MGP asks MahaRERA to regulate web portals

Mumbai: The Mumbai Grahak Panchayat (MGP), a consumer body, has demanded that the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) include under its purview portals such as makaan.com that advertise realty projects. Reason being that so far, only real estate agents have been under MahaRERA’s purview but the consumer body wants such websites, too, to be regulated so that homebuyers are protected from being misled.  

President of MGP Shirish Despande on Thursday wrote a letter to MahaRERA chairman Gautam Chatterjee, stating that several unregistered projects were being widely advertised by these portals, which could adversely impact homebuyers. The letter demanded that portals such as magicbricks.com, ma-kaan.com and 99acres.com be considered under Maha RERA.

The letter questioned, “The fundamental issue is whether such real estate portals are real estate agents as defined under RERA, 2016?”

Section 9(1) of the RERA Act allows no individual to indulge in any activity to facilitate sale or purchase of a flat without registration with the authority. Accordingly, MGP has approached Maha RERA, seeking compliance with the Act. The Asian Age tried contacting Mr Chatterjee to get his views on the same, but he remained unavailable for a comment.

RERA’s definition of a “real estate agent” includes “a person who introduces, through any medium, prospective buyers and sellers to each other for negotiation for sale or purchase of plot, apartment or building.” The MGP has asked MahaRERA to direct these portals to be registered.