Chandigarh Housing Board Reopens Six-Month GPA Transfer Window

What the board decided

At its 435th meeting, held on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, the Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) revived its 2016 General Power of Attorney (GPA) transfer policy with modifications. The meeting was chaired by H Rajesh Prasad, the UT Chief Secretary, who also serves as CHB Chairman.

The revived policy is a one-time exception lasting six months. It covers only GPAs executed before 11 October 2011, the cut-off set by the Supreme Court in the Suraj Lamp case.

The same meeting recommended a one-time interest waiver of about Rs 20 crore. The board says it would benefit about 14,000 licensees and their families. The waiver covers licensees under the Small Flats Scheme-2006 and the Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC) scheme, including those whose licences were cancelled for non-payment.

Why GPA transfers were stopped

The Supreme Court's Suraj Lamp ruling held that sales made through a GPA or a sale agreement do not transfer legal ownership. Following a direction from the UT Finance Department, the CHB stopped accepting GPA and special power of attorney (SPA) transfer applications from January 2018.

The Finance Department's directions of 19 December 2017 said no title transfer or mutation could be carried out merely on the basis of a GPA or SPA. Wills executed with these documents were also not to be considered.

An earlier CHB policy had allowed GPA-based transfers for documents executed on or before 11 October 2011. Reports give the year of that policy as either 2015 or 2016.

Who is affected

The policy applies to CHB flats and houses in Chandigarh city. Nirmal Datt, chairman of the CHB Residents' Welfare Federation, said the move would benefit nearly 30,000 house owners. That figure is his own estimate, not a CHB figure.

Datt said many buyers hold possession of their flats and related documents but still face legal hurdles in obtaining formal ownership. He also said the UT Administration had accepted GPA-based ownership transfers in 2001, and that the board had decided to accept wills as a mode of transfer.

For the interest waiver, licensees must clear all dues outstanding as on 31 October 2026. Payment can be made in one go or in instalments before 31 October 2027, or before the expiry of the term, whichever is earlier.

Fee changes under ARHC

Allotments under ARHC were made at a monthly licence fee of Rs 3,000, compared with Rs 800 under the Small Flats Scheme-2006. The board has recommended a fee cut under ARHC that would match Small Flats Scheme-2006 rates.

The proposed cut applies to beneficiaries with gross annual income below Rs 1.5 lakh from all sources. A report on the meeting adds that it also covers priority ration card holders, persons with disabilities, destitute persons and widows.

What the change means for buyers and investors

Buyers who have taken possession of GPA-held flats may gain a route to formal ownership. Such flats are difficult to sell legally or to offer as loan security without a clear title. The policy is a short-term opening, and it is limited to older transactions.

For investors, the case highlights the difference between possession and legally perfected title in legacy transactions. A report on the decision says the policy trades some short-term revenue for faster recovery of old dues and cleaner property titles.

Relief depends on approval from UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria. Until that approval is given, neither the transfer window nor the interest waiver takes effect.

Context: the CHB's wider 2026 decisions

On 16 September 2026, the CHB board approved a framework for need-based changes in independent houses and lifts in CHB flats. That decision is also pending UT Administrator approval. Over 25,000 notices for need-based-change violations were pending against allottees before that decision.

The CHB has allotted about 2,000 ARHC flats, part of the Centre's PMAY-Urban programme, to families moved out of pre-fabricated shelters in Sectors 52 and 56. The board was established in 1976 and operates under the Chandigarh Housing Board (Allotment, Management & Sale of Tenements) Regulations, 1979.

What happens next

• UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria must approve the GPA policy and the interest waiver before they take effect. Any approval may come with conditions.
• Licensees who want the interest waiver must clear all dues by 31 October 2027, or by the expiry of the term if that comes earlier.
• Datt has asked the board to clarify the transfer fee for GPA cases.
• Datt has also raised an open question about whether the revived policy will stay limited to transactions executed before October 2011 or extend to other eligible old cases.