Asked to Sign a Plan Change? RERA Section 14(2) Consent Rules for Mumbai Flat Buyers

A notice goes up in the lobby of a half-built Mumbai tower: the developer proposes to add two floors, shift the podium amenities and redraw the layout of the open space. Below it is a consent form. Some buyers sign on the spot, others take a photo and go home to ask what they are being asked to agree to, and whether their signature matters at all.

It matters a great deal. Section 14(2) of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 limits what a builder can change after it has shown buyers the sanctioned plans, and it sets two different consent tests depending on what is being changed. This guide explains both tests, the narrow room for minor changes, the one-allottee rule for families and companies, and how Mumbai buyers can respond to a consent request.

The short answer. Once the sanctioned plans, layout plans, specifications and the nature of fixtures, fittings, amenities and common areas have been disclosed to a buyer, Section 14(2)(i) says the promoter shall not make additions or alterations to that buyer's apartment without that person's previous consent, and Section 14(2)(ii) says it shall not make any other alterations or additions to the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications of the buildings or the common areas without the previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees, other than the promoter. The trade-off: the consent rule gives buyers a real say, but each allottee counts once, so a single family or company holding many flats does not get many votes, and neither do you.

What does Section 14(2) actually require?

Consent before change. In the text of the Act published by the Telangana regulator, Section 14(2) begins with the words notwithstanding anything contained in any law, contract or agreement. It applies after the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications and the nature of the fixtures, fittings, amenities and common areas, as approved by the competent authority, are disclosed or furnished to the person who agrees to take an apartment.

From that point, two prohibitions apply. Clause (i) covers additions and alterations in the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications and the nature of fixtures, fittings and amenities in respect of the apartment agreed to be taken, without the previous consent of that person. Clause (ii) covers any other alterations or additions in the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications of the buildings or the common areas within the project, without the previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees, other than the promoter, who have agreed to take apartments in such building.

Section 14(1) sits above both. It says the proposed project shall be developed and completed by the promoter in accordance with the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications as approved by the competent authorities.

When does the consent protection begin?

At disclosure. Section 14(2) applies after the sanctioned plans, layout plans and specifications, and the nature of fixtures, fittings, amenities and common areas, are disclosed or furnished to the person who agrees to take an apartment. That makes the documents you were shown at booking the baseline for any later change.

The Act also says when those documents should reach you. Section 11(3)(a) says that at the time of booking and issue of the allotment letter, the promoter shall be responsible to make available the sanctioned plans and layout plans along with specifications approved by the competent authority, by display at the site or such other place as regulations specify. Section 19(1) adds that the allottee is entitled to obtain information relating to sanctioned plans and layout plans along with the specifications. Keeping a copy of what you were shown is the simplest way to know later what has changed.

Which changes need only your consent, and which need two-thirds?

The dividing line is between your flat and everything else. A change inside your own apartment, or to its fixtures, fittings and amenities, falls under clause (i) and needs your previous consent. A change to the building as a whole or to the common areas falls under clause (ii) and needs the written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees in that building.

Notice the words other than the promoter in clause (ii). Flats still held by the builder do not count towards the two-thirds.

What counts as a minor change?

Less than buyers often assume. The proviso to clause (i) allows the promoter to make such minor additions or alterations as may be required by the allottee, or such minor changes or alterations as may be necessary due to architectural and structural reasons duly recommended and verified by an authorised Architect or Engineer after proper declaration and intimation to the allottee.

The explanation then narrows the idea. It says minor additions or alterations excludes structural change including an addition to the area or change in height, or the removal of part of a building, or any change to the structure, such as the construction or removal or cutting into of any wall or part of a wall, partition, column, beam, joist, floor including a mezzanine floor or other support, or a change to or closing of any required means of access, ingress or egress, or a change to the fixtures or equipment.

So a proposal that adds floors, changes height or alters a means of access is, by the Act's own wording, not a minor change. If a notice describes such a proposal as minor, that is the point to ask questions.

How are allottees counted for the two-thirds?

One allottee, one count. The explanation to clause (ii) says that the allottees, irrespective of the number of apartments or plots booked by him or booked in the name of his family, or in the case of companies, firms or any association of individuals booked in its name or in the name of its associated entities or related enterprises, shall be considered as one allottee only.

For a Mumbai tower where an investor family holds several flats, that rule matters. Their many flats count as one allottee, not several. Our earlier explainer on the one-allottee rule for families and companies walks through the counting in more detail, and the same Act applies in Maharashtra.

The same two-thirds idea appears elsewhere in the Act. Section 15(1) says the promoter shall not transfer or assign his majority rights and liabilities in respect of a real estate project to a third party without obtaining prior written consent from two-thirds of the allottees, except the promoter, and without the prior written approval of the Authority. Our report on project transfers to a new developer in Mumbai covers that route.

What should a Mumbai buyer do with a consent form?

Read before you sign. A consent under clause (ii) is written consent, and once given it becomes part of the count. Ask for the existing sanctioned plan, the proposed revised plan and a short note that explains each change.

Then decide which clause applies. If the change touches your own flat, your consent is required under clause (i). If it touches the building or common areas, clause (ii) applies and your signature counts towards two-thirds. If the notice calls a structural change minor, compare it with the explanation to clause (i).

If a change goes ahead without the consent the Act requires, Section 31(1) says any aggrieved person may file a complaint with the Authority or the adjudicating officer for any violation or contravention of the Act, rules or regulations. Section 71(1) lists Section 14 among the provisions under which compensation is adjudged by an adjudicating officer.

1. Ask for the sanctioned plan you were shown at booking and the proposed revised plan, side by side.
2. Identify whether the change affects your own flat, under clause (i), or the building and common areas, under clause (ii).
3. Compare any change described as minor with the explanation to clause (i), which excludes area, height and structural changes.
4. Check how the promoter is counting allottees, since family and group holdings count as one under clause (ii).
5. Confirm that flats held by the promoter are being left out of the two-thirds, as clause (ii) says.
6. Give or refuse consent in writing, and keep a copy of what you signed.
7. If changes proceed without the required consent, consider a complaint under Section 31(1) and a compensation claim under Section 71.

Frequently asked questions

Can a builder change the building plan after I book?

Section 14(2)(ii) of the RERA Act says that after sanctioned plans and specifications are disclosed, the promoter shall not make other alterations or additions in the plans and specifications of the buildings or common areas without the previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees, other than the promoter.

Does the builder need my consent to change my own flat?

Yes. Section 14(2)(i) says the promoter shall not make additions or alterations in the sanctioned plans, layout plans, specifications and the nature of fixtures, fittings and amenities of the apartment agreed to be taken without the previous consent of that person, subject to a proviso for minor changes.

What is a minor change under RERA Section 14?

The explanation to Section 14(2)(i) says minor additions or alterations exclude structural changes, including an addition to area, change in height, removal of part of a building, work on walls, columns, beams or floors, changes to required access or egress, and changes to fixtures or equipment.

Does a family with many flats get many votes?

No. The explanation to Section 14(2)(ii) says an allottee is counted as one regardless of how many apartments are booked by him or in his family's name, and companies, firms or associations are counted as one even if units are booked through associated entities or related enterprises.

A consent form is a legal document dressed as a lobby notice. Know which clause it falls under, count carefully and sign only what you have read. This is general buyer information, not legal advice.

Last updated 2026-10-27. PropNewz Team.