Real Estate Sector

Small and Medium Real Estate Investment Trusts: Regulatory Landscape

Summary: Regulatory framework towards India’s real estate sector is evolving with rapid phase. SEBI’s proactive move to introduce comprehensive governing skeleton for fractional ownership platforms in the form of small and medium real estate investment trusts under the SEBI (Real Estate Investment Trusts) Regulations, 2014, have created robust net of investors protection, removed transparency gaps and exit liquidity issues. This step has standardized disclosure practices along with regulatory oversight. Further, this paradigm shift has democratized the real estate investment access for high-net-worth individuals while ensuring regulatory and governance norms.Continue Reading Small and Medium Real Estate Investment Trusts: Regulatory Landscape

COVID-19 - Impact on Real Estate

With a lot of disruption and backlog due to coronavirus, all industries, along with the real estate sector, have taken a massive hit. The year 2019 was not such a progressive year and everyone was counting on 2020 to recover and improve from last year’s lows. However, the real estate sector is in a deep standstill on the back of the global economic crisis, coupled with the COVID-19 situation.

This scenario calls for anyone to take precautions and due to restrictive movement because of the travel ban and the stock market crash, developers for one are not looking to take any chance in blocking their money in launching any new projects. At this point, one of the challenges being faced by them is the impact on contracts/agreements due to COVID-19, which are currently in motion/existence. The question being raised is whether the COVID-19 pandemic calls for a force majeure consideration in the existing contracts. Force majeure clause acts as a protection to parties wherein due to any unforeseen circumstances, either of the parties are unable to fulfil their commitment as per the agreed terms and conditions of the contract. To put it simply, due to any acts of god such as fire, flood, war, etc., parties are unable to perform their part as it is not reasonably within the control.
Continue Reading COVID-19: Impact on Real Estate