A Homebuyer Needs an Enforceable Remedy, Not Another Promise — Editorial by Khazi Altaf Hussian

06-November-2026

The Forum for People’s Collective Efforts has renewed the debate over real-estate regulation by seeking stronger homebuyer protection and greater accountability of regulatory authorities. Its proposals, reported on 2 November, include separating sector promotion from consumer protection and reconsidering the institutional administration of the law. These are advocacy proposals, not enacted changes.

The Property Times believes the central issue deserves attention regardless of whether every proposed structural change is accepted. A buyer needs a remedy that works within a meaningful period.

A family confronting a delayed home cannot measure protection solely through the existence of a regulator, a registered project or a favourable order. The practical questions concern compliance, recovery and eventual resolution.

The Property Times questions whether public performance reporting places sufficient emphasis on what happens after an order is issued. A count of complaints disposed of cannot, by itself, establish that buyers received possession or recovered money.

Responsible developers also benefit from credible enforcement. Confidence weakens when compliant firms and persistently non-compliant operators appear indistinguishable to prospective buyers.

The Property Times recommends a public enforcement dashboard showing orders issued, compliance achieved, recovery action and unresolved delays, with appropriate privacy safeguards.

Governments should examine staffing, vacancies and coordination problems before assuming that legislative renaming alone will deliver improvement. Regulators should explain recurring obstacles and publish action plans.

Homebuyer protection becomes credible when a lawful remedy produces a practical result. An order that remains unimplemented cannot be treated as the end of the regulator’s responsibility.