How credible are Online Reviews of Property Developers?

Even since the dawn of the Internet, many people have found a way to voice their opinion be it on a social issue or a customer review, the internet has been a medium to communicate and raise awareness for most people today, but how do you know if the review is credible or not? Slandering in social media is very common nowadays, it is unethical and illegal but sadly there seems to be no stop to it, as it hard to control the vast and ever growing World Wide Web. 

The internet has made customers do their necessary homework before making an informed decision. With many consumer complaint domains coming to their rescue. Consumer complaint domains like mouthshut.com, consumercompaints.in are few of the domains where they provide the consumer with not just informative information about the company’s product or service but also how the company operates and is it worth to purchase their services or products. But the million dollar questions are, most or even all the reviews credible?

The real-estate market in Bangalore and the rest of India has made potential buyers conservative and nervous to make a deal with these real-estate agents, because most property developers end up scamming the hard working individuals who have saved up their hard earned income to purchase a house of their dreams only to see it burn in flames with the property developer failing to attain any legal sanctions for that particular development or any government approvals. So customers and prospective buyers turn to the internet and these consumer review domains to do their necessary homework about the builder and the project they are interested in and based on that they decide if it is worth it. 

You cannot please everyone in this world that is a fact so there are naturally a few negative reviews which is good because it shows that the company has a few flaws but at the same time it has plenty of credible good reviews to put the potential buyers at ease. 

Many real estate agents nowadays force the buyer to give a 5 star review which is unethical, a buyer should rate the service of the real-estate agent without the pressure and influence from the agent. There are also instances where companies pay people to write good reviews about their company which is totally illegal and it can be the other way also where rival companies pay people to slander their competitors by writing negative reviews to hamper their competitors business and image. In the previous post we have discussed about TGS Constructions properties reviews and tried to get some attention to know how your competitor can hamper a business.

It is may seems pretty hard to have a system in place to check the legitimacy of online reviews but with these tips to detect fake online reviews you can have a good idea to figure out its legitimacy. And it also casts a doubt in the customers mind to question if the testimony or review is accurate. And it is also a downer for hard working real-estate agents and builders who provide exceptional customer service but are still victim to fake negative reviews in the online world.

Beware builders now customers can launch an FIR against you

Tough times ahead for property developers as customers now have the right to lodge an FIR against property developers who fail to adhere to certain legal norms.

Special inspector general police of the state has issued notices to the respective commissioners of every zone to book complaints against delinquent property developers and builders and launch punitive action against them. A circular which was issued by one Mr Prabhat Kumar explains about the stipulations of section three and four under the Maharashtra Ownership Flat act of 1936. This act states that a builder or property developer is held accountable if he does not adhere to certain clauses.

We all know prevention is better than cure so it better to check details of builder and constructions companies before you opt for any project. To put in a simple manner a buyer has the authority to take legal action if there property builder or developer is not adhering to certain stipulations. Here are a few cases where buyers can take legal action.

• If the property developer or builder fails to deliver the flat on a prescribed date to the buyer.

• Fail to issue Certificate of Occupancy by the property developer before handing over the apartment to customers

• If the property builder fails to create a society in four months

• If the property developer fools the buyer by giving them a space which is unauthorised and also if the property developer undertakes any illegitimate activities during construction. So it is better to know the property is in A or B Khata.

• Failure to register the agreement by property developers after pocketing 20% of the flat amount from sale to buyers. In the previous article we have learnt according to the new policy builders can’t retain registration charges of customer go through it if you have missed it.

• Transfer of land not finished in four months in good will of society.

• Failure to deposit amounts in certain accounts which have been approved by flat buyers.

• No approval for construction as mentioned in rule number seven

• Failure to present audited statement of accounts by the property developers and builders.

This major move has not gone down well with the property developers and builders community as they feel they can be mistreated and blackmailed from the buyers. The developers claim it is not only them who are at fault.

The State Societies Welfare Association has been helping buyers who succumb to these kinds of issues. They plan to seek justice against those delinquent builders who have made these buyers life a misery by making them run to various corners to file complaints against them. The DG of police has been very clear in his instructions. Police have to register a FIR in the nearest police station located in that vicinity, and all police stations have been briefed to undertake necessary action against delinquent property developers and builders.

Check these details if you go for an affordable Housing Project

It is certainly true that owning a house is the desire and a dream of everyone. There are factors like the price of the land and the property which decides whether the property is the right one to purchase. It is highly important that the purchasers get the right value for money. Below we list few of the points that the experts point out that the purchaser should consider before buying a house, land or property.

Clarity of title of the property

It is often noticed that land in the outskirts of the city are bought from the farmers who do not have a clear tile. The legal papers of the land are also not readily available at the Panchayat office. If you at all buy such land or even buy a property to be constructed on such property you should look for the clear title of the property and the title search report should be duly attested by a lawyer.

Conversion of Land

The land you buy should be duly converted from agricultural land to non agricultural land if any residential projects or buildings are to be constructed on it. A No Objection Certificate (NOC) also should be asked from the country and the town planning department which states about the change of the land zoning.

Read more : - About A Khata & B Khata 

Infrastructural problem

One should enquire that all the basic amenities like the drinking watersupply, electricity connection, sewage system and other facilities are all available. The internal infrastructure should also be in place so that the project is self sufficient.

The connectivity

One should check that there is proper connectivity and proper system of public transport is also available via busses, auto rickshaws, cabs, metro railways and other modes of transportation. Metro railways and the trains may not be available at most of the places but one should ensure that other modes of transportation are available.

The utilization of space

The developer many a times try to cover the most of the land and in that the builder tries to maximize most of land area and utilize it. In that he increases the Floor Space Index. So it is advisable to check the plan of the layout of the project to see that all the distances are laid according to prescribed norms and the construction is built as per the sanctioned plans.

Safety, security and the background check of the builder

If there is lack of safety and security factors that essentially means that there is dearth of roads, fire stations and police stations and cannot be compared with safety and security of the densely populated places of the urban areas. Rather the trend watchers suggest that it is better to opt for an area in a densely populated area. Furthermore the background of the developer has also to be checked and the past records of the builder have to be also verified.

Delay in Construction

It is essential to do a background check as many builders have been delaying the projects including the famous ones too. Especially if the project is in the category of affordable housing then there should be a background check thoroughly done including a discussion and inquiry with the past customers of the builder. Here is a set of action to take if there is a delay in constructions.
Check out the TGS Constructions reviews, feedback & complaints to being updated on the recent happenings and for  your project details.

Builders cannot retain the customer’s registration charges under new policy

Delhi: The department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) has come up with a new policy which will be a major relief to the home buyers. From now on the developers cannot retain the customer’s money on account of registration charges.

The new policy issued in the second week of March 2016 states that the developers should execute the conveyance deed within 15 days of the receipt of the registration charges from the customers and the home buyers. In case the builder fails to do so, this money should be refunded to the allotees of the flats or the builders could adjust the amount against other such dues save the up-keeping charges.

Town and Country Planning

The officials of the DTCP said that this move has been primarily aimed at preventing the builder to misuse the customers’ money. At this present moment in many cases the developers normally delay the execution of the of the conveyance deed for many years even after they have received the registration charges from the home buyers.

The developers will no more be able to withhold the money in the name of registration charges from the customers and the allotees of the flats as per the DTCP officials. DTCP has also made it compulsory for the builders and developers who have to submit a certificate from a Chartered Accountant stating that no amount of customers’ money is withheld in the name of stamp duty charges. In case any of the builders fails to submit the certificate, approvals for the building plans will not be granted. The other benefits like renewal of license and others will also be postponed.

Building Plans , Certificates

The officials from the DTCP said that there are many instances where disputes have been lodged between the developers, allotees of flats and the revenue department over this delay of the execution of the conveyance deed for which the money had already been taken. Few of the major customer complaints, feedback, reviews have also reached the Grievance Redressal Forum and according to its suggestions this policy decision has been taken. 

The new policy states that if in case the builder is not able to execute the conveyance deed within 15 days of the collection of the registration charges or even fails to return the allotees’ money a joint bank account will be opened with the developer, DTCP and the RWA.

Fake online reviews

At the end buying property, land & apartments or else investing in real estate customer/ buyer need to do make some research and investigation on the builders. Check their past customer reviews, feedback & complaints. Check their past record in development process, locations of land, market credit ability and bank records. Check online reviews about their product or service they offered. But beware fake online reviews & feedback posted by some advertising agencies. Here research being taken out most of the online reviews are fake & aren’t consider too. Here at last I mention some amazing tricks you can easily detect fake online reviews posted over internet & check it fake or else genuine.