RAJUK plan approval: what to check before you book

Who approves buildings in and around Dhaka

Within its jurisdiction, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) approves building plans under the city's building construction rules and the Detailed Area Plan (DAP), which sets the permitted land use and building density for each area. Outside RAJUK's area, approvals come from the relevant local authority, such as a city corporation, a municipality (pourashava) or a union parishad.

The authority matters less than the principle: a residential building should not be constructed without an approved plan, and the approved plan should match the location, the land area, the number of storeys and the use you are being sold.

The approvals to ask for

Ask for copies, and ask to see the originals at the developer's office. The core set is:

• Land use clearance, confirming that residential (or commercial) use is permitted on the plot.
• Building construction approval with the approved drawings — site plan, floor plans, sections and elevations — each stamped by the authority.
• The validity date of the approval, because permissions lapse if construction does not start in time.
• Any clearances the building's height or size requires, such as fire safety or environmental clearance.
• After completion, the occupancy certificate confirming that the building was built as approved.

Read the drawings, not just the stamp

Approval drawings show the permitted number of floors, basements and units, the setbacks from the plot boundary, the parking spaces and the permitted floor area. Compare them with the brochure. If the brochure shows eleven storeys and the approval shows nine, or four flats per floor where the plan shows three, ask why before you pay anything.

Then find your own flat in the approved floor plan. Its position, its area and the location of the kitchen and bathrooms should match what you are being sold. Wet areas are stacked vertically for plumbing, so a developer cannot move them later without structural and approval consequences.

Check the site against the plan

Once construction starts, visit and compare. Count the floors being built, check that the building keeps its distance from the neighbouring plots, and note whether the ground floor is left for parking as drawn. Buildings that grow beyond their approvals can face penalties, demolition orders, or difficulty obtaining utility connections and an occupancy certificate — problems that eventually land on the owners.

Asseto keeps each project's approval documents at our office for shareholders to review, and every design change request is checked against the approved plan before we accept it. Our booking policy allows at most two change requests before plan approval, and none that affect the structure or the wet areas.

Red flags

None of the following automatically means a project is unsound, but each deserves a written explanation before you commit money.

• Sales start with no approval or application reference number at all.
• The approved land area is smaller than the land you are being sold a share of.
• The developer will not show the approved drawings, or shows only an application receipt.
• The structure on site is visibly taller or wider than the approved plan.