Only 7% of real estate agents registered with the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA) have been certified by the agency to provide professional services.

In January, the authority had made it mandatory for all agents to get certified by September 1. It had directed agents to take a course followed by a test to get the certificate.

Of the 44,858 registered real estate agents with MahaRERA, only 3,217 agents have received the certification so far, the authority said in a report on Tuesday. “Of the two exams taken, 405 cleared in the first, followed by 2,812 in the second. Only 7% of the total registered [agents] have cleared the tests and got their certification,” a MahaRERA official said adding that the low result could mean that the deadline may be extended.

Agents have also urged MahaRERA to extend the deadline by six to seven months. Sachin Shingavi, the president of Association of Real Estate Agents Pune, said an exam is not necessary for agents.

“It is a futile effort. If a developer uploads all details on the website, there is no way the agent would falter and cheat the homebuyer. We have put this up to MahaRERA,” he told TOI, adding that the Rs 5,000 fee for the test is steep.

Mustafa Kothambawala, a MahaRERA-registered agent from Pune who has operated for over 20 years and is yet to take the test, said: “All MahaRERA-registered projects are supposed to follow the norms and it is totally unnecessary to make this certification mandatory. A special test is uncalled for.”

Another real estate agent who wanted to reman anonymous said the authority should immediately issue an order to extend the deadline since such a large number of agents have not yet taken the tests or been certified. This would avoid confusion for homebuyers, he said.

The training for agents includes virtual tours of the MahaRERA portal to familiarise them with the process to get details of promoters, projects and legal title. The one-hour online test covered questions on responsibilities of promoters, homebuyers and agents.

Source: realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com