A Pune-based real estate developer has claimed that he refunded the entire amount paid by a homebuyer who allegedly went missing just days before taking possession of his home after suffering heavy gambling losses. According to the developer, the booking was cancelled, and the full refund was processed after a relative of the buyer approached him seeking assistance in the matter.
“Just a week before he was supposed to take possession of his new home, my customer vanished. We later found out the betting mafia in Mumbai had “taken” him. He had booked with us in 2022, and everything was normal. Then possession came close and he simply stopped answering. My sales team called and called for the balance payment. A man who was days away from owning his dream home had gone completely silent, and we could not understand why,” the developer said in an X post.
“Then his relatives reached out. He had lost heavily in betting and could not clear his dues. The gang he owed had picked him up in Mumbai to recover their money. His brother-in-law came to our office and pleaded with me, asking if I could loan them the amount so they could take possession, rent the flat out, and repay me slowly,” said Pune-based real estate developer, Rahul Ajmera of Vasupujya Corporation.
The developer said he offered the buyer’s family the option to cancel the flat booking and receive a full refund without any deductions. He suggested that the money could be used to clear the buyer’s outstanding debts and help him rebuild his life.
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MahaRERA’s rules on refund due to cancellation
In 2022, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) issued an order permitting developers to deduct up to 2% of the total consideration amount in the event of a booking cancellation. It also allowed developers to upload deviation reports on the MahaRERA website to disclose any changes in project terms or conditions, enabling homebuyers to make informed decisions before proceeding with a purchase.
The MahaRERA in its order had stated, “If promoters choose to execute with an allottee an allotment letter that is not in accordance with the proforma of the allotment letter as approved by the Authority in its meeting held on 24.06.2022, then the deviations/modifications in the proforma of the allotment letter as proposed by promoters shall be highlighted in a different colour.”
The same has to be uploaded by the developer, along with a deviation sheet mentioning the deviations/modifications, when seeking registration of the real estate project, so as to enable the allottees to make an informed decision, MahaRERA had said in its order.
