Uttar Pradesh’s real estate regulator is changing how developers report project progress, with digital certification by architects, engineers and chartered accountants becoming mandatory. From the July-September quarter, promoters will have to submit digitally signed certificates from the professionals before filing their quarterly progress reports (QPRs), the Uttar Pradesh Real Estate Regulatory Authority (UP RERA) said on Tuesday.The certificates will have to be submitted directly by the three professionals through the UP RERA portal using their digital signatures.At present, developers update the physical and financial progress of their projects every quarter and upload scanned copies of the certificates, along with photographs and videos. Under the new system, the professionals will submit the certificates themselves, and the project’s quarterly progress will be prepared using this digitally certified data.What changes for developers and homebuyers?The biggest change will be that developers will have to get the project’s progress certified digitally before they can file their quarterly report. Promoters will be able to upload the quarterly progress report (QPR) only after architects, engineers and chartered accountants have submitted their digitally signed certificates through the UP RERA portal.The change is part of UP RERA’s move towards its new “RERA 2.0” web portal, which is in the final stages of development. The digitally certified data will be used to set quarterly targets for projects on the new portal.Until RERA 2.0 is launched, developers will continue to submit their progress reports through the existing portal. UP RERA said using digitally certified data during this transition will ensure there is no information gap.To help developers and professionals adapt to the new system, UP RERA is setting up help desks at its headquarters in Lucknow and its regional office in Greater Noida. These will assist with digital certificate submission and updating project data. The regulator will also issue a detailed standard operating procedure (SOP) for the new process.UP RERA chairman Sanjay R Bhoosreddy said that the move was aimed at making project-related information “more transparent, accurate and updated”.“Submission of certificates through digital signatures by architects, engineers and chartered accountants will ensure professionally certified and reliable information on the progress of each project,” he said.Bhoosreddy said the move was “an important step towards the RERA 2.0 web portal” and would ensure a smooth transition. “It will enable homebuyers, including all stakeholders, to easily access correct and updated information about projects,” he added.
