Curation Team
BENGALURU: Despite repeated reminders and appeals from home buyers and residents’ welfare associations for a new apartment act, the state government continues to delay preparing the much-needed draft, even after two years. Home buyers have been demanding that Karnataka replace the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act, 1972, which they consider outdated and lacking clarity on flat owners’ rights and responsibilities.
Karnataka Home Buyers Forum Sanchalak Dhananjaya Padmanabhachar wrote to IT and BT Minister Priyank Kharge, requesting him to approach Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to bring out a new apartment act at the earliest. The aim is to bring all apartment owners’ associations under a competent government authority to ensure better governance.
“We come across media reports stating that the Karnataka Government is in the process of enacting a new apartment act to bring all apartment associations under the competent authority, but the government has not issued a gazette notification even after two years. Recently, we saw you advising cultural associations to register with the competent authority.
We request you to write to the Hon’ble Chief Minister to enact the new apartment act at the earliest and bring all apartment associations under the competent authority for better governance. This will greatly help all flat residents of Karnataka,” the letter read.
Appealing to the government directly, Vani Kishore, a home buyer, said she wanted the long-awaited act to enable apartment associations to register under a competent authority. “This issue has been pending for close to five decades. The new apartment act is necessary for proper audits and elections at apartments,” Vani Kishore said.
Highlighting the state’s lag behind other states, Swetha, a home buyer from Belagere in Bengaluru East, emphasised the importance of the new act in transferring land rights to home buyers and preventing fraudulent misuse of land documents. “In my case, the land was transferred from the landlord to his son in 2022, though I bought the flat in 2021.
This issue has been pending for close to five decades. The new apartment act is necessary for proper audit and elections at apartments.— Vani Kishore, Home Buyer
How is it that I am a legal owner of the unit, holding a UDS share in the land, yet the land was transferred to someone else when all flats were sold? Our names do not appear in the land records. Though I filed a complaint with RERA to transfer the land title to the residents’ welfare association’s name, we have not seen any relief. To avoid such issues, we want the government to enact the new act,” Swetha said.Home buyers and associations continue to urge the state government to finalise and notify the new apartment act, which they believe will provide clarity on ownership, strengthen governance, and protect residents’ rights across Karnataka.
