To ensure housing projects for retired and senior citizens are built keeping in mind their basic requirements, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has floated draft model guidelines for such housing projects. With this, MahaRERA has become the first housing regulatory in India to promulgate provisions for retirement housing projects.
MahaRERA’s aim is to ensure that the retired/ senior citizens should have the required facilities after they move into such housing projects.
Once the guidelines are implemented, the developers will have to include some of the special provisions in the Agreement for Sale and other relevant documents. Henceforth, senior citizen housing projects will have to be built as per the model guidelines.
The draft on “Regulation of Retirement Homes” is available on MahaRERA’s website. Currently, MahaRERA is open to receiving suggestions and views on the guidelines, these can be mailed on *suggestions.maharera@gmail.com* by February 29th.
The model guidelines have been drafted after MahaRERA received feedback that many developers are wrongly advertising their Real Estate Projects as “Retirement Homes” thereby misleading the prospective allottees. It has also been brought to the notice that several of these projects do not adhere to the bare minimum standards and specifications required for senior citizen residences.
In this regard, earlier, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had issued Model Guidelines. The Ministry suggested that the respective State Regulators should take appropriate steps to introduce the regulations. Accordingly, MahaRERA has formulated a draft regulation on retired homes. The draft also details out minimum physical criteria that every project must meet, including building’s construction norms as per the needs of senior citizens. The minimum physical specification includes Building Design, Green Building Principles, Lifts and Ramps, Staircase, Corridors, Lighting and Ventilation, Safety and Security.
Some of the important provisions included in the Model Guidelines include:
– A building of more than one floor should have an elevator
– All lifts should have audio visual system
– Easy wheelchair access to enter and exit the lift
– Mandatory ramps for unhindered wheelchair access
– Doors should be larger than 900 mm, preferably, sliding doors
– Furniture provided should be light in weight, sturdy and without sharp edges
– Width of stairs should not be less than 1500 mm
– Handrails should be fitted on both sides of the staircase
– There should not be a fully open and spiral staircase
– Staircase should not have over 12 steps
– Building corridors should not have any steps
– Ramps should also be provided wherever necessary
– Handles should also be placed at a specific height for convenience
– Wherever there is a difference in the level, there should be an indication in easily noticeable bold colour
– Kitchen should have gas leak detection system
– Bathroom should have a wash basin with provision of grab rails
– Bathrooms must have anti-skid tiles
– Toilet door should open outwards
– There should backup arrangement for electricity.
Ajoy Mehta, Chairman, MahaRERA, said, “Retired, senior housing projects are becoming a necessity of the changing society. Many developers are launching such projects in view of the rising demand, but these constructions do not seem to take into account the very basic needs of this segment. To avoid possible fraud and disappointment of retirees/ senior citizens, MahaRERA has issued Draft Model Guidelines for this emerging segment of housing projects. MahaRERA is endeavouring towards finalising the framework and implementing them at the earliest.”
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