India, July 21 -- You've paid upwards of Rs.4 crore for a sea-facing apartment in Mumbai, yet you may not be allowed to hang a towel or a set of freshly washed clothes on your own balcony. Across several premium residential developments, from Worli and Bandra to Powai and Lower Parel, housing societies have introduced rules prohibiting residents from drying clothes or towels in balconies or outside windows. The rationale is simple: preserve the building's facade, maintain a premium aesthetic, and, many believe, protect property values.

However, these restrictions raise an important question about the limits of a housing society's powers. Can an apartment association dictate how residents use their private balconies? While Mumbai has no m...