The Maharashtra state government has introduced the Vertical Property Card scheme for flat and commercial unit owners in cities such as Mumbai and Pune, according to a report in Pune Mirror.
The move is expected to give individual apartment owners direct recognition in official land records which is a significant shift from the existing system, where land records generally list only the builder, landowner or housing society as the owner of the plot. Pune Mirror reported that the reform is intended to formalise unit-level ownership in multi-storey buildings and give every flat a distinct government-recognised identity.
Under the new framework, a flat owner's name will be recorded in official land documents along with details such as the floor, carpet area and proportionate share in the underlying land. The document will function as a digitally authenticated ownership record, giving flat and commercial unit owners stronger legal proof of their stake in the property.
The scheme is seen as particularly important for cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Thane, where lakhs of residents live in high-rise buildings but often lack an individual revenue record linking their flat to the land beneath it. Until now, ownership documentation was largely dependent on sale agreements, society records and share certificates, while the main land record did not capture flat-wise ownership clearly.
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Aimed at over 16.53 crore flat owners across the state, the government has fixed a nominal fee of Rs 500 for obtaining this secure, digitally authenticated document, a move expected to significantly streamline property transactions, resales, bank loan approvals, and complex redevelopment processes.
The card is also expected to reduce fraud risks in urban real estate, including duplicate sales and multiple loans being taken against the same property. Pune Mirror reported that the new system will include digital features such as authentication and QR-based verification, making ownership records easier to check and harder to manipulate.
For housing societies, the reform could prove crucial during redevelopment. Disputes over ownership, carpet area and proportional land rights often slow down redevelopment proposals in older buildings. With each unit's details recorded separately, the government expects the process to become more transparent and less dependent on fragmented paperwork.
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