Who Does What: Architect, Contractor, PMC and Developer

Buyers usually discover the delivery structure at the moment something goes wrong, which is the worst possible time. Understanding the roles in a villa construction project before you sign clarifies who you should be speaking to about what — and, more usefully, who carries the obligation when an answer is unsatisfactory.

The developer holds the contractual relationship with you. At MAIA Yelahanka that is MAIA Estates, and the agreement to sell executed at formal launch is between you and the developer rather than with anyone downstream. Whatever the internal arrangement of consultants and contractors, your recourse runs through that single relationship. This matters more than buyers assume, because it means questions about a subcontractor's work are still the developer's to answer.

Design responsibility sits with the architectural team, and this practice is design-led — projects begin with an architectural brief rather than a unit mix. For a house drawn to order, you will engage with that design team directly during design development, agreeing programme and finishes for your own residence. That direct contact is unusual in Indian residential development and is the practical benefit of a small portfolio: 65–70 houses can each carry an individual brief, whereas several hundred cannot.

Construction and supervision are separate functions even when related. A contractor builds; a project management or supervision function checks that what is built matches what was drawn and specified. Ask early how that supervision is structured on this project, who signs off each milestone, and what documentation records it — because your construction-linked payment schedule releases money against those milestones, and you are entitled to understand what verification precedes each release.

Three questions worth asking before booking. Who is your single named point of contact through construction, and does that change at handover? How are defects raised and tracked once you have taken keys? And who holds the commissioning documentation for the systems serving the house and the community — the water treatment plant, rainwater harvesting, the organic waste converter, fire detection? Get those answers in writing rather than in conversation. Reviewing the ask our team about the delivery structure will tell you where the project currently stands.

Related reading: Site Visits During Construction: What You Can Ask For.

FAQs

1. Who am I contractually dealing with?
   The developer. Your agreement to sell sits between you and MAIA Estates, so recourse runs through that relationship regardless of the internal consultant and contractor structure.

2. Do I work with the architect directly?
   During design development, yes. Each residence is developed to a brief with the design team, which is feasible at 65–70 houses.

3. What should I confirm about supervision?
   How supervision is structured, who signs off each milestone, and what documentation records it — since your payment schedule releases against those milestones.