Mumbai flat owner to get Rs 71.62 lakh refund over shoddy renovation, consumer commission orders

The Maharashtra State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission has ordered an interior design company to return more than Rs 71.62 lakh to a Mumbai flat owner. The commission said the company left the renovation unfinished and that the work it did was substandard. According to the commission, this created a "life-threatening hazard". It described the company's conduct as "an example of negligence and deficiency in service".

The case concerns Livspace India Private Limited, a company headquartered in Bengaluru. The commission rebuked it for "administrative chaos and lack of professional oversight". In its order of November 5, the commission said key officials assigned to the project left the work without giving any notice. Project managers were also replaced at will, without the approval of the homeowner. According to the order, this left the multi-crore project "completely rudderless" for months.

The commission also said the company adopted "deceptive business practices". It took money by promising branded goods and high-grade materials, but consistently installed inferior products instead. The commission also expressed deep shock and anguish at the "gross negligence and dangerous workmanship".

The complainants live in Goregaon, Mumbai. They told the commission that they had entrusted the company with the interior design and renovation of their 30th-floor apartment. They said they paid Rs 71,62,004 as advance for the work. According to them, the work was to be completed in 90 to 120 days, and the handover date was fixed as July 1, 2024. The date was later extended to September 1, 2024.

The complainant says the company could not finish the work even by the extended date and left the project incomplete. They also alleged that it created serious safety hazards. As evidence, they cited an incident in which a wrongly fitted kitchen shutter fell on their wife's head. Distressed by endless delays, poor workmanship, mental agony and the company's failure to respond, they approached the consumer commission.