionals working on the project.
• Civic Facilities: Relevant facility details as required by the project.
• Project Declaration: Verify all necessary documents under Form B by Declaration or Affidavit.
• Project Fee: The project fee depends on the size of the project and its type. It is to be paid online.

Know more: Property Insurance in India

Property-related Documents

• Allotment letter
• Possession letter
• Agreement for sale
• Conveyance deed
• Project professional details and the concerned certificates
• Structural liability certificate
• Checklist of the civic facilities
• Sanctioned project and location plans
• Section 118 of HPT & Reform Act, 1972 certificate or Himachali Agriculturist Certificate

Personal Documents

• Aadhaar card and PAN card
• Passport size photo
• Acknowledgement report of an income-tax return for the last 3 years
• Annual financial report
• Comprising profit and loss account
• Cash flow statement
• Directors' and auditors' reports
• Balance sheet
• Bank account details where an individual maintained his or her security deposit
• Current revenue documents such as Jamabandi, Tatima, non-encumbrances report and demarcation report and
• Land's ownership document

Take a look at the simple steps mentioned below to register a project agent with RERA in Himachal Pradesh:

Step 1: Visit the official website. Select 'Register' and click on 'Agent'. Enter the basic details to sign up. 

Step 2: An individual can also select 'Registration' and then 'Real Estate Agent' and click on 'New Registration' to sign up.

Step 3: After signing up, fill in the registration form by entering details in two sections – registration and payment. In the former, enter the required information and upload the correct documents. In the latter, fill in the payment details.

Step 4: Check the information carefully before selecting 'Final Submit' to complete the process and get a Real Estate Agent Registration Certificate.

Upload the following documents while registering a real estate project agent with RERA in Himachal Pradesh:

• Aadhaar card and PAN card
• Experience certificate
• A resolution copy regarding authorisation
• Registration details in other State or Union Territories
• Address proof of the area of business

Recently, RERA in Himachal Pradesh held the second position among all the other RERAs in India. This ranking was in response to the effectiveness of how well authorities were executing their order. For example, the state was taking steps to initiate proceedings within a year and a half after its launch.

Also, in a very short period, the RERA authority in Himachal Pradesh registered around 38 new real estate projects and 52 real estate agents.

Apart from this, registration of complaints was taking place digitally. Thus, the parties could avoid visiting offices physically. Besides, the state conducted 260+ visual hearings till now.

Here is a detailed step-by-step guide to check the application status in the RERA portal in Himachal Pradesh:

Step 1: Visit the official website. Next, navigate to the agents or projects option according to the requirement.

Step 2: Sign up and provide the registration number to check the application status.

Step 3: Once entering all these details, the application status will be displayed on the screen.

If an individual is buying a home for the first time, he or she must check registered projects of RERA in Himachal Pradesh in its official portal, and the steps are mentioned below:

Step 1: Go to the official portal.

Step 2: Navigate to the 'Registration' option, select 'Real Estate Project' and then 'Search Projects'.

Step 3: Choose the type of district, project and category of project. Registered projects will appear on the screen.

Step 4:  Select' Search', and information regarding a registered project will appear on a screen. Information includes personal details, images, and details of a past project and bank, among other details.

One can search for a registered agent in the online portal by following a few simple steps:

Step 1: Visit the official portal.

Step 2: Select 'Registration' in the menu, choose 'Real Estate Agent' and click on 'Search Agent'.

Step 3: Provide the details such as city, name, and district and select 'Search Agent'

Step 4: Details of registered agents will appear on the screen.

An individual can access the list of rejected projects, and here is its stepwise guide:

Step 1: Visit the official website. Scroll the list of projects and select rejected projects.

Step 2: Now, enter the name of a project, promoter, and district. Besides, provide the contact number and project reference number to search for the rejected project.

If an individual has any grievance against an agent or project in which he or she invested, then file a complaint on the portal. For that, follow the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Visit the portal.

Step 2: Select the option' Complaints', new complaints  and finally click on 'file a complaint'

Step 3: Sign up as an agent, promoter, or complainant to proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Select 'Form M' and mention the grievances. Other than this, submit company details as well.

Step 5: After submitting the form, the complainant can see a complaint number which he or she can use to track the complaint.

Every registered agent and promoter needs to submit their annual and quarterly reports in the RERA portal of Himachal Pradesh. Interested individuals can access such progress reports by following a few steps:

Step 1: Visit the portal. Click on 'Quarterly/Annual Progress Report'.

Step 2: Select 'Projects and relevant year to see the progress report.

Listed below are a few benefits that RERA provides to homebuyers in Himachal Pradesh:

• RERA aims to ensure transparency in the real estate sector. Therefore, a builder needs to update the correct information about a registered real estate project on the official website to give a homebuyer a clear idea.
• A seller can charge only on a carpet area. Thus, he or she cannot give an inflated carpet area to elevate a housing property's price.
• A seller can collect 70% of the money to complete construction work, ensuring timely completion.
• The developer must pay 2% of interest if he or she delays handing over a house.
• If a homebuyer finds any structural defects within 5 years of occupancy, the concerned builder needs to restore such defects without charging anything from that homebuyer within 30 days.
• A builder needs to resolve all disputes within 120 days to ensure speedy redressal.

To conclude, RERA Act in Himachal Pradesh is a great initiative of the Government to promote transparency and reduce corruption in the real estate sector in Himachal Pradesh. Further, the online portal has also made it easier for every homebuyer to access any information they wish to know.