Overview

Joint development is a popular method of development of property. Here, an owner of a site and a developer come together to enter into an arrangement to develop a property jointly.

In case the owner of a site decides to develop the property on his own, he will have to arrange for funds, look for a builder, monitor the construction and go through all the associated formalities. The cost of land constitutes a major portion in the cost of development. It is difficult to get finance for the entire cost of a site. An owner has to block a lot of his own funds before he can get any returns.

The option of joint development saves on all these requirements for both the parties. The practice is being followed both by small and large builders without exception. The builder and the owner of the site develop the property on a joint venture basis. The land owner enters into a joint development agreement with a builder. The land is provided by the owner. The builder constructs the flats.

A certain percentage of the area is earmarked for the owner of the site. The owner is entitled to dispose off the constructed property delivered to him under the joint development agreement. The owner may also decide to retain his share of the builtup area, or may sell it off at a later stage without any involvement of the builder. The other flats are sold by the builder directly.

This way, it suits the needs of both the parties. The owner of the site does not have to get into the trouble of constructing the property, nor has he to arrange for funds for construction. At the same time, the builder gets access to land and does not have to raise money for purchase of land. The builder need not block his funds and in fact can use his resources for a number of projects simultaneously. A site owner usually gets 30 to 40 percent share and the balance goes to the builder.

The exact percentage depends on the terms of the agreement. As a procedural aspect, a site owner has to execute an irrevocable general power of attorney (GPA) in favour of the builder. The GPA should be registered on appropriate value stamp paper with the authorities concerned (registrar) in order to be legally binding on both parties. The stamp duty payable for this kind of GPA given to the builder under a joint development agreement is Rs 1,000. This may vary from State to State. After this, the parties enter into a joint development agreement.

The builder then proceeds with the construction of the flats after getting the necessary approvals. In case there is a breach of contract on the part of the builder, either financially or otherwise, the site owner has a right to revoke the GPA. The owner needs to take measures to protect the property till the project is completed and handed over to him.

Once the plan is approved, the owner should get an allocation agreement done recording the constructed area which comprises his share and the area going to the developer. Once the building is ready and the allocation agreement is done, it is better that a deed of declaration is executed recording the constructed area, which would reflect the area constructed for the site owner under the joint development agreement.

Name : SWAPAN KUMAR DUTTA

Law Firm Name : Independant

Country : India

City : Bardhaman

State : WEST BENGAL

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