West Bengal HIRA: Key Features, How To Register Online And Documents Required

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West Bengal State Assembly passed the Housing Industry Regulation Act (HIRA) in October 2017, which was then incorporated in June 2018. HIRA is West Bengal’s version of the Centre’s Real Estate Regulation Act. It has been introduced to regulate the housing and real estate sector and protect the interest of homebuyers. 

Read on to know about West Bengal HIRA features, objectives, how to register and documents required. 

West Bengal HIRA: Key Features 

The West Bengal Housing Industry Regulation Act comes with the following features: 

• West Bengal HIRA mandates that builders have to register all real estate projects that have more than 8 apartments or 500 square metres. 
• There will be a grievance system through which buyers can address their discontentment and grievances. 
• Promoters or builders cannot advertise, launch, or sell any of their projects without the approval of the West Bengal government’s Housing Industry Regulatory Authority. 
• Projects that received their respective completion certificates before the commencement of this Act do not require registration under HIRA. 
• Registration under HIRA is not mandatory for any property that needs only renovation or development and does not require advertising. 

Objectives Of West Bengal HIRA

The West Bengal government passed its Housing Industry Regulation Act of 2017 with the following objectives:

• This Act will ensure that any sale of plot or apartment of a real estate project in West Bengal takes place transparently and efficiently.
• It aims to provide correct guidelines to regulate as well as encourage the real estate sector of West Bengal.
• HIRA aims to protect the interest of property or home buyers of West Bengal.
• This Act will set up an efficient mechanism to address the grievances of buyers and resolve different conflicts. 
• HIRA also aims to formulate regulations for scrutiny of projects, builders and promoters to ensure compliance with guidelines. It also has provisions for penalties in case of any violation of real estate guidelines. 
• This Act also mandates the formation of a website that would consist of all necessary details about the real estate sector of the state. Such details include records about all registered projects within West Bengal along with defaulters. 

WB HIRA: Online Registration Process  For Promoters

If you are a promoter looking to register with WB HIRA, you can refer to the following steps:

Step 1: Visit the official portal of the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Authority.

Step 2: Now, log in with your credentials and click on ‘Online Registration’.

Step 3: You will find three options: Real Estate Project, Real Estate Agent and Complaint. You have to click on ‘Real Estate Project’. 

Step 4: Now, you have to provide your user ID and password. 

Step 5: Click on ‘Continue’ to complete your registration process. 

WB HIRA: Online Registration Process For Real Estate Agents

Real estate agents can follow these steps to register themselves with West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Authority: 

Step 1: Go to the official website of West Bengal HIRA. 

Step 2: Click on ‘Online Registration’. 

Step 3: Now, choose the ‘Real Estate Agent’ option.

Step 4: Provide your user ID and password; then click on ‘Continue’.

If you do not have an existing user ID, you will have to sign up for a new account. 

Impact Of HIRA

The Parliament passed RERA (Real Estate Regulation and Development Act) in 2016 to safeguard homebuyers’ interest and to encourage investment in the real estate sector. As per this Act, every state and Union Territory had to set up a regulatory authority of their own. 

However, West Bengal has been the only state that came up with its own regulation Act to govern its real estate market. This Act has made real estate transactions more transparent. Projects registered with HIRA have to publish their building plans, with all facilities and amenities available. Homebuyers can find all relevant information about a project from HIRA’s website. This will help them in making an informed decision. 

If you are planning to buy a residential unit, you can check the project details on the official website of HIRA to ensure they meet all guidelines. 

Necessary Details Required For Property Registration Under HIRA

Here are some of the details and documents that a promoter needs to furnish for registering a project under HIRA:

• Personal details of the promoter such as name, address, photographs, types of businesses, etc.
• Details of projects that they launched in the past five years.
• Plan layout, sanctions and specifications of the project.
• Location details of the project along with the exact latitudes and longitudes.
• Plan of the project’s facilities and amenities.
• Agreement for sale, proforma of allotment letter and conveyance deed.
• Details about the carpet area of flats not including a balcony or open terrace.
• Number and areas of garage in the project.
• Names and addresses of all real estate agents associated. 
• Contacts of all engineers, architects, contractors involved in a particular project.
• A declaration along with an affidavit stating that (a) the promoter possesses a legal title of the land on which the project is taking place (b) the land does not have any encumbrance.

Final Word

The implementation of HIRA has made the housing sector in West Bengal transparent, reliable and buyer-friendly. Moreover, all necessary details about real estate projects are available on the official portal for buyers’ convenience.

Since purchasing a property can be a substantial investment, you can opt for a home loan to easily fund your dream home. Navi offers big-ticket home loans of up to Rs.5 crore with interest rates starting at 7.39% per annum. Moreover, the lender offers a repayment tenure of up to 30 years. Download the Navi app on Android or iOS and apply for a home loan now. 

FAQs On West Bengal HIRA

1. What are the documents that a real estate agent needs to submit for WBHIRA registration?

A real estate agent registering under HIRA has to submit the following documents:

• Copy of PAN
• Photo of the agent
• Details about registration
• Income tax return of past 3 years
• Details about the enterprise
• Legal documents of the land

2. What are the differences between RERA and HIRA?

RERA and HIRA differ from each other based on the following parameters:

• Planning area
• Courts that will carry out trials for offences
• Compounding of offences
• Definition of garage in a property
• Force majeure events and others

3. What are the registration charges for property registration? 

Here are the charges of property registration under HIRA: 

• Rs. 10 per square metre for residential projects within 2,000 square metres
• Rs. 30 per square metre for projects exceeding 5,000 square metres
• Rs. 20 per square metre for projects within 2,000 and 5,000 square metres
• Rs. 30 per square metre for commercial projects

4. How to file a complaint with HIRA?

As a homebuyer, you can easily raise a complaint online through the official portal of the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Authority. Click on the ‘Online Registration’ tab and choose ‘Complaint’ to file a grievance. 

5. What is the charge for filing an appeal with HIRA?

WB HIRA provides promoters and homebuyers with the right to file an appeal after court verdicts. If you wish to file an appeal with the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Authority, you have to pay a fee of Rs. 1,000. 

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Disclaimer: This article has been prepared on the basis of internal data, publicly available information and other sources believed to be reliable. The information contained in this article is for general purposes only and not a complete disclosure of every material fact. It should not be construed as investment advice to any party. The article does not warrant the completeness or accuracy of the information, and disclaims all liabilities, losses and damages arising out of the use of this information. Readers shall be fully liable/responsible for any decision taken on the basis of this article.