MahaRERA Just Put a 30-Day Clock on Conciliation. Here's What It Means if You're Fighting Your Builder

If you have ever had a problem with a builder, you know the feeling. The flat is late, or the amenities don't match the brochure, or a refund is stuck, and every phone call ends with "we are looking into it." You don't necessarily want a court battle. You just want someone neutral in the room and a decision, one way or the other.

That is exactly what MahaRERA's conciliation route was meant to offer. And this week, the rules around it changed in a way I think every Mumbai buyer and NRI owner should know about.

What did MahaRERA announce?

According to a report in Square Feat India published on 9 November 2026, MahaRERA has issued Circular No. 38A/2026, dated 5 November 2026. It replaces the timelines set by the earlier Circular No. 38/2021 and takes effect immediately. The report says the circular was approved by MahaRERA's Chairperson (in-charge) and Member-I, and signed by the Secretary.

The new timeline, as reported, works like this:

• Once a complaint is assigned to a Conciliation Bench, the bench must issue notice and fix the first hearing within 15 days.
• After that first hearing, the whole conciliation must be finished within a further 30 days.
• If the matter isn't moving towards a settlement, or the final settlement terms aren't put on record, the complaint is closed and sent back to MahaRERA within those 30 days, marked either "settled" or "failed".
• The report says the new circular mentions no extension.

One honest caveat from my side: I have read the news report, not the circular text itself. If your own case depends on the exact wording, check the circular on the MahaRERA website or ask us and we will help you look it up.

How is this different from the old rule?

Under the 2021 timelines, the bench had 60 days after the first hearing, and that could be extended by up to 30 more days after informing the Secretary. So in the worst case, a matter could sit in conciliation for up to 105 days from assignment (15 days to the first hearing, 60 days, plus a 30-day extension). Under the new rule, the outer limit is about 45 days (15 plus 30). That is roughly 57% less waiting.

My reading is that MahaRERA wants conciliation to be a fast filter, not a waiting room. Either the two sides can agree quickly, or the case goes back for regular adjudication without months lost.

What is MahaRERA conciliation, in plain English?

The Square Feat India report describes it as a forum set up under Section 32(g) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, to help promoters and allottees settle disputes amicably. It is voluntary: both sides generally have to agree to take part, and the new circular doesn't change that. The report says benches typically include representatives from consumer associations (such as Mumbai Grahak Panchayat) and from promoter associations.

MahaRERA's earlier guidelines, Circular No. 31/2021 dated 18 May 2021, set out how the forum handles cases. If the parties reach a mutual agreement, the bench records it and sends the signed terms to MahaRERA, and the complaint is closed after MahaRERA passes a final order. If conciliation fails, the complaint goes back to MahaRERA for a decision on merits. Parties can be represented by advocates or authorised representatives, which matters a lot if you live abroad.

Does conciliation actually work?

There is no fresh data with this week's news. The most recent figures I could find are old, so please read them as a snapshot, not today's picture. In November 2021, Square Feat India reported that MahaRERA had received 802 conciliation applications made with the consent of both parties, and conciliation had been completed in 720 of them, close to 90%, with 82 still pending.

My take: the route works best when both sides genuinely want to close the matter. When a builder is simply stalling, a shorter clock is good news for you, because you find out sooner and move on to the regular complaint process.

Should you choose conciliation or a regular MahaRERA complaint?

This depends on your dispute, and it is worth a proper conversation before you decide. As a rough guide, I'd treat conciliation as a good first step when:

• the builder is still talking to you and the gap between you is about money, dates or specific works;
• you want a written, recorded settlement rather than a long fight;
• you are an NRI and can't keep flying in for hearings, but can authorise someone to represent you.

A regular complaint may make more sense when the builder has stopped responding entirely, or when you are clear that you want interest or a refund decided on merits. Our step-by-step guide on how to file a MahaRERA complaint and our piece on delay interest under Section 18 will help you think it through. Before any of this, it is worth checking your project's details on our RERA-verified page.

Not every builder problem needs a forum

After 17 years on the ground, my view is that a lot of builder issues can be solved by organised, persistent follow-up long before anyone files anything. Two of our published cases show what I mean.

An NRI owner in the Gulf took possession of a new flat in Kandivali East from abroad. There were snag-list defects, an electrical connection still pending from the builder, and no fit-out. Working under the owner's written authorisation, our team got the developer to fix the defects, including a window glass, handled the carpentry and electrical work, and had a tenant booked about 12 weeks after the keys were handed over.

In another case in Andheri East, water came in near a living-room window during the monsoon while the owners were out of Mumbai. We had the society complaint form signed remotely and arranged access for the developer's team, and the repair and touch-up were finished in about six weeks. You can read more stories like these on our Owners' Wall.

So my honest advice is: document everything, follow up in writing, and keep conciliation and complaints as the tools you reach for when follow-up stops working.