Occupancy Certificate (OC) and Completion Certificate (CC) are different, they are not the same.

Yes, builder is obligated to issue occupation certificate.

Completion Certificate (CC):

Upon the completion of construction, the builder or developer of an apartment applies for “Building completion certificate” with the local authorities (like BBMP, BDA, CMC or panchayat)

If the building construction is completed as per the building approval plan and if the building meets the standards like distance from road, height of the building, compound structure, STP, water harvest, etc.. the civic authorities issue Completion Certificate (CC).

Occupancy Certificate (OC):

Once the builder received the completion certificate, the builder obtains occupancy certificate from civic authorities

The occupancy certificate certifies that building complies with approved building plan, local law and safety standards for occupants. An occupancy certificate is issued by local municipal authorities that provide no objection to occupying the building under reference for its specified use. The occupancy certificate is issued only once the building has been completed in all the respects and can be occupied

The main difference between completion certificate and occupancy certificate is that completion certificate shows that the building construction is done as per the plan which was approved by the concerned authorities. After getting completion certificate, occupancy certificate will be given to all buyers so that buyers can take possession of their flats/properties.

The Occupancy Certificate looks like below image

As the completion certificate and occupancy certificate are not required while registering a property, most home buyers tend to overlook or ignore collecting these documents from previous owners or builders of the apartment

Please note that Occupany certificate is mandatory to get A-Khata for a property or you will receive only the B-khata extract which would downgrade your property valuation

There are thousands of apartment in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi which have been occupied without an occupancy certificate. In many cases, the building plans of these apartments are approved but builder did not get OC due to deviation from approved building plan or ignoring other safety violations.

I wish government should mandate the occupancy certificate to register a flat, this could make huge difference to buyers and streamline the infrastructure in congested cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi.

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