Mandatory registration of property in Punjab coop societies: Last date tomorrow, no word on extension

“The CM was not in Chandigarh today (Thursday). He was away to Ahmedabad and Goa. He will sign the file on rturning. Soon, an announcement would be made,” said a source.

The government, in a notification dated November 21, 2025, had made it mandatory for the owners of all apartments in cooperative housing societies to get their units registered by paying stamp and collector’s duties retrospectively. The order affected about 50,000 apartment owners in about 600 cooperative housing societies.

While making the registration mandatory, the notification stated that the properties should be compulsorily registrable under clauses (b) and (c) of subsection (1) of Section 17 of the Registration Act 1908. Registration should be carried out at the “prevailing collector rate” of the property and at the stamp duty determined by the revenue department, together with the applicable registration fee. Registration should be completed within 90 days of the transfer of membership or possession, whichever is earlier. Failure to register within the above period will attract a penalty of 0.5 per cent per month on the applicable stamp duty or registration fee arrears, subject to a maximum of 100 per cent of such dues. The notifications were issued under the Punjab Co-operative Societies Act 1961, making it mandatory for all property transfers in housing cooperative societies to be registered under the Registration Act 1908.

The Government has provided a 120-day amnesty window for existing holders, offering a 50 per cent rebate on stamp duty if registered by March 20, 2026.

On January 12, the government issued another notification giving concessions on stamp duty rates for non-original allottees. While the original allottees were exempted from paying stamp duty, they were liable to pay a registration fee of only 1 per cent with a maximum limit of Rs 2 lakh. The non-original allottees had to pay a stamp duty of only 1 per cent if registration was done before January 31, 2026, 2 per cent if registration was done between February 1 to Feruary 28. The allottees were given another window to pay 3 per cent stamp duty if they chose to pay between March 1 and 31. After March 31, they had to pay normal rates of 6 per cent stamp duty.

Meanwhile, the managements of cooperative societies raised the issue with the Chief Minister. In a letter, management of a society wrote, “For the last over 75 years, cooperative housing societies in Punjab have enjoyed a complete exemption from compulsory registration and stamp duty. Because of this exemption, lakhs of salaried and middle-income people, who were wary of trusting private colonisers or could not afford to pay the high cost of having a house in colonies built by big developers, chose to invest their hard-earned savings to into to build their homes in cooperative housing societies.

But now the cash-strapped Punjab government has withdrawn these exemptions with retrospective effect, forcing members to revalidate their long-held titles acquired decades ago under a tax-free regime. Existing Society members wishing to transfer their share must execute two conveyance deeds by paying hefty stamp duty of lakhs of rupees to the government: first for a Conveyance Deed in their own name and then for a second deed in name of the purchaser whom they intend to sell. “ Four cooperative societies led by Highland Cooperative House Building Society private Limited, Baltana has sought the extension of last date of available concession on stamp duty, in a letter to the Chief Minister.

The notification was challenged in the High Court by IAS/PCS Cooperative House Building Society.