Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a law firm In 1997, my father bought an apartment in my name from a builder. It was part of a cluster of 32 apartments. Recently, I reviewed the related documents and found one which highlights my ownership to a part of the land on which these apartments belong. I have paid property tax for this apartment all these...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm Our apartment complex with 42 flats is situated at the corner of two busy roads. The Corporation is acquiring a portion of our land for road widening and as a result, the compound wall, sump and motor room have to be reconstructed. The cost of construction is estimated to be Rs. 30 lakh and the...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm We would like to form an Association for common expenses like maintenance, cleaning, common electricity, etc. For this, we are required to open a bank account. Does the said Association have to be registered to open an account? How many members can form an Association? Srivatsan.R Chennai You may register your Association under the provisions...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm As part of a joint development (two years ago) a builder developed eight flats: Five units for the land owner’s family and three were allotted to the builder who sold them to outsiders. There is no apartment association as three buyers gave it in writing they are not interested in forming one. Until today, one...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm My wife wants to draft a settlement for her apartment in our daughter’s name (US green card holder who has no property in India but has own apartment in USA). I plan to get a settlement for our house in favour of our son (US citizen who has no property in India but has own...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a law firm Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm On January 18 this year, I registered a flat (on the second floor) in an apartment complex housing around 80 units in Bengaluru. On May 26, the owner of the flat exactly below mine, erected an aluminium /glass structure (like a...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm We are living in a multi-storey apartment complex which was constructed in the year 2002. As per the approved plan, permission has not been granted to construct flats on the ground floor but the builder has converted the common area into two units. He has registered UDS in the name of two persons and and...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a law firm I booked a 2BHK apartment in September 2016 (land area of 538 sq.ft. and construction area of 1,122 sq.ft.). I have been provided with the payment schedule and the amount has to be paid at the nine stages of the construction. A service tax of 6% is being charged from stage 2 to stage 9. The...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm I live in an apartment building with one (GF+2 floors) and seven residential units. The ground floor has two units and the remaining space is a car park. Many of these units were bought with banks’ legal clearance and loan. The building was completed and handed over to us with EB & metro water connections...

Your property-related legal queries answered by S.C. RAGHURAM, Partner, RANK Associates, a Chennai-based law firm I purchased a 1969 DTCP approved plot in a suburb of Chennai in 1986. At the time of purchase I did not get the patta transferred in my name. In 1987, after obtaining an approval from the local municipality, duly authorised by the then MMDA, I constructed a house where I am residing today. It...