The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has begun rolling out its 2025 lottery, offering more than 18,000 flats across the state under its various regional boards. It’s the same format as previous years online registration, staggered releases, limited-time windows but with more locations and units this time, and possibly higher stakes for those priced out of the private housing market.
Applications are open now for the Konkan region. Mumbai follows in September. Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar will stagger their launches through the year. If past years are anything to go by, demand will exceed supply many times over.
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These aren’t luxury apartments. These are flats aimed squarely at households earning Rs 6 lakh to Rs 12 lakh per year or even less who’ve been left behind by private developers and speculative pricing. Some are tucked into redevelopment projects in central locations. Others are in new constructions on the outer fringe. But nearly all are priced well below market value.
Konkan Region Kicks Off: 5,285 Flats, 77 Plots
The first board out of the gate this year is the Konkan Housing Board. It’s offering 5,285 flats and 77 residential plots in Thane, Palghar, Vasai, and Sindhudurg districts. Applications opened on July 14. The deadline is August 13. Draw date: September 3.
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The mix includes units under the 20 per cent inclusive housing rule (565 flats), 3,002 under an integrated urban housing scheme, and 1,677 under the Konkan Housing Scheme’s “50 per cent affordable” tag. The 77 plots mostly in Sindhudurg and Badlapur are for those looking to build.
Mumbai’s Diwali Lottery: 5,000+ Flats, High Demand Expected
The Mumbai Board’s annual Diwali lottery, consistently MHADA’s most oversubscribed, will open for registration on September 15 and close on November 15. Draws are set for December 13.
The board is putting over 5,000 flats on the table, spread across areas like Worli, Jogeshwari, Chunabhatti, and Motilal Nagar. Some are new constructions, others are redeveloped buildings under MHADA’s control. Regardless, the city’s real estate pressure makes these properties hot, and competition will be intense.
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Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Sambhaji Nagar, Also in Play
Pune Board is offering 6,294 units in cities including Pune, Satara, Solapur, Kolhapur, and Sangli. Five schemes are under this umbrella, including First-Come-First-Serve (FCFS), PMAY-linked homes, and social housing. The draw is scheduled for January 28, 2025.
Nashik is releasing 493 flats, including 202 under FCFS. Units are priced between Rs 12 lakh and Rs 25 lakh.
Nagpur Board closed applications in June for 416 flats. Draw is due October 11.
Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar has already allotted 941 flats and 361 plots earlier this year.
Each board operates independently, with its own schedule, locations, and rules. But the state-level objective is the same: make urban housing more accessible to those who’ve been priced out for too long.
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Who Can Apply: Income and Eligibility
MHADA has updated its income slab guidelines for the 2025 lotteries. Categories break down as follows:
EWS (Economically Weaker Section): Annual income up to Rs 6 lakh; carpet area capped at 30 sq.m.
LIG (Low Income Group): Rs 6.01 lakh to Rs 9 lakh; up to 60 sq.m.
MIG (Middle Income Group): Rs 9.01 lakh to Rs 12 lakh; max 160 sq.m.
HIG (High Income Group): Above Rs 12 lakh; flats up to 200 sq.m.
Applicants must be Indian citizens, at least 18 years old, and possess a valid domicile certificate from Maharashtra. Required documentation includes PAN, Aadhaar, income proof, and ITR filings. If married, both spouses’ details must be disclosed. Multiple applications from the same family? That’s disqualification territory.
What Happens If You Don’t Win Or If You Do
Those who don’t win the lottery will get their Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) refunded within seven working days. The application fee and GST are non-refundable. No exceptions.
Winners, on the other hand, must hold the property for five years before resale. Renting is allowed, but only after securing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) and submitting a registered Leave and Licence agreement.
Resale buyers? They’ll need to go through a tedious verification process: no-dues certificate, allotment papers, transfer fees and a wait that could stretch to six months.
Redevelopment Amnesty Extended, Again
MHADA has extended its amnesty schemes until December 31, 2025. These are aimed at societies stuck in redevelopment limbo.
One scheme allows societies to finally obtain occupancy certificates (OCs) without penalty, provided their redevelopment was under MHADA’s domain. The second waives interest on delayed payments for additional redevelopment premiums societies pay just the principal.
Also worth noting: for older buildings redeveloped under DCR 1991 rules, MHADA is now offering a 75 per cent waiver on penalty fees related to plan deviations. That move could unblock dozens of long-pending files.
Digital by Default
As with recent years, everything’s online. Applications, payments, status tracking, and even refunds are handled via lottery.mhada.gov.in and postlottery.mhada.gov.in. Mobile apps for both Android and iOS are also live.
For commercial spaces, MHADA runs a separate e-auction platform mostly for shops and commercial plots outside of the lottery system.
Why This Still Matters
In Maharashtra’s top cities, especially Mumbai and Pune, the average salaried household has little chance in the private market. Construction costs, land prices, and investor speculation have pulled the floor far out of reach. A Rs 20–30 lakh flat, in a reasonably located project, doesn’t exist unless it’s MHADA or government-backed.
