RERA Rules For DDA In Dwarka Luxury Housing Dispute

Delhi’s real estate regulator, the Real Estate Regulatory Authority, has ruled in favour of the Delhi Development Authority after owners of Golf View Condos in Dwarka complained of substandard construction. Residents cited uneven flooring, plaster defects, water seepage, hollow tiles, faulty plumbing, inadequate electrical wiring and incomplete common facilities and raised concerns about delays in allocation. The authority dismissed a batch of complaints on February 11, finding they lacked sufficient merit and credible substantiation and that the parties had not established a deficiency in service under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016.

RERA based its decision on inspection reports from a DDA-appointed committee and its own inspection team, which treated the identified issues as finishing-related matters covered by routine rectification during the maintenance liability period. The authority determined that tile alignment, grouting, plastering and door fittings did not amount to structural defects or render the flats uninhabitable. RERA also noted that photographs and documentation submitted by complainants were not supported by independent technical assessments or expert reports.

Golf View Condos comprises 11 towers containing 1,130 luxury flats, including 14 penthouses, 170 super high-income group flats and 946 high-income group flats, overlooking the DDA’s newly constructed 18-hole golf course. The DDA said the highest bid in the e-auction reached Rs 30 million (mn) for high-income group flats, Rs 45 mn for super high-income group flats and Rs 57.6 mn for penthouses. Over 500 flats have been allotted and around 35 families are currently living in the complex.

The regulator said the project was offered on an as-is basis through e-auction and buyers could inspect sample flats before bidding, which in some cases informed bids above the base price. RERA observed that promotional descriptions of the scheme as premium or luxurious did not by themselves create contractual construction standards unless explicitly defined in the agreement for sale. The authority directed the DDA to honour its five-year defect liability obligation, appoint a nodal officer not below the rank of chief engineer and rectify defects reported to it within 30 days.