The old adage of “cleanliness is next to Godliness” is one of the most important tenets in a residential complex or a gated community. Keeping a clean environment requires sustained effort and strict implementation by the management. But what makes it so important and how can a management committee ensure a clean environment within the premises? Read on to find out. 

Why is cleanliness important in a gated community?

The cleanliness of a city falls under the purview of municipal corporations. However, gated communities typically manage many of their civic amenities internally, including the maintenance of clean premises. Hence, the regular cleaning and garbage handling is the management committees’ responsibility. In most societies, these tasks are handled by housekeeping staff that can include cleaners and waste handlers. In some places, gardeners or landscaping staff may also fall into this category as they are responsible for keeping lawns and garden areas clean. These tasks are critical for the following reasons:

• Maintaining hygiene in the society
• Keeping the premises clean and free of clutter
• Ensuring an aesthetic appeal
• Prolonging the lifespan of assets like railings or water/drain pipes. 
• Removing any chances of infestations 
• Keeping a clear path for movement of residents
• Removing chances of fire hazard
• Maintaining resale value 
• Uplifting the spirit of residents

Responsibilities of housekeeping staff

The housekeeping staff is essentially responsible for maintaining clean and hygienic premises. This can include:

• Cleaning common areas, including walls, rugs, and furniture 
• Sweeping of roads and other paved areas 
• Cleaning pipes and drains
• Dusting, wiping, or polishing of assets like lifts, furniture and other soft furnishings. 
• Garbage collection
• Ensuring that water or other waste is not collected at any site for a prolonged period.
• Sweeping, mopping, and vacuuming common areas
• Undertaking minor repair and maintenance work. 

How do MCs ensure a clean environment?

Ensuring clean premises requires a continuous multi-level approach by the management. It’s important here to understand that the responsibility for cleanliness does not lie with the management and cleaners alone. It is also the responsibility of each resident to follow all guidelines on littering, garbage disposal, and coordinating with the cleaning staff. The management ensures cleanliness in the complex premises through the following measures: 

• Regular supervision of cleaning staff to check attendance and performance
• Formulating garbage collection policies to ensure proper segregation and timely collection. 
• Maintaining smooth coordination with municipal bodies or private vendors for timely disposal of garbage. 
• Carrying out timely maintenance of hardware such as pipes and floors. 
• Ensuring hygienic conditions by removing any garbage pile up or water accumulation.
• Regularly supervise and analyse STP capability and functioning. 
• Plan and enforce policies on waste and recycling management.
• Formulate and enforce cleanliness policies, including waste segregation and littering.

How does ApnaComplex help in maintaining cleanliness? 

A key aspect of maintaining a clean society is timely communication. The implementation of cleanliness policies depends on effective and timely communication. ApnaComplex assists the residential communities in ensuring immaculate surroundings by offering residents, management committee, and the staff a common platform of communication. This can assist in the following ways.

• MC can inform all residents of various policies through the ApnaComplex app.
• ApnaComplex Community Wiki acts as a repository of information on various initiatives, articles, tips and newsletters
• Residents can lodge complaints and suggestions.
• ApnaComplex Admin Console helps in professional processing of complaints, suggestions and requests through SLA-based matrices. 

ApnaComplex is India’s leading mobile and web-based platform for apartment management and accounting. It leverages a comprehensive ERP that integrates various dimensions of managing a residential complex, from managing finances, to managing data and operations. ApnaComplex is offered as a hosted solution with zero infrastructure setup by the society