Statutory Registers Every Maharashtra Co-operative Housing Society Must Maintain

The Register of Members is the most fundamental register in a co-operative housing society. It records the name, address, occupation and date of admission of every current and past member. It also records the flat number, share certificate number, date of issue of share certificate, and the date and manner of cessation of membership (transfer, death, resignation).

Every admission, transfer and resignation of membership must be entered in this register within 30 days of the managing committee's decision. The register must be signed by the Secretary and should be available for inspection by any member on request.

A common audit finding is an outdated Register of Members, where members who sold their flats years ago are still shown as active members, or new members who purchased flats have not been registered. This creates a discrepancy between the membership register and the bill register, which the auditor will flag.

Every co-operative housing society issues share certificates to its members as evidence of membership. The Register of Shares tracks the issuance, transfer and cancellation of share certificates. Each entry must show the share certificate number, the number of shares, the member's name, the date of issue and the nominal value.

On transfer of a flat, the original share certificate must be cancelled and a new one issued in the transferee's name. The cancelled certificate should be kept on record (not destroyed). The Register of Shares must be updated within 30 days of every transfer.

Societies that issue share certificates through SocietyBee can track all issuances, transfers and cancellations digitally. The register is always current and can be exported in the prescribed format for audit purposes.

Every member must submit a nomination form designating a nominee for the flat and shares in the event of the member's death. The Nomination Register records the member's name, flat number, the nominee's name, address and relationship to the member, and the date of nomination.

Nominations can be changed during the member's lifetime with a fresh nomination form. The earlier nomination is superseded, the register must be updated and the old nomination form filed (not destroyed). On the death of a member, the society uses the nomination to transfer the flat to the nominee without requiring a succession certificate in many cases.

Under Maharashtra bye-laws, failure to maintain the Nomination Register or failure to act on a valid nomination can expose the society to legal liability from the nominee's family.

The Bill Register records all bills raised to members in chronological order, identified by bill lot number. Each entry shows the bill lot number, date, member name, flat number and the amount of each component (maintenance, water, parking, interest). The total of the Bill Register must reconcile with the income recorded in the books.

The Receipt Register records all receipts issued to members against payments received. Each receipt has a unique sequential number. The Receipt Register must reconcile with the Cash Book and Bank Book, every payment received must have a corresponding receipt.

The Defaulter Register lists all members with outstanding dues as at the end of each month. It shows the member name, flat number, opening balance, bills raised during the month, payments received and closing outstanding balance. The auditor uses this register to verify whether interest on outstanding dues has been correctly calculated and billed.

The Minutes Book of the Managing Committee records the proceedings of every committee meeting, agenda, attendance, discussions and resolutions. The Minutes Book of the General Body records AGM and EGM proceedings. Both must be signed by the Chairman and Secretary within 30 days of the meeting.

Resolutions authorizing special expenditures, Sinking Fund withdrawals, supplementary levies, late fee rates, and the appointment of the auditor must all be recorded in the Minutes Book. The auditor cross-checks resolutions against financial entries, if a large payment was made without a supporting committee resolution, it is flagged as an unauthorized expenditure.

Digital minutes (stored as PDF) are increasingly accepted in Maharashtra, but the signed original or digitally signed version must be available for inspection. Minutes stored only in WhatsApp messages are not acceptable for audit purposes.