All posts by Praveen G P

In a recent circular, the Department of Revenue has brought more clarity into the GST Calculation of Resident Welfare Associations(RWA). We have put together a comprehensive guide on how this may impact your Society and how ApnaComplex can help your Society adhere to GST regulations effortlessly.

Q: Is our RWA required to collect GST on Monthly maintenance collected from our members?

A: Your RWA is required to pay GST only if both of these conditions are met:

• Aggregate Turnover of your RWA > Rs.20 lakh per year
• Maintenance charged per member per month > Rs. 7500

Your RWA is exempt from GST even if one of these conditions is not met.

To auto-calculate GST for your RWA, just spend a few minutes and update the tax structure for your Society in ApnaComplex. ApnaComplex automatically generates GST Computation Report which exactly specifies how much GST your Society has to pay for a particular time period.

Q: Can our RWA take an input tax credit of GST for payment of Capital goods and Services towards our vendors?

A: Yes, RWA can claim an input tax credit of GST paid on capital goods (generators, water pumps, lawn furniture, etc.), goods (taps, pipes, other sanitary/hardware fillings, etc.) and input services such as repair and maintenance services.

In the ApnaComplex expenditure module, while entering the bills, you can capture the GST levied by the vendors. ApnaComplex’s GSTR 3B report automatically shows the GST inflow credits on payment made towards your vendors for Goods and Services. This report will exactly indicate how much GST credits can be claimed by your RWA.

Q: If a member owns two or more flats in the housing society or residential complex, will the ceiling of Rs. 7500/- per month per member on the maintenance be applied per residential apartment or per person?

A: As per the general business sense, a person who owns two or more residential apartments in a housing society or a residential complex shall normally be a member of the RWA for each residential apartment owned by him separately. The ceiling of Rs. 7500/- per month per member shall be applied separately for each residential apartment owned by him. For example, if a person owns two residential apartments in a residential complex and pays Rs. 15000/- per month as maintenance charges towards the maintenance of each apartment to the RWA (Rs. 6000/- per month for one apartment and Rs. 9000/- for the other apartment), the exemption from GST shall be applicable on the apartment whose maintenance is Rs. 6000/-.

ApnaComplex’s 100% automated invoicing lets you set up recurring against all or select flats based on formulae or fixed value or both. Our intuitive interface lets you configure maintenance charge calculation methodology yourself without the need to get in touch with our Support. Visit ApnaComplex Portal > Income > Member Income > Recurring Invoice to set up a recurring invoice to your members.

Q: How should the RWA calculate GST payable where the maintenance charges exceed Rs. 7500/- per month per member? Is the GST payable only on the amount exceeding Rs. 7500/- or on the entire amount of maintenance charges? 

A: In case the charges exceed Rs. 7500/- per month per member, the entire amount is taxable. For example, if the maintenance charges are Rs. 9000/- per month per member, GST @18% shall be payable on the entire amount of Rs. 9000/- and not on [Rs. 9000 – Rs. 7500] = Rs. 1500/-.

ApnaComplex enables you to easily define the GST calculation methodology in accordance with the above rule. Just select ‘No’ for “Apply Tax on the excess amount” field in your GST tax structure on ApnaComplex. 

 For your reference: GST-circular-No-cgst-109

If you need any assistance in harnessing the full capabilities of ApnaComplex’s accounting module, schedule a demo here. We would be happy to help.

Security Guard Patrolling within the Apartment Society is probably the most important daily routine that keeps your Apartment Society secure at night. Unfortunately, Guard Patrol is also one of the processes that is not tracked with rigor it deserves. Most societies don’t know if the Security Guard Patrol is happening as per schedule or if the patrol is covering all nooks and corners of your Apartment Society.

But no one can be blamed for this situation. The alternative involved spending an inordinate amount of money on security infrastructure, until now. With the launch of Guard Patrol tracking, ApnaComplex has changed the game.

Security Guard Patrol is our latest innovative solution that just uses Geo-tagged QR Codes and our App to give the bulletproof security to your Apartment Society. Your residents don’t have to spend a single penny of their hard-earned money on infrastructure or software as Guard Patrol tracking is already part of your ApnaComplex Subscription. You can set-up guard patrol tracking in your society right away.

Here’s how it Works:

• In just a few clicks, define the patrol route and checkpoints inside your Apartment Society covering all the risky areas.
• Each checkpoint is geo-tagged. This ensures the guard actually covers that location and checks in.
• Your guards can simply check-in by scanning a QR Code or tapping an NFC Card or using any of your existing security systems.
• You will also get a detailed automated report with an accurate record of all patrols inside your Apartment Society.

If you are an existing ApnaComplex Customer, please refer our self-help guide to setup patrol tracking in your Society today or go through our Youtube video attached here. If you don’t already have ApnaComplex, it’s high time you schedule a demo with our experts here. We have a lot more similar innovations in store to make Living in Apartment Society, a pleasant and convenient experience for residents, committee members, and security guards.

International Women’s Day is no longer a new topic today. It is celebrated across the World in order to recognize and appreciate the contributions and achievements of the women in various fields. Starting from being Home-maker to Management Committee members to Working Professionals, they truly define the spirit of today’s women. Today, we decided to talk to three such women about their journey in ApnaComplex and how they are leading their lives with multiple roles and responsibilities.

These women are super confident and self-motivated either at home or at the workplace. Mrs. Prema Robert, Head of Human Resource at ApnaComplex quoted that “Confidence comes from the kind of responsibilities that I get it, more the responsibility that is given to me, the more I feel confident and that makes me explore more, learn more and motivates me to give my best.” Mrs. Arundhati Sen Pradhan, Head of Strategic Partnerships at ApnaComplex states “Motivation comes from the team that I work with, the people that I work with, gives me the motivation to do best in what I do”.

They mentioned that it has been a great journey so far and it is fun working at ApnaComplex. It is quite an experience for anyone to manage multiple roles. Ms. Monika Mitruka, Software Developer at ApnaComplex finds the experience ‘’very challenging and satisfactory.” They also mentioned that the key to confidence is knowledge & learning. These women feel privileged being women as they feel that they have the ability to handle both work and family life.

At ApnaComplex, they all have built stronger social connections amongst themselves. They advised that everyone has her own way of doing things and everyone should have belief in themselves first. Mrs. Arundhati concluded as “It is a very fun life, live to the fullest.” At ApnaComplex, people are full of enthusiasm, confidence and most importantly motivated to face all the odds. Moreover, accomplishing these odds has always been a challenging situation for these women.

Raj Sekhar Kommu – Co-founder and CEO of ApnaComplex says “We are pleased to celebrate International Women’s Day with all the amazing superwomen at ApnaComplex. International Women’s Day is celebrated globally to highlight and honor the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women, and to call for gender equality. At ApnaComplex, we firmly believe in gender equality and are forever grateful to every female employee who is an integral part of ApnaComplex.”

In our continuous endeavor to make management of your Society efficient and effective, we have released a few major enhancements to the most widely used capability in ApnaComplex  – the humble, yet world-class Complaint Box. These changes incorporate the latest best practices in managing a Society Helpdesk by Facility Management teams – with two key goals, reducing the efforts of Facility Management Staff and Improving Resident Satisfaction. As always, ApnaComplex continues to innovate and raise the bar.

Here is a gist of the key changes we have implemented:

1. Take your Society’s Issue Resolution to next level. When a complaint is closed, the facility management team now has an option to update “Root Cause” of the complaint. This helps the FM team to tag the core reason why an issue happened. The report for all complaints shall help the Facility Management team understand the areas to focus on for improving resident satisfaction.
2. Despite best intentions, some complaints cannot be solved. Committee now has the ability to tag a complaint as “non-solvable” after member re-opens a complaint X number of times. Once a complaint is tagged as non-solvable member will not be able to re-open the same. X can be configured in the settings panel.
3. ApnaComplex complaint box now has the ability to configure if the resident can see the actual staff name who is working on the complaint (by default it is shown). If enabled, the resident would not see the details of the staff who exactly is working on a complaint. It helps in avoiding the residents to call up the staffs directly and encourages process compliance.
4. We have 50% of our customer demanding that when a resident logs a complaint, it must default to a ‘Personal’ Complaint and the rest saying exactly opposite that it must be ‘Community’ complaint. To keep everyone happy, admins can now set default complaint type for their society.
5. The new Complaint Box supports the ability to optionally select a Unit for ‘Community’ type of complaints (which was restricted to ‘Personal’ complaints in the past). This helps when Helpdesk staff has to log a community complaint on behalf of a Resident.
6. Admins and Staff can now change the complaint type (from ‘Personal’ to ‘Community’ or vice-versa). As a bonus, Complaint Box now allows the nature of the complaint (from complaint to suggestion etc.), update the urgency status and even change the unit # if needed.
7. Complaint Box now supports the ability to add ‘Private Notes’ against complaints which are only visible to the administrators. Staff can keep adding internal updates on a complaint as private notes, which are only visible to admins and not to the resident. This helps the staff in maintaining updates at one place for a given complaint.
8. The most coolest feature of the new Complaint Box – Ability to create “templates” which can be used by Staff when adding notes against a complaint. Templates will help staff to respond to complaints professionally and in a consistent way. We are sure residents of your society will feel the difference in the quality of responses. In addition, this saves significant time for staff as the efforts of typing reduce significantly.

Have you ever thought about how you should place different objects at home as per Vastu?  Do you know the direction, colour, and material of the cash locker and almirah for wealth and prosperity? Yes, it is very important to know the placement, colour, and material before placing any object or item. Here are some Guidelines for placing an Almirah (wardrobe) or Cash Locker that you must apply now:

1. Do not use almirah made of stones or marbles. Always prefer wood or iron almirah in the bedroom.
2. Almirah should be placed in Southwest direction so that it opens in North or East.
3. Almirah should be in some subtle colours like cream or light colour shades.
4. Make sure not to have any mirror on the Southwest almirah.
5. Placement of Almirah has different impacts for different rooms and should be placed as per Vastu guidelines.
6. For Bedroom Almirah-

• Place bedroom cabinet or almirah in Northeast or Southwest corner.
• Mirrors on almirah must be avoided especially if this almirah is placed in your bedroom.
• If there is a mirror on the bedroom almirah, make sure it is not facing the bed.
• Avoid dark coloured wardrobe or almirah in the bedroom. Use light-coloured almirah.
• For the bedroom, the almirah or wardrobe should open in east or south direction.

7. For Cash Almirah-

• Make sure the cash almirah or locker is comprised of a single door.
• The placement of the cash almirah or locker should be such that it is facing the North. Since North is the direction of Kuber, so it is believed that Lord Kuber refills the cash.
• Do not place the cash almirah in Northeast, more expenses will be there and ultimately loss of cash.

Conclusion- There is no substitute for hard work, but if you follow these guidelines it helps to balance the energies in the surroundings and attract more positivity to your home.

We are at a fast pace for growth. Growth for a better future and for a better world. But have you ever imagined what if there is no money or financial dearth in your life?  Nobody has seen the future, it’s essential to save than regret later. There are different types of solutions available in the market on money management. Retaining money is not that easy. It needs lots of planning.

Let’s talk on some easy and effective vastu changes to ensure a positive outcome and more money inflow.

Cash Almirah or Locker– It is very important to understand where to keep your cash, almirah or Locker. Place the cash almirah or locker in the Southwest or South wall so that it opens in the North. This is the direction of Lord Kuber. It is believed that Lord Kuber refills the cash almirah so this is how you attract money.

Main door instructions– Never place big or high trees in the Northeast direction outside your home as this creates an obstacle for the cash inflow. Also, keep the main entrance clutter free and if there is any shoe rack, replace it away from the main door or entrance.

Place a fish aquarium– An aquarium is used especially to enhance money, career and luck. If used properly in the right direction, it brings wealth and abundance in the home. To know the best direction, you can read http://community.vastudekho.com/3785/attract-wealth-and-luck-placing-aquarium-vastu-tips-aquarium

Check these other important Vastu Dekho measures to ensure no blockades for the cash inflow-

• Never place big or high trees in the Northeast direction outside your home as this creates an obstacle for the cash inflow.
• Lord Kuber and Goddess Lakshmi like cleanliness so ensure that all the windows and doors of the house are properly cleaned. If not, they will obstruct the flow of money and wealth inside your house.
• Leaking Taps in the house is a BIG NO. Since water is symbolic of money so it is believed that if water is getting waste then money is also getting wasted.

The way you decorate your home says a lot about you. But unknowingly, many times we bring such images, idols or showpieces that disturb our happiness and positivity and ultimately we ruin our lives by ourselves.

I was wondering why there is an increased negativity in my home until I recognize these very important facts.

Let’s talk about these 15 things that affect our lives. You may not be knowing the negative effects of these things:

1. Broken or unused clocks- as we all know time is symbolic of Growth. It is highly recommended to avoid keeping a wall clock that is not in use or broken.
2. Old Calendars- similar to Clock a calendar also signifies growth, so avoid keeping an old calendar on the walls of the house. Also please make sure if you are hanging current year calendar then you must keep the current month and date open.
3. Cactus, Bonsai or thorny plants- Except Rose and medicinal plants, avoid keeping cactus and thorny plants at your home as these are inauspicious. Do not place any bonsai plant as they represent short/ little growth.
4. Negative Images- Never keep images that depicts negativity like- sadness, loneliness, war scene, trees without fruits or flowers, nude, hunting scenes, fight scenes using swords, captured elephant, weeping or crying image. If you have such images remove immediately.
5. Taj Mahal Picture or idol- Taj Mahal is considered as an epitome of love but it is actually a grave that symbolizes death and inactiveness. So avoid keeping Taj Mahal picture or idol at home.
6. Broken furniture- If you have broken furniture, pots or vessels that are not in use and unrepairable. Throw them off to remove negative energy.
7. Mirrors- Mirrors should be kept wisely. Make sure not to place any mirror in front of your bed. Your image should never be reflected when you are sleeping. Put a curtain or cloth if you have a mirror in front of your bedroom. Legends say if you have broken mirrors at home, it brings bad luck for seven years and a broken marriage too.
8. Avoid things under your bed- Never keep anything under your bed as it causes disruptions and disturbed sleep. Also, make sure you don’t keep any footwear under your bed before sleeping.
9. Statue or Paintings of Animals- Don’t put any image or showpiece of any wild animals and birds like snakes, owl, vulture, bat, pigs, pigeons, crows, tiger, etc. Vastu recommends not to keep any picture or statue of a single bird or animal in a couple’s room. Keeping wild animals and bird’s image or showpiece brings Violent Attitude in your life.
10. Pictures of Ramayana and Mahabharata War scenes- Never place such pictures that depicts fight story or scenes from Ramayana or Mahabharata as it strongly brings rivalry among family members.
11. Black Door- Avoid black door as your Main entrance door. According to Chinese Feng Shui tradition, a black door invites bad luck to your house EXCEPT if the door faces the North.
12. Avoid placing Empty Rocking Chairs- Avoid placing empty rocking chairs at home as it invites dark forces to come and sit in it.
13. Brocken Crockery- if you have broken plates, cups or any crockery, remove immediately. Crockery symbolizes wealth and family so when you eat on broken or chipped plates, you are subconsciously inviting failures and troubles in your life.
14. Sinking Boat or sinking Titanic Image- I also kept Titanic image at home, until I knew its bad effects. A sinking boat depicts a failing or deteriorating relationship so if you have one in your home, throw it immediately.
15. Nataraja- This is an image of cosmic dancer Shiva and it is found mostly in every dancer’s house. As we see it has two different meaning. One that symbolizes tremendous art form and other symbolizes destruction.

Conclusion- It is good to décor home as you love, but at the same time it is very important to know the adverse or bad effects of these decorative before it’s too late!

Managing the affairs of an apartment complex is not just the responsibility of the Managing Committee. Surprised? Don’t be. Just as the quality of your family life depends on the behaviour of all members of the family, in the same way managing a society depends on the behaviour of all the residents living in that apartment complex. How you interact with the committee and the rest of the residents has an effect on the management of the society. We have listed below a few such interactions which can decide how well your society functions.

Breach of bye-laws

In an apartment complex, it is quite common for a resident to lock horns with a member of the managing committee. Most often, resolutions arrive amicably. But when they aren’t, the residents often retaliate by ceasing to pay maintenance dues. Residents should remember that this is a breach of the bye-law and hence, illegal.

If, as a resident, you are unsatisfied with the resolution, escalate this issue with the appropriate authority. Alternately, if it is an issue that affects all the other residents then take their opinions into account and put it to vote. Withholding dues you owe the society affects the smooth functioning of the society. You may end up with a shortage of funds. Further, the committee is legally authorised to issue notices against defaulters and to penalise you for the same.

Unauthorized constructions

The action of every resident has an effect on all the residing neighbours. This becomes especially evident during renovations and constructions. Whether you change the interior or the exterior of your flat, make sure that your plans don’t break any rules of the society. Get the consent of the Secretary of the Managing Committee before you begin and make sure you don’t become a nuisance by exceeding the noise to respectable hours.

Certain changes like altering the fundamental structure of the building and construction in common areas require special legal permission. If you fail to obtain the same, the committee (and even the municipal council) is entitled to take action against the same. Lastly, remember that if not conveyed, other residents are well within their rights to complain against the construction to seek redressal.

Favours from the Managing Committee

As longtime neighbours, you might be close friends with certain members of the committee. So sometimes, you may find yourself asking for favours like waiving off the penalty charge for late payment or reducing the rent charged for the clubhouse. Not only is this unfair to rest of the complex, but it also puts your friend in a dilemma. It puts them to choose between friendship and their duty.

Participation in society meetings and elections

As a resident, it is both your right and duty to contribute to the functioning of the society. Despite personal commitments, it is important that residents attend society meetings and elections. The decisions and opinions expressed here will have a direct effect on your life in the complex. It is also important that you express your opinions about an idea that is being discussed. There is no point in complaining about a decision taken during the meeting you missed. It is important to work with both the committee members and other residents to make sure that the complex runs efficiently.

The role of a resident extends beyond the payment of maintenance dues. These are just a few areas in which the behaviour of the members can decide how efficiently an apartment complex gets managed. We hope you are playing a proactive role in the affairs of your apartment complex – whether you are a part of the Managing Committee or not!

An interior designer works closely with you on the project and sees to it that your vision is given shape in the most effective way. Choosing an interior designer is highly subjective as the project involves personal taste and preferences. Here are a few things to consider before you select the right candidate for the job.

1. Verify Their Credentials

Before you hire an interior designer, verify his or her credentials. Check if they the prerequisite license to work as an interior designer. Ask about the designer’s education, training, work experience and other credentials. A good interior designer will have had comprehensive training that includes flame-spread ratings, space planning, AutoCAD, 3-D modelling, and lighting.

2. Be Clear About What You Want

You need to be sure about what you want before you can start calling prospects. Assess the level of your involvement in the creative process and the amount of guidance you need. Know whether you are open to suggestions from the designer, or if you are firm about what you have come up with. Having a clear picture of your needs will ensure that you hire the right person.

3. Scrutinize Their Portfolio

Studying a designer’s portfolio will give you an idea about his or her style and working methods in similar projects.  If you can arrange for a visit to one of the designer’s completed works, you can get an up-close and personal taste of their finished project.

4. Choose A Designer With Transparent Billing Methods

Understand the fee structure of your prospects in order to know if their billing methods are transparent. Find out if the designer is going to charge you a flat fee or by the hour.  Make sure you let your prospective designer know about your predetermined budget. Having a clear understanding of what you are paying for will ensure that the work is not compromised by any financial disagreement that may come up later.

Interviewing and choosing an interior designer for your project can take anywhere from a couple of weeks to months. Do not hurry, as picking the right designer is critical to the long-term success of your project. Try using the ApnaComplex database to find a verified designer to suit your needs. Selecting the wrong designer, no matter how experienced or qualified he or she may be, can lead to a décor disaster.

Presently, the number of apartment complexes in India is growing exponentially. With the growing number of apartment sizes, management committees are looking for some active help from chartered accountants or auditing firms to manage their accounting operations. This scenario offers a huge potential to accountants to grow their business.

ApnaComplex, a mobile and web-based apartment management service is a one-stop solution for all housing society requirements. The Billing and Accounting module is now being increasingly trusted by chartered accountants (CAs) as their technology partner for offering premium service. In this digital era, CAs who have adopted ApnaComplex achieved multi-fold growth in their business along with reducing their manual work.

Top reasons Chartered Accountants prefer ApnaComplex over other software:

1. Best accounting software across India:

ApnaComplex offers online services, integrated with emails, SMS and online payments providing a clear edge over other players.

2. Helps in saving time and money:

The accounting software helps in easing the accounting effort drastically and automates a lot of accounting process. Even non-accountants can be employed for data-entry.

3. Supports a growing business:

Not only do the accountants use ApnaComplex for their existing customers but also acquire customers referred by ApnaComplex. As a result, the customer base of accountants grows in size.

4. Offers convenience to work from anywhere and everywhere:

ApnaComplex accounting software enables accountants to enter and access data digitally. One does not need to carry all data to a centralized location. Moreover, multiple people can work on entering data simultaneously, further speeding up the work.

5. Provides training and support:

ApnaComplex offers regular training and support on the product and conducts periodic refresher courses. This allows our customers to master using it.

The ApnaComplex accounting software is specially designed for a housing society

ApnaComplex automates the following housing society requirements for the accountants and management associations:

• Offers readymade flat-wise sub-ledger
• Automates unit-wise due generation
• Provides flat-wise account statement
• Automates calculation of late payment interest
• Automates allocation of a collection to invoices
• Generates reports

So, partner with ApnaComplex today to create synergy. Get powered with technology to offer superior accounting services and maximize your revenue.