Real estate

Dear Sir,

Under Indian property law and apartment jurisprudence:

Terrace, lift, staircases, corridors, water tanks, etc. are COMMON AREAS
Common areas belong jointly to all apartment owners
Previous owners lose all rights after sale
No individual (past or present) can lock or restrict them

You may give Police complaint + legal notice followed by injunction if needed.

Dear Client,
The open terrace, lift, lobby, and stairs are part of the common area usable by all floor owners of a multi-story building. Legally, a Builder cannot sell it, or a Society cannot permit any floor owner to use the terrace for his own purposes in any multi-storeyed building, which is known as a common area usable by all the floor owners of the Building. This kind of issue is common and mostly occurs in standalone buildings or housing complexes that lack a registered society or association to resolve the matter, as per their bylaws. However, in the given scenario, you can escalate your grievance before the quasi-judicial authorities like the Public Grievance Cell of the District Magistrate Office, Municipal authorities, Dist. Legal Services Authority seeking their intervention to resolve the matter through a mediation process amicably for the sake of peaceful co-existence in the absence of a registered Society/RWA; otherwise, litigation may drag the matter for years, damaging the cordial relationship between the residents of a standalone housing complex.