Flat owners in coop societies left in the lurch as Chandigarh Administration halts conveyance deeds

Flat owners in cooperative housing societies have been facing inconvenience after the UT Administration has halted the execution of conveyance deeds on leasehold basis.

According to the Estate Office, a policy introduced in 2018 to facilitate conveyance deeds was valid for two years and it had officially expired in 2020. However, the policy reportedly continued until 2025. As the policy lapsed, the registration of conveyance deeds has been put on hold until a new framework is formulated.

The city has 113 cooperative housing societies comprising nearly 15,000 flats. A large number of these societies are located in the southern sectors, including Sectors 48, 49, 50 and 51.

Due to the suspension of the conveyance deed process, residents have been making repeated visits to the Estate Office seeking clarity.

Members of several housing societies said their documents are currently pending at the sub-registrar’s office. The uncertainty over the registration process has affected those who have purchased flats recently.

Every flat holder in a cooperative society is required to obtain a conveyance deed. Even in cases where a flat is purchased from an existing allottee, the cooperative society must secure a no-objection certificate (NOC) and obtain a conveyance deed from the Estate Department before the transaction can be completed. The residents said without the deed, ownership remains incomplete and property transactions cannot proceed smoothly.

Kamaljit Singh Panchhi, president of the Property Federation, Chandigarh, stated that the UT Administration had kept the execution of conveyance deeds for housing societies pending for a long time, causing inconvenience and uncertainty among residents.

He urged the UT Administrator to reopen and expedite the process of conveyance deeds so that residents can rightfully claim ownership of their flats. He emphasised that it was a long-pending and genuine demand.

Representatives of cooperative societies have demanded that if the policy has expired, the administration must issue guidelines to prevent further hardship.

Deputy Commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said the conveyance deed policy had technically ended in 2020. However, to prevent inconvenience to residents, officials have been instructed to formulate a fresh policy and get it approved so residents do not have to suffer. “We are hopeful that the registration of conveyance deeds would start in a month’s time,” he added.