KOCHI: Apartment owners from across the state gathered in Kochi on Sunday with a shared concern: laws that govern apartment living are in urgent need of reform.
At the 11th annual general meeting of the Apartment Owners’ Apex Association, Kerala (APOAK), held at KMA Hall in Panampilly Nagar, the focus extended beyond routine formalities. The meeting turned into a platform for dialogue on issues that directly affect thousands of urban homeowners in the state.
Inaugurating the event, Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden spoke about the increasing significance of apartment ownership laws and the pressing need to make them more responsive to the realities of modern housing. His remarks reflected the mood in the room—a growing awareness that change is necessary and long overdue.
In his keynote address, Mathews M P, former member of the Kerala Real Estate Regulatory Authority, shared insights from his experience and highlighted gaps in the existing legal framework. In the interactive session that followed, legal expert Jacob Mathew Manalil explained how certain provisions in the Kerala Apartment Ownership Act of 1983 have not kept pace with today’s challenges.
Among the major concerns raised by the APOAK members was the need to simplify the registration process under the current Act. They also called for penalties on builders who violate building norms and stressed the importance of reassessing property tax criteria, especially in the light of the actual services provided by local bodies.
There was a strong call to update the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act to ensure better financial accountability from builders, including a requirement for them to invest a reasonable share of the project cost before collecting money from buyers. Members also urged an extension of builder liability for structural defects to at least 20 years.
The meeting concluded with the election of new office-bearers. V C Vijayan was elected president, Jayakrishnan N Nair would continue as secretary, and Jose Tharayil took over as treasurer.