CIDCO housing scheme: After high prices, homebuyers raise concerns over ‘reduced’ apartment sizes

Former MLA and NCP (Sharad Pawar) leader Sandeep Naik has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, demanding that CIDCO allot apartments as per the original advertised size. “CIDCO must ensure that the flats provided match the size mentioned in the original housing scheme documents. Beneficiaries should not be deprived of their rightful carpet area,” Naik stated.

Many homebuyers are now speaking out about the issue. Expressing his disappointment, Suraj Kanojiya, an applicant who secured a house in Taloja Sector 29, said, “I was prepared to pay the higher price because I thought I was getting a 322 sq ft apartment. Now, finding out that the actual size is much smaller is frustrating; we feel deceived.”

Another applicant, who does not wish to be named and secured a flat in Kharghar Sector 14, shared similar concerns: “Buying a house in Navi Mumbai is already a challenge, and hence we depend on organisations like CIDCO, but now we are being given less space than what was advertised. CIDCO needs to address this.” Applicants also pointed out that they were not informed about this crucial detail from the beginning, including at the experience centres displaying sample flats.

However, CIDCO officials have clarified that the original advertised size includes the balcony area, which is not reflected in the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA)-registered carpet area mentioned in the LOI. “The total area remains the same as stated in the advertisement. But as per RERA regulations, only the carpet area without the balcony is recorded in official documents, which is why the number appears lower on the LOI,” a CIDCO spokesperson explained.

CIDCO’s My Preferred Home scheme, launched in 2024, attracted thousands of applicants hoping for affordable housing. The scheme offered 26,000 flats under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) categories in locations such as Panvel, Kharghar Bus Terminus, Mansarovar Railway Station, Khandeshwar Railway Station, Kharghar Sector 16A, and Vashi Truck Terminus.

What do MahaRERA rules say?

According to MahaRERA, the carpet area is defined as “the net usable floor area of an apartment, excluding the area covered by external walls, areas under services shafts, exclusive balcony or verandah area, and exclusive open terrace area, but includes the area covered by the internal partition walls of the apartment.” Simply put, MahaRERA’s carpet area calculation focuses solely on the internal, usable space of an apartment, deliberately excluding balconies and similar spaces.

CIDCO’s assertion that the discrepancy arises due to the exclusion of balcony areas in MahaRERA’s carpet area definition is consistent with MahaRERA’s guidelines. The reduction from the advertised 322 sq ft to the 291.92 sq ft specified in the LOI likely results from the exclusion of balcony space, aligning with RERA’s measurement standards.