What is the full form of OC

OC: Occupancy Certificate

OC stands for Occupancy Certificate. It is a document that witnesses that the building is safe and suitable for purchasing and occupancy and it follows all the safety norms and conditions. This occupancy certificate is issued by a local government agency or by a development authority for instance the Municipal Corporation or by a building department.

The norms or the necessary building laws that the issuing authority follows may differ widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and also on the building structure.

Why is an Occupancy Certificate Needed?

The occupancy certificate is important and needed to be checked before buying or purchasing. It ensures that the builder or the developer has followed all the norms and policies that are fixed by the Government authority and also that the builder has constructed the same structure that he has promised also it ensures that the developer or the builder has followed all the fire and safety norms. Further, it ensures the supply of basic facilities such as drainage systems, water and electricity. The builder cannot give authority to the buyer if he has not obtained the Occupancy Certificate.

Partial Occupancy Certificate

Nowadays the builders or the developers get the advantage by getting a partial Occupancy Certificate and through this partial occupancy certificate, they can offer the authority to the buyer.

In most cases, the partial occupancy certificate is given to the partly completed housing or residential projects and in this case, the builder or the developer can handover the possession of the completed flats to the flat buyers, but the occupancy certificate in the case of retail units and shops in the under-construction stage is issued later.

Impact of buying the building or property without an Occupancy Certificate

As mentioned above the Occupancy Certificate is needed to be checked before buying the property because it clarifies or ensures many things such as proper savage system, drainage facility, electricity connection and water connection and mainly ensures the legal status of the building or the property.

In case a home buyer did not check the Occupancy Certificate (OC) he or she might face the following problems:

• The flat or the building that you purchase may be announced as illegitimate and the authorities can legally eject you from there.
• The building can be destroyed because of its illegal status.
• The buyer might follow some problems while claiming a loan against his / her property.
• The buyer may face problems while selling his property or flat.
• The local Municipal Authority can anytime disconnect the electricity supply and the water supply without any information or notice.
• In many cases, it is seen that the government imposes heavy property tax as a penalty.

Important Document Required for Getting Occupancy Certificate

• The developer or the builder must have submitted a copy of the building sanction plan.
• The builder or the developer has to submit the building commencement certificate for availing of the Occupancy Certificate.
• The developer or the builder after completing the structure of the building gets a completion certificate and they have to submit it to the authority.
• The builder or the developers have to submit the latest copy of the tax receipt.
• The builders or the developers have to issue a No Objection Certificate (NOCs) from the Airport Authority and also from the pollution board of their local area.

According to the rules made by the government, the builder or the developer has to submit the Completion Certificate of the building or their projects to the local Municipal Authority within 30 days of the project completion, however, if the builder fails to design the building according to the map, in that case, the builder or the developer is not eligible to avail the Occupancy Certificate (OC).

If a developer or builder denies to handover the original Occupancy Certificate to the buyer, in that case, the buyer can legally go to the court of his / her local jurisdiction and can file a case against the builder or the developer, the court will issue the notice against the builder or the developer bounding him to give the Occupancy Certificate to the buyer.

The buyer while buying the property or the flat has to check or ensure that the documents given to him are original and not a copy of the original documents because while availing loan over the property or at the time of selling the property you must need the original Occupancy Certificate (OC).

Conclusion

The Occupancy Certificate (OC) is one of the important or essential documents that the buyer must check at the time of buying the property or flat. It also ensures the proper sewerage, drainage, electricity and water supply, it is important to claim the original Occupancy Certificate and not its copy, in case the developer or the builder refuses to hand over the original document to the buyer then the buyer can legally go to the court and then the court will force the builder or the developer to handover the original Occupancy Certificate (OC) to the buyer.