PUNE: Owning a house is an accomplishment for most people.However, occupying one without the essential documents can land them in trouble. When Vivek Lokhande's builder told him that he could occupy his newly bought flat since he possessed the completion certificate, Lokhande was more than glad. First thing to cross his mind was all the money he will save on rent.Little did he know that by occupying the flat without the occupancy certificate , he was indulging in an illegal activity .As per the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), occupying a flat without the occupancy certificate is illegal. "There must be no confusion that completion and occupancy are two different certificates. Occupying a flat without the occupancy certificate is illegal," PMC's city engineer Prashant Waghmare told TOI.Flat buyers tend to believe their occupancy becomes legal once the civic body starts charging them property tax . "This, however, is not true. The occupancy certificate is a must," Aniruddha Pawaskar, PMC's executive engineer, said."The occupancy certificate confirms that a property is livable as per the civic standards," Pawaskar said, adding that the PMC has right to impose heavy fines on those occupying flats without the occupancy certificate.As per civic officials, while the completion certificate guarantees that a construction has taken place as per the plan, the occupancy certificate is a green signal for actual possession."It is vital for seeking civic services and for future financial transactions," they said.When contacted, builders claimed that there was no difference between the occupancy and the completion certificates. Shantilal Kataria, president Credai Maharashtra, sa id, "There is no difference between the two. Completion certificate means occupancy certificate. In Pune, we only apply for the completion certi ficate".Even Sanjay Deshpande of Sanjeevani developers said, "As a builder, I have always applied for the completion certifi cate. I am not aware of the separate occupancy certificate concept.If it is so, the PMC must clarify .There is a need to modify rules in this regard."

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