TG RERA asks Hyderabad-based builder to rectify water seepage problem without additional charge to flat owner

TG RERA ordered Hyderabad-based builder Sri Karthikeya Constructions to resolve water seepage issues in a complainant’s flat within 60 days, without additional fees. The builder’s claims were disputed, and penalties await if orders are ignored under RERA Act 2016.

Hyderabad: The Telangana Real Estate Regulatory Authority (TG RERA) issued orders on May 31, directing a Hyderabad-based builder, Sri Karthikeya Constructions (respondent), to resolve the water seepage problem without collecting additional charges from the complainant.

A flat owner, Madhusudhan Rao Udutha (complainant), residing in (flat no 432) Sri Karthikeya Constructions (SKC) Bliss, Bachupally, complained that from December 1, 2023, he noticed water seepage in the master bedroom, washroom, and kitchen areas. He had purchased the flat for Rs 46 lakhs with a built-up area of 1,336 sq ft in 2022. “Despite notifying the developer multiple times through phone calls and emails, the developer has failed to rectify the issue,” Madhusudhan Rao said in his complaint.

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The complainant also said that the external walls were to be constructed with a thickness of eight inches, but the respondent (Sri Karthikeya Constructions) built six-inch-thickness walls, violating the agreed construction standards and compromising the structural integrity and safety of the building.

Complainant sought certain reliefs from the builder, including carrying out necessary repairs at no cost to the complainant, issuing orders to the builder to ensure compliance with the agreed specifications regarding wall thickness, and making required corrections, imposing a penalty on the builder for delay in failure to address the issue, with a reasonable period, causing distress, and damage to the complainant property.

Respondents who filed a counterclaim against the complainant said that all the allegations of external wall seepage are baseless and result from the complainant’s improper usage of washrooms and kitchen sinks. “The frequent disposal of solid and insoluble waste into the PVC water lines caused blockages and subsequent seepage,” said the respondent.

The respondent also denied the complaint about the thickness of the wall. He said that as per the agreement, the walls were constructed using six-inch bricks with plastering on both sides, ensuring compliance with the specified 8-inches thickness. The respondent also said that all seepage issues have been promptly resolved.

The complainant said that these allegations made by the respondent (builder) are false and defamatory, and it is a tactic to avoid addressing pipeline defects and wall seepage. Regarding wall thickness, the complainant said that the builder was intending to deceive flat owners.

The T G RERA chairperson, N Satyanarayana, and two other RERA members including K Srinivasa Rao and Laxmi Naryana Jannu, in their orders directed the (respondent) builder, the complete rectification work relating to the water seepage in the master bedroom, washrooms and kitchen area of the complainant’s unit within 60 days, without additional charge to the complaint. In case the builder ignores the TG RERA authority orders, then a penalty is imposed against him following section 61 of the R E (R&D) Act 2016.