A partial occupancy certificate (POC) is an important document for a property being sold. What exactly is a POC, and what does it entail?
What Partial Occupancy Certificate Means
Buyers cannot occupy a property until the project receives an Occupancy Certificate (OC). Large construction projects that are carried out in stages have the option of obtaining a Partial Occupancy Certificate for completed portions. For example, if a project consists of five buildings, the builder can apply for a partial occupancy certificate once the first building is completed.
Similarly, once the other three buildings are completed, a partial occupancy certificate can be applied. The builder can apply for an Occupancy Certificate (OC) after completing the fifth building, which marks the end of the project.
Conditions of Partial Occupancy Certificate
A partial occupancy certificate is issued when only a portion of a large construction is completed and ready for occupancy. However, there are certain requirements that a construction must meet in order to obtain a partial occupancy certificate. The parameters are as follows:
- Lift services should be completed and functional.
- Electrical Inspectorate certificates should have been issued.
- Facilities for waste management and composting should have been maintained.
- Rainwater harvesting facilities should function.
- The fire department’s approval is mandatory.
- Appropriate arrangements for wastewater treatment must be made.
- Parking is only allowed on the ground and first-floor levels.
Validity of Partial Occupancy Certificate
A partial occupancy certificate is valid only until the authorities issue an occupancy certificate at the end of the entire project. Because the partial occupancy certificate allows occupancy of habitable parts of the project, it is only a temporary solution. This arrangement, however, benefits both the builder and the buyer, as buyers would otherwise have to wait years to occupy the property they have invested in. A builder can also expect more buyers for the remainder of his project if a portion of it is already occupied
Summing up on Partial Occupancy Certificate
Since multi-tower buildings became popular, builders have been completing their construction projects in stages. The option of issuing a partial occupancy certificate is especially useful in this regard, as it benefits both buyers and builders. While a buyer of Tower I would have had to wait for Tower V to be completed, they can now take possession of their Tower I home as soon as it is completed and deemed habitable by the authorities via a partial occupancy certificate. The builder, on the other hand, benefits from increased and faster sales on existing projects.
However, it is important to note that a partial occupancy certificate is not the final legal document required to prove possession of a property. It is actually a temporary certificate issued until the entire project is completed and an occupancy certificate can be issued on the property.