MahaRERA Unveils Senior-Friendly Housing Guidelines

The Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has introduced model guidelines tailored for senior living projects, aiming to ensure that such housing developments are constructed with the essential needs of senior citizens in mind. These guidelines encompass minimum physical criteria that all projects must adhere to, encompassing construction standards tailored to the requirements of elderly residents. Key aspects covered by these guidelines include building design, adherence to green building principles, provision of lifts and ramps, accessibility features such as wheelchair-friendly entrances and exits, lighting, ventilation, as well as safety and security measures. MahaRERA has opened the floor for suggestions and feedback on these guidelines until the end of the current month.

As a result of these guidelines, developers will be mandated to incorporate specific provisions into the Agreement for Sale and other pertinent documentation, ensuring that senior citizen housing projects are developed in accordance with the outlined model guidelines.

Crucially, the model guidelines outline several important provisions, such as the requirement for elevators in multi-story buildings, audio-visual systems in all lifts, wheelchair-friendly access to lifts via ramps, and backup electricity arrangements, among others.

Previously, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had issued similar Model Guidelines and recommended that state regulators take appropriate measures to enact corresponding regulations. In alignment with this directive, MahaRERA has drafted regulations tailored for retirement homes.

News by Rahul Yelligetti