CHENNAI: Building completion certificate (CC) will not be mandatory for residential complexes consisting of up to eight flats and are not above 750 square metres in area across the state, Minister for Housing and Urban Development S Muthusamy said on Monday. The move is expected to bring down the cost of small flats and help realtors complete the projects expeditiously.
Making the announcement after inaugurating “CREDAI Tamil Nadu Statecon 2024” in Chennai, the minister said, “Hitherto, the exemption from completion certificate was given for residential complexes with less than three flats.
This has now been extended to eight-unit buildings following representation from the realty sector.” The minister, however, cautioned against the misuse of the exemption by developers. The move would be a huge relief to small developers who are made to run from pillar to post to get completion certificate for getting drainage, water and power connections.
“Usually, it takes more than a year for small projects to get approval for completion certificate,” said Srinivas Akinipatti senior director, Knight Frank India.
‘Planning to bring 22% of TN under planned growth’
“This would result in huge saving in time and money,” he said. The delay of more than a year will increase the cost of the project and affect the buyers too, he said.
S Sridharan, vice-president, CREDAI National South Zone, said that the eight flats would work out to 900 square feet per flat and this would make such small-size homes affordable in city outskirts and other parts of the state.
The move comes after the Madras High Court recently observed that housing projects that do not exceed eight apartments and are less than 500 square metres in area cannot be registered under Tamil Nadu Real Estate Regulatory Act.
The minister also announced that the government will also allow the height of residential buildings with stilt plus three floors to be increased from 12 metres to 14 metres. Sridharan says it will be beneficial to people looking for luxury flats and villas.
“If the stilt height goes up, it would help developers in running sewer lines and service lines. Developers were facing challenges in providing the service lines,” said Sridharan.
Akinipatti said the stilt alone would take nearly three metres and what is left is only nine metres for three floors. Now, the developer can have additional two metres to build a spacious home, he added.
Apart from the two major announcements, the government is also planning to bring 22% of the state under planned growth. “Initially, it was only 5%,” said the housing minister.