Your Housing Problems & Solutions
Maintenance charges for vacant flat Q: I purchased a flat in May 2018 in Navi Mumbai from Public Undertaking Company/CIDCO. The society has given a maintenance bill of Rs 4 lakh, which has been pending since 2010. The flat was empty during the period. I have complained to the joint registrar and written multiple letters to society, but have not received any response. Please guide.
A: To know what action was taken on your complaint letter to the Joint Registrar (JR) of CIDCO buildings, Navi Mumbai, with copies of all the complaint letters you have written to the JR, put in a Right to Information (RTI) letter to Public Information Officer (PIO) of JR, asking the PIO to provide you with the information about the action taken by JR on your complaint. You should receive a reply within 30 days of the RTI application to the PIO informing you whether the JR has taken any action on your complaint letter or not.
If you get the RTI reply from the PIO of JR that the JR has not taken any action on your complaint, then against JR, make a complaint to Divisional Joint Registrar (DJR), whose office is in Konkan Bhavan, Belapur. Even for your complaint to DJR, if you do not receive a reply within 15 days of your letter, then write an RTI letter to the PIO of DJR, following the same procedure as you are asked to do with the PIO of JR.
This way, within three months you will solve your difficulties. Please note, even if your flat is vacant, you have to pay society's maintenance bill.
Raising issues in managing committee meetings Q: I am a member of a registered co-op housing society in Mumbai with over 500 members. Due to the Covid outbreak and the following lockdowns, there were no proper general body meetings (GBM) held and the last online GBM was held sometime at the beginning of the year (2021). There are certain points for improvements and suggestions regarding the running of the affairs of the society which I wanted to convey to the managing committee (MC). Hence, as an individual, I requested the MC in writing and sought permission as is my right to express my views on their periodical meetings held in the society office with hardly 10 members observing strictly Covid norms. This was done sometime in the middle of April 2021. Even after three months, no permission was granted to me due to which I sent a reminder to the MC at the end of July 2021. In case, if no such permission is granted, which is evident from the silence of the MC, to whom should I approach for help?
A: If your society's Managing Committee (MC) is not paying attention to your voice then kindly make a complaint against MC of your society to the Deputy Registrar of co-operative society with a specific complaint. Your present complaint to me does not state any specific complaint of yours, against your society's MC.
Misuse of an owned parking spot Q: I have brought a flat in a CHSL in Tilaknagar, Chembur from a seller. In the original agreement with the builder and the seller, there is a clause for stilt parking, which is also in my agreement. But the said parking, as per the agreement, has been occupied by another society member. Please guide me on how I can approach the managing committee about the same. Also, can this parking be used by my tenant as I am planning to lease out the flat?
A: If another person is using your parking spot, which was sold to you, then write a complaint to your society to ask that member not to use your parking spot. If society is not co-operating to sort out your parking problem, then under Bye-law 174(B)(iv) take this complaint to the Co-operative Court against the person who is using your parking spot. In your complaint to the Co-operative Court, make society party to your complaint.