RERA : The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 has been enacted by Government of India. Some sections of the Act were enforced from 1st May, 2016 and all the sections of the act came into force from 1st May, 2017. As per the act, all states must appoint a Real Estate Regulatory Authority to ensure that the purposes of the act are carried out.
TS- RERA Licensed Real Estate Agent from Hyderabad
The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA) has brought to the fore a growing incidence of consumer dissatisfaction, in dealing with real estate developers and service providers. Telangana State Real Estate Regulatory Authority deals in delays in project deliveries, cost escalations during construction, lopsided builder-buyer agreements and the absence of an effective enforcement mechanism, have all led to growing consumer frustration and resulted in an increased number of complaints being brought before the Regulator.
This has put tremendous pressure, on not just the Real Estate Regulatory Authorities but also the judicial system, as cases continue to be filed with civil and consumer courts. Therefore, there is a pressing need to resolve disputes, using alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms – which as a phenomenon, is not new to India. In fact, the conciliation forums under the RERA provide parties an option to settle disputes outside of the courtroom.
The scope for alternative dispute resolution mechanisms in real estate: by RERA
The most commonly propagated and used forms of ADR, continues to be arbitration, negotiation and mediation. The decision, to opt for one of these, in turn, will depend upon the peculiarity or type of dispute that arises and the need of the parties involved to control costs, maintain confidentiality and have a definite judgment announced with respect to that dispute, among other considerations.
Advantages of alternative dispute resolution
The use and advantages of ADR are directly linked to contract enforcement and management. Contracts are agreements between different stakeholders and where contracts are enforced or enacted, there is a very high probability that conflicts will arise. In almost all cases where ADR has been used, it has formed a part of the contract, where the parties involved have previously consented to use this mechanism, to reach agreements on possible problems that may arise in the future.
The need for specialists, in dispute resolution processes
Whether parties are approaching a specialist dispute resolution services organisation, resolution boards, mediation councils, regulators or the like, they should be assured that the professionals overseeing the dispute/challenge have the requisite skill set to understand the nuances of the same. These professionals typically should specialise in areas related to engineering, construction and commercial law, technology, intellectual property, infrastructure and construction financing, among various other facets of construction and infrastructure development.