Every year before the monsoon, BMC publishes its list of dangerous and dilapidated buildings, and MHADA’s Repairs Board surveys old cessed buildings in the Island City. For families who receive a notice, it is frightening: Will we be thrown out? Where will we go? Will we ever come back? This guide explains what the notice really means and what to do next.
Landlord or tenant of a pagdi or cessed building? Get a free first assessment from Mungekar Realty of your building’s redevelopment options. Register your property or WhatsApp us on +91 98207 44734.
The four categories
| Category | What it means | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| C1 | Extremely dangerous, unfit to live in | Must be vacated and pulled down |
| C2A | Needs major structural repairs | Must be vacated while repairs are done |
| C2B | Needs major structural repairs | Repairs can be done without vacating |
| C3 | Needs minor repairs | Repairs while residents stay |
The category is usually based on a structural audit by a licensed structural engineer, or BMC’s own inspection.
If your building is C1
- Take it seriously. Building collapses in Mumbai happen almost every monsoon. Your family’s safety comes before everything else.
- Vacating does not end your tenancy. A tenant who leaves a dangerous building on official notice keeps the right to a home in the repaired or rebuilt building. Keep a copy of the notice and proof of your tenancy (rent receipts, ration card, electricity bill).
- Cessed building tenants in the Island City may be offered a room in a MHADA transit camp.
- Before leaving, photograph and video your room and record its exact size.
If you disagree with the category
Sometimes residents feel the building is not as bad as the report says, or that a landlord is using the notice to push tenants out. In that case, the residents can get a second structural audit done. BMC has a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that reviews disputed cases. Approach it quickly with your own engineer’s report, and keep everything in writing.
C2A, C2B and C3: repairs or redevelopment?
If your building needs major repairs again and again, spending money on patchwork may not make sense. Repairs keep the building standing for a few more years; redevelopment gives every family a bigger, safer home. A feasibility report will show whether your plot can support redevelopment and what each family might get.
Why a dangerous notice is a turning point for landlords
For old cessed buildings, Section 79A of the MHADA Act sets a clear order once a building is declared dangerous. The owner gets the first chance to bring a redevelopment proposal, usually within six months, with consent from at least 51% of tenants. If the owner does not act, the tenants get the next chance. If neither acts, MHADA can take over the building and land. A landlord who ignores the notice can lose control of the property.
What to do this week
- Get copies of the notice and the structural audit report.
- Call a meeting of all tenants or members and the landlord.
- Gather tenancy proof for every family.
- Decide quickly between repairs, an appeal to the TAC, or a redevelopment proposal.
- Get an independent feasibility report before speaking to any developer.
Received a notice? Mungekar Realty helps landlords, societies and pagdi buildings across Mumbai turn a dangerous-building notice into a well-planned redevelopment. Call 98207 44734 or visit mungekarrealty.com.
Related reading for landlords and tenants: Sell or redevelop an old tenanted building? · The landlord–developer agreement: clauses to insist on · Getting pagdi tenants to agree to redevelopment
This article is general information, not legal or structural advice. In an emergency, follow the instructions of BMC and the fire brigade first.