Standard Amenities a Developer Should Provide in Your Redevelopment
Lifts, parking, water, power backup, security, CCTV, fire safety and more — the amenities your society should insist on, and how to lock each one into the registered agreement.
The standard amenities a developer should provide in a Mumbai redevelopment are the everyday essentials that make a building safe, secure and comfortable to live in: working lift(s), enough parking, reliable water storage and supply, power backup for common services, security with CCTV, a proper fire-fighting system with a refuge area, a society office, and well-finished common and recreation spaces. Just as important as the list itself is the quality of each item and the fact that every one of them is written, with exact specifications, into your registered development agreement. A promise made only in a glossy brochure, a WhatsApp message or a site-office conversation is very hard to enforce later; a clear clause in the agreement is not.
This guide explains the amenities members should insist on, how to describe them so they are actually enforceable, and the law that protects the sanctioned plans and specifications once construction begins.
Why amenities belong in the agreement, not the brochure
In redevelopment, the developer builds a brand-new building in place of your old one and hands each member a new flat. Everything you are promised in return — the extra carpet area, the corpus (a one-time lump sum paid to members), the rent during construction, and the amenities — is only as good as the document that records it. Under the Section 79A redevelopment directive dated 4 July 2019, the development agreement (DA) and the individual permanent alternate accommodation agreements (PAAAs) signed with each member must be registered. Registration matters because the Registration Act, 1908 (Section 17) makes documents that create rights in immovable property compulsorily registrable; an unregistered side-promise carries very little weight in a dispute.
The practical rule is simple: if an amenity is not in the registered agreement, with a specification, treat it as if it does not exist. Brochures almost always carry a disclaimer that images are "artist's impressions" and are not binding — which is exactly why builders are happy to show lavish lobbies and landscaping that never make it into the contract.
The core amenities checklist
Use the table below as a starting checklist. Adapt it to your building's size and budget, but make sure each row ends up in the agreement as a numbered specification rather than a vague word.
| Amenity | Why it matters | Write this into the agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Lift(s) | Taller rebuilt buildings depend on lifts every day; the make and capacity decide waiting time and running cost. | Number of lifts, brand/make, passenger capacity, and whether a stretcher or service lift is included. |
| Parking | Parking is scarce in Mumbai and a common cause of disputes after possession. | Exact number of spaces per flat, type (open, stack, podium or mechanical) and their marked location on the layout plan. |
| Water storage and supply | Adequate tanks and pumps prevent daily shortages once the building is fully occupied. | Underground and overhead tank capacities in litres, pump details, and any treatment or metering. |
| Power backup | Keeps lifts, pumps and common lighting running during power cuts. | Generator (DG set) capacity in kVA, exactly which common services it covers, and whether each flat gets a backup point. |
| Security and CCTV | Protects residents and controls who enters the building. | Number and coverage of CCTV cameras, recording retention, intercom system, and a security cabin. |
| Fire-fighting and refuge area | Legally required life-safety systems; the refuge area is protected floor space for escape during a fire. | Fire system as per the approved plan and fire NOC, and the refuge area clearly shown and marked on the plan. |
| Society office | A dedicated space for the managing committee to run the society and store records. | A society/committee office of a stated carpet area, with its location fixed on the plan. |
| Common and recreation areas | Lobby, community hall, gym, children's play area and landscaping add daily value. | Each space named, its area stated, and the finish level described. |
| Finishes and fittings | The difference between a premium flat and a bare shell lies in the fittings. | Flooring, sanitaryware and CP fittings, doors, windows, kitchen platform and electrical points — by brand and model, or an agreed equivalent. |
Quality specifications matter as much as the list
Two buildings can carry "the same" amenities on paper and yet feel completely different, because a single word hides the quality. "Vitrified flooring" could mean a budget tile or a premium one; "branded lift" could mean any brand at all. The fix is to insist on a specifications annexure — often called a schedule of amenities and specifications — attached to the agreement, listing brand names and models with the phrase "or approved equivalent" so the developer keeps only limited, reasonable flexibility. Wherever a number can be stated — camera count, tank litres, generator kVA, parking spaces per flat, refuge area in square feet — state it. You can then line up competing developer offers side by side using our offer comparison tool, so a longer amenities list built on cheaper materials does not fool anyone.
RERA protects the sanctioned plans and specifications
Most redevelopment projects must be registered with MahaRERA (the Real Estate Regulatory Authority for Maharashtra). Two provisions of the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 are especially useful for amenities:
- Section 14 — once the plans and specifications are sanctioned and disclosed, the developer cannot change the sanctioned plans, layout or the specifications of your flat without your written consent, and cannot make other alterations to the building or common areas without the consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees (the members who have been allotted flats). This is what stops a builder from quietly downgrading materials or shrinking a common amenity after you have signed.
- Section 14(3) — if any structural defect, or a defect in workmanship, quality or provision of services, is noticed within five years of possession, the developer must set it right at no extra charge, generally within 30 days of being told. This five-year defect-liability period is your safety net for amenities that fail or were never finished properly.
Because these protections attach to what was sanctioned and disclosed, the disclosed specifications must genuinely reflect what you were promised. If the amenities in the RERA disclosures and the registered agreement are thinner than the brochure, the brochure loses — one more reason to get everything in writing before signing.
Parking, refuge areas and open spaces are not the builder's to sell
Some amenities are protected by their very nature. Parking spaces, refuge areas, staircases, lift lobbies, terraces and mandatory open spaces are common areas or mandatory reservations — as a general principle, a builder cannot carve them out and sell them separately to outsiders, nor take them away from the society. A refuge area in particular is a life-safety reservation required on the approved plan; it must stay open and accessible and cannot be converted into a saleable flat. Our guide on the refuge area and fire safety explains how to check this on your sanctioned plan.
How much parking and common area your plot can actually support depends on the permissible FSI (Floor Space Index — the ratio that decides how much can be built on the plot) and the development control rules that apply to your plot, which are plot-specific. Rather than trusting a round figure quoted verbally, work out realistic numbers for your building with our FSI calculator and additional area calculator, and confirm them in a feasibility report.
Why vague amenity promises are a red flag
Vague wording is rarely an accident; it is the gap through which a project is quietly downgraded. Watch for these warning signs before you sign:
- Words like "premium", "imported" or "state-of-the-art" with no brand, model or number attached.
- Amenities shown in the brochure or a presentation but missing from the agreement's schedule.
- A clause letting the developer change amenities "at its sole discretion" — this tries to sidestep the Section 14 consent requirement.
- No stated area for the society office, community hall or recreation space.
- No mention of the refuge area, the fire system, or the number of parking spaces per flat.
Before you sign, run the draft against our red flags in a development agreement guide, and lift enforceable wording from the agreement clause library so that every amenity above becomes a firm, checkable commitment.
Related guides & tools
Common questions
Do the amenities have to be listed in the development agreement, or is the brochure enough?
The brochure is not enough. Brochures usually state that images are only artist's impressions and are not binding. Insist on a schedule of amenities and specifications, with brands and numbers, annexed to the registered development agreement — anything left out is very hard to enforce later.
Can the developer change the promised amenities after we sign?
Not freely. Under Section 14 of RERA, 2016 the developer cannot alter the sanctioned plans or your flat's specifications without your written consent, and cannot change other building or common-area works without the consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees. Any clause letting the builder change amenities at its sole discretion is a red flag.
How long is the developer responsible for fixing defects in the new building?
Under Section 14(3) of RERA, if a structural defect or a defect in workmanship, quality or services shows up within five years of possession, the developer must repair it free of charge, generally within 30 days of being notified. Keep this five-year defect-liability period in mind for amenities that fail early.
Can the builder sell our parking or the refuge area separately?
As a general principle, no. Parking, refuge areas, staircases, lobbies and mandatory open spaces are common areas or mandatory reservations and cannot be carved out and sold separately. A refuge area is a life-safety reservation on the approved plan and must stay open and accessible.
What does quality specification mean and why does it matter?
It means naming the exact brand, model, size or number for each amenity instead of a vague word. Vitrified flooring or a branded lift can mean cheap or premium. A specifications annexure listing brands (with or approved equivalent) and numbers is what makes an amenity enforceable.
Are a society office and power backup compulsory?
A dedicated society office and power backup for common services are standard expectations that a well-run society should negotiate, and members routinely get them written in. Whether a specific item is legally mandatory depends on the approved plan and local rules, so state the office's carpet area and the generator's capacity in the agreement rather than relying on custom.
What if the amenities delivered are worse than promised?
If the delivered work is below the registered specifications, you can rely on the RERA Section 14 protection and the Section 14(3) defect-liability window, and you may also have a deficiency-of-service remedy under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019. Your strongest evidence is the signed specifications annexure, so keep it safe.
How do we compare amenities across different developer offers?
List each offer's amenities with their exact specifications side by side, so a longer list built on cheaper materials does not look better than a shorter list of higher quality. Our offer comparison tool is built for this; back it with an FSI calculation and a feasibility report to confirm what your plot can actually support.
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