News: MahaRERA: Skipping Floor ’13’ After Approval Not Permissible-10-07-2026

A developer who considers the number 13 unlucky must account for that before building plans are sanctioned and cannot drop it afterwards, the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) has observed. It nevertheless rejected the complaint that raised the issue and made no order as to costs.

The complaint came from a housing society near Mumbai. Among several allegations, it said the sanctioned plans showed a 13th floor, but the developer numbered flats on that floor 1401, 1402 and so on. The society called this a deviation from the plans and a violation of Section 14(2) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016.

Residents noticed the problem when municipal property tax bills arrived with addresses that did not match the building’s numbering for the 14th floor and above. The flat physically numbered 1401 on the 13th floor appeared as Flat 1301 in the bill, and the one numbered 1501 on the 14th floor as Flat 1401. Similar mismatches existed in all buildings of the complex, the society said.

On approaching the municipal corporation, the society said, it learnt that the bills followed the sanctioned plans. It alleged the developer had unilaterally skipped the number, leaving more than 300 residents with inconsistencies between sanctioned plans, on-site flat numbers, registered documents and tax records.

The developer told the authority that omitting 13 is common industry practice because it is widely seen as inauspicious. The 13th floor exists for approval and structural purposes but has been labelled the 14th in the numbering scheme, it submitted. It also contended that the tax bills carry the same nomenclature used in the building.

MahaRERA observed that if the developer knew the 13th floor was considered unlucky, it could have prepared a plan that avoided flats on that floor. Having obtained approval, it cannot take the stand that flats are not numbered in the 13 series for that reason. The regulator said the developer is bound by the sanctioned plans under Section 14(2), and if residents above the 13th floor face problems in future because of the discrepancy, the developer will have to rectify them.

However, as the project is already complete, the authority said there was no question of restraining the revised numbering through a permanent or temporary injunction. It added that the Act does not empower it to award compensation in such cases.

If the society believes the project was not built according to sanctioned plans, MahaRERA said, it should go to the competent authority that issued the Occupation Certificate, which certifies conformity with approved plans.

The authority also held that the matter could not be decided in a common complaint. The grievance involves individual relief and does not relate to the common area, so the society cannot agitate it collectively on behalf of all members, and no relief could be granted.