Archives: November 23, 2010

ApnaComplex
November 23, 2010

Know Your Residents Welfare Society Better- The Different People Who Make An Apartment Association

It is a well known fact that a residents welfare association is a necessary wing in every gated community. These apartment associations help in organizing all public events in an apartment and play an active role in maintaining the apartment’s infrastructure by giving out responsibilities for all its members, so that they do their share for maintaining the apartment as a haven for harmonious living.

You’ll need to know the lowdown on what goes on within the ranks in an apartment in order to fit yourself into the association, and find your true calling in the group.

Every member has to contribute effectively run an apartment’s Welfare Association

Every member has to contribute effectively run an apartment’s Welfare Association

The Roles

When an apartment association or resident welfare society is formed in an apartment complex, all apartment owners are termed as members and all tenants who are staying in the apartment on a rented basis are termed as associate members. All members together form the general body of the apartment association.

The top tier in an apartment complex is called as the Management Committee. This Management Committee comprises of a President, a Vice President, A Secretary, A Treasurer, and other office bearer members. Some of these roles have already been discussed earlier. People are voted into these respective positions by all members, excluding associate members.

The Management Committee in an apartment association serves as a section that deals with all legal issues and upholds human rights and other interests within the apartment. The Management Committee has its own fair share of duties in an apartment complex, a few of which have been discussed below.

Management Committee Duties

  • The Management Committee in an apartment association is responsible for organizing public amenities for all residents in the apartment (including gyms, parks, and roads).
  • The committee is also primarily responsible for organizing cultural activities during particular occasions like national holidays (flag hoisting and other group activities).
  • The committee is in charge of organizing recreational facilities for all residents too.
  • The Management Committee should defend the interests and rights of every single member in its ranks, especially in the face of legal issues and the like.
  • The committee will also be responsible for handling all documents related to the apartment complex, and it has to ensure the safety of these documents too. The licensure and permission given for the building’s construction also needs to be maintained well by the committee.
  • Maintaining financial records and bank accounts will also be the committee’s responsibility.
  • The committee also has to ensure that the amount of money collected from all residents for maintenance purposes is effectively spent on repairing and improving the infrastructure and should maintain records for the same.
  • The Management Committee should also conduct regular meetings including all members and discuss everyday issues and problems and doubts if any, which can be clarified during the course of these meetings.

All members of the apartment association should attend such organized meetings and should exercise their right to vote in the face of committee issues. They should also follow all guidelines stated by the Management Committee and in this way, contribute their part to the community, making the apartment complex a peaceful place to live and co-exist in!

ApnaComplex is an apartment managment software. We are now offering a 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.
1 Comment on Know Your Residents Welfare Society Better- The Different People Who Make An Apartment Association InApartment Management Articles Bye Laws Community Living Legal
ApnaComplex
November 22, 2010

How to maintain swimming pool in your Apartment?

A swimming pool is an irresistible attraction in any residential apartment complex. It is the perfect way to exercise, unwind, and simply splash around with your kids for a fun, family evening. However, often, apartment associations neglect the maintenance of the swimming pool, making it an eye sore, as well as a health hazard.

To prevent potential health problems, here are some simple swimming pool maintenance tips.

  1. Maintain optimum pool chemistry

    A swimming pool must have a pH level of 7.2 – 7.6 for the water sanitizers, such as chlorine, to work well. Using a drop test kit to regularly measure the pH level of the swimming pool in your apartment can prevent the pH level from going too high or too low. To lower pH levels, Hydrochloric Acid is commonly used. There are other alternatives to maintain the pH level, such as granular acid or pH minus. The amount of total dissolved solids and the calcium hardness of the water in the swimming pool should be tested every six months.

  2. Use Chlorine to treat water

    Chlorine is the most commonly used pool sanitizer; however it has certain side effects such as red eyes and dry eyes. Floating chlorine feeders and automatic chlorine feeders are better ways of maintaining chlorine levels, as compared to simply putting chlorine sticks/chlorine tablets in the pool.

  3. Alternative treatment methods

    There are alternative means of water treatment which you can use to sanitize your apartment pool. Mineral purification systems, which pump the water through minerals like silver and copper, kill the algae and bacteria present in the water. Salt chlorinators are another great way to maintain the chlorine level of your pool. An electrode is attached to the plumbing system of the pool, which can convert the natural salt added, to chlorine.

    4. Looking for a agency to maintain swimming pool in your apartment complex?
    Check out Marketplace from ApnaComplex and request for quotations from multiple swimming pool maintenance agencies at the click of a button.

  4. Regular cleaning of the swimming pool

    Pools need to be cleaned every day. Leafs and other debris must be removed daily. The swimming pool pumps must be run daily for a couple of hours, so that the water in the pool remains fresh. In summers, the pump needs to be run for a longer time to filter the water adequately. The walls and bottom tiles of a pool need to be brushed frequently to prevent algae from growing on these surfaces.

  5. Keep the skimmers, and other pool machinery and equipment clean

    Pool skimmers, Leaf catchers, pumps and chlorine dispensers must be cleaned regularly. It is easy to ignore cleaning the skimmers, but if they get clogged, the circulation of water in the pool will be reduced, because of which the water in the swimming pool may become unsafe for swimmers.

  6. Checking the water level

    The water level of a pool should never go below the level of the pool skimmers, or the pool circulation mechanism will not work effectively. A good option is to install automatic water levelers to check the water level and fill the pool with water once the water level drops below a specific level.

  7. Pool hygiene rules

    The apartment association should have a set of common rules for all the pool users, such as taking showers before entering the pool and not throwing any food items in the pool. The swimming pool is the common property of all the apartment owners, and they should take care to ensure that it remains clean and hygienic.

  8. Safety measures

    It is equally important to maintain safe swimming pool practices, such as specific pool timings, adult supervision when children use the pool, basic first aid training to the pool users, and safety kit. The edges of the pool can become slippery and cause people to slip and get hurt. So, keeping the pool surroundings clean and safe is always recommended.

A well maintained swimming pool is an asset to an apartment complex. But improper care can turn into an eye sore.

ApnaComplex is an apartment managment software. We are offering a 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.
2 Comments on How to maintain swimming pool in your Apartment? InApartment Management Articles Estate Manager Maintenance Tips
ApnaComplex
November 19, 2010

Is The Estate Manager Of Your Apartment Efficient? – Part 2

In a two part series, ApnaComplex examines the Estate Manager Efficiency, the profile and job resposnibilities of an estate manager. Read the Part-1 of this Estate Manager Special here.

Maintaining accounts and performing bookkeeping activities

The apartment estate manager is supposed to ensure that all accounts pertaining to purchase and sales relating to the apartment are in order. As most estate managers are required to handle bookkeeping and accounts, having an intrinsic knowledge of accounting software is beneficial for the apartment estate manager. Computerized management of accounts saves time and also ensures accountability and transparency.

Human Resources

Hiring household and estate staff and ensuring they perform their duties to the best of their ability is a key aspect of being an apartment manager. The apartment manager is also responsible for releasing any excess staff in a smooth manner. The manager has to run a background check of the local labor, while hiring and also check for any past criminal records.

The apartment manager has to ensure that the staffs receive their payments on time and arrears in payment, if any, are subsequently paid. Settling pay hike disputes with unions and other organizations is also an important job role of an apartment manager. Unions are volatile organizations and maintaining a cordial relationship with them is important. Thus, an apartment manager has to be well versed in personal relations as well.

Dispute Management and Resolution

The apartment manager has to act as an intermediary in the context of any disputes over common areas or disagreements on usage of areas such as swimming pool, gym, sauna and sports rooms. In any large apartment complex there are disputes between the residents from time to time and the apartment manager has to be mature enough to handle such volatile situations. The manager has to find a proper solution that is suitable for both the parties involved and settle the dispute.

Ensuring smooth processes

The apartment manager has to ensure that residents can move in and out of the apartment in a smooth and easy manner. The manager has to maintain a list of efficient packers and movers in the area and he has to base this list in terms of past services rendered.

Aiding in promotional activities

The apartment manager has to coordinate with any private agencies, which are looking to engage in promotional activities in the apartment complex. Obtaining special discounts and commission for the apartment is to be done by the apartment manager.

Conducting workshops for residents and networking

The estate manager can network with the neighboring apartment communiites and layouts and then organize small workshops on topics related to community living and efficient living to all residents. Topics such as eco-friendly living, rain warer harvesting, best practice sharing among communities will be well recieved by all residents. This also helps in bringing together all communities in a neighborhood

Ability to work with Apartment Management Software

Employing property management software also ensures timely collection and payment of dues. It also helps the estate manager communicate with vendors and ensure timely delivery of required estate materials. On the whole, knowledge of appropriate apartment management software will make the apartment manager an efficient and organized individual.

Other aspects of an effcient estate manager include:

  • Ensuring timely and correct disposal of waste in designated areas. The apartment manager has to ensure that PWD department is ready to assist in terms of problems with sewage overflow during the monsoon season.
  • Maintaining a contact list for emergency series that include police, ambulance, public works department, water department and fire service.
  • Gaining knowledge of at least 3 different languages so as to be able to converse with different people. Ideally English, Hindi and the local Lingua Franca
ApnaComplex – the value for money apartment management software is offering 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.
Leave a comment InApartment Management Apartment Management Software Community Living Estate Manager
ApnaComplex
November 19, 2010

Is The Estate Manager Of Your Apartment Efficient? – Part 1

In a two part series, ApnaComplex examines the Estate Manager Efficiency, the profile and job responsibilities of an estate manager.

Definition And Outline Of Job Profile – Estate Manager For Apartments

An estate manager is a manager or a caretaker of a property or piece of land that is privately owned. Estate managers are similar to landlords and they perform many similar functions. Estate managers might be either permanent or short term caretakers of property and they are generally appointed by the owner of the land or his legally appointed representative, such as the apartment owners association in the case of apartments. Apartment managers are responsible for managing the everyday activities of apartment and this may vary from something as simple as collecting rent to settling disputes between residents amicably. Apartment managers are generally required to live inside the premises of the land they are responsible for, usually in separate living quarters. You can use this artcile to understand the profile of an estate manager, how to look for for an efficient estate manager and also evaluate if your current estate manager fits the bill.

Power Of Attorney, Responsible Management

The estate manager is responsible for representing the residents of the complex. The manager has to take up any complaints and redress them. The apartment manger speaks on behalf of the apartment to the police or any government body. S/he is also responsible for the overall management and smooth running of the day to day activities of the apartment.

Qualification Of An Apartment Manager

An apartment manager is required to have formal training and prior experience in managing an estate or piece of private property. Generally, managers are also obligated to have some knowledge of land laws and rules pertaining to tenants and settling of disputes. Some amount of qualification in accounting precepts and formal training in computers are also essential to be an efficient estate manager. Managers are also required to have a wide knowledge in management of general household duties. It is also important that apartment estate managers know the in depth functioning and mechanisms behind the working of machinery and equipments such as elevators, water pumps, sewage and storm water drains, generators, water tanks and piping. This is because the apartment estate manager is required to deal with a variety of vendors and individuals to repair, operate or maintain these equipments and basic knowledge will aid in speeding up any processes that involve these.

Duties Of An Apartment Manager:

Specific duties of estate managers may differ according to requirement, however some of the basic duties of an estate manager are as follows:

Ensuring proper security

Ensuring security in the premises and coordinating with police to ensure that they arrive on time in case of any emergency is an essential role of the apartment manager. Managers are also responsible for ensuring security personnel are hired from a trustworthy agency. The security personnel must be required to check every person that enters the complex and ensure that they are registered at the front desk.

Ensuring effective management of day to day errands

The manager has to ensure that the payment of bills, depositing credit instruments etc are done in an efficient manner. On a daily basis an apartment may have a huge volume of transactions and the manager has to keep a record of each transaction so that the residents or the association can inspect it if they wish to. All purchasing and selling has to be transparent. The manager is also responsible for coordinating with all government agencies such electricity department and public works department.

Inspecting the property

The manager has to inspect the apartment complex at least once a day and ensure that swimming pools, generators and public toilets are in good order. This is important considering it is the only way by which the manager and hence the association will have a clear idea as to how the apartment maintenance staff are performing. The manager also has an opportunity to step out of the office and interact with residents of the apartment and other executive staff to gain insights and feedback that he may not have earlier been in a position to receive.

Presentation and landscaping

Ensuring proper landscaping and making sure that the apartment is presentable is one of the most important duties of an apartment manager. The manager has to maintain the presentation of the apartment so that the value of the apartment complex does not reduce in the future. In order to do this he has to coordinate with the staff to ensure regular and efficient sweeping and cleaning of common areas. In case any painting work is required, the manager has to ensure this is done without any inconvenience to the residents.

Events

Organizing private parties and events that pertain to the estate and coordinating with the various associations in the apartment is also a part of the manager’s duties. The manager has to make sure that materials and the manpower required for these events are made available. An apartment is a community and the manager must bring together the apartment residents during festive and social events to ensure harmony in the complex and to foster the community spirit.

To be continued in part-2

ApnaComplex – the value for money apartment management software is offering 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.
1 Comment on Is The Estate Manager Of Your Apartment Efficient? – Part 1 InApartment Management Articles Community Living Estate Manager Maintenance Tips
ApnaComplex
November 16, 2010

Tips for Water Management by Apartment Associations

Water does not flow quietly and freely anymore. It has become a scarce commodity, and a cause of dispute between neighbors, districts, states, and nations. A severe water crisis is imminent, if people fail to make water conservation a part of their daily life. In all the major cities of India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Chennai, there is a severe water crisis. This shortage of water is especially acute during the summer months.

People living in a gated community are at an advantageous position to adopt an environment friendly lifestyle, which incorporates water conservation measures. The managing committee can play an important role in initiating collective measures of water conservation. This can impact not just the apartment complex, but the society in general.

There are numerous innovative methods of water conservation that apartment complexes can adopt. Here are some of them:

  1. Placing water conservation on the agenda:

    Residents can keep water conservation as an agenda on the monthly meetings, and set aside some time to discuss lifestyle changes that can save water. The group emails, notice boards, and club house bulletin board can be used to share information about water conservation. Encourage neighbors and residents to become environment friendly, and go green.

  2. Rainwater harvesting:

    Rainwater harvesting is a system of directly collecting rainwater on a surface on which it falls, such as rooftops, and saving it for later use. This water is clean and need not be treated before using for non drinking purposes. When stored in tanks, rainwater can be a safe water source for periods of water scarcity. With the consent of all the apartment owners, money can be collected to construct a simple rainwater catchment system for the entire apartment.

  3. Greywater usage:

    Greywater refers to water from the non toilet plumbing systems, such as wash basins, washing machines, showers etc. A popular water recycling method is creating a plumbing system to collect the greywater from all the apartments, and using it for non potable water requirements, such as washing cars, watering plants, and toilet flushing.

  4. Dual Piping:

    In a dual piping system, one piping system supplies potable water, while the other supplies recycled water, greywater, or rainwater for washing, toilet flushing, etc. For successful greywater usage, a dual piping system needs to be installed in the entire apartment complex. The existing plumbing system can also be modified to create dual piping.

  5. Water friendly bathroom fixtures:

    There are many water saving fixtures, which can be installedin bathrooms to reduce water usage. For example, low flow shower heads reduce the amount of water discharged by showers, while increasing the pressure of the water flow. Similarly, dual flush toilets can help save a lot of water. A dual flush toilet has two flush buttons, which release different amounts of water. This results in less water being discharged.

  6. Installing individual water meters for each apartment:

    In many apartment complexes, there is a single water meter, and the water bill is divided amongst all the residents. However, research shows that installing individual meters can make residents more careful about their water usage. Billing based on individual water meter readings can bring down water consumption by as much as 15%.

  7. Xeriscape Landscaping in the gated community:

    There are many apartments and housing complexes which have large gardens and recreational toys which are water based. While doing the landscaping of your gated community, ensure that water conservation is kept in mind. This is called Xeriscape landscaping, which incorporates water conservation and pollution control into landscaping.

Yes, most of the tips above require some investment in terms of infrastructure. But, Water is a precious commodity. Don’t wait for a crisis; start taking proactive measures to make your gated community an environment friendly one and conserve water. Surely, any investment that improves conservation of water pays off itself over a time period.

ApnaComplex is an apartment managment software. We are offering a 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.

1 Comment on Tips for Water Management by Apartment Associations InWater Management
ApnaComplex
November 15, 2010

Roles, Duties And Responsibilities Of Members Of A Resident Welfare Association

A resident welfare association is necessary, as it can serve as a committee through which queries can be explained, and issues and problems solved. The presence of a committee or resident welfare association will also spice up interaction among residents and get them to contribute equally from their part. Such open social interaction will improve the joy of living in an apartment complex.

A resident welfare association, however, needs to be registered under the government for it to be recognized as a proper association. A registered resident welfare association will this way be able to enjoy many legal benefits. While forming a registered resident welfare association, make sure that you have more than seven members who are at least eighteen (or above) years of age. This is very important.

Every Individual Has A Role in an Apartment Association

Every Individual Has A Role in an Apartment Association

 

The primary objective of every resident welfare association would be to collect the common maintenance charges from every single resident in the apartment and use this in establishing good public infrastructure for the residents. An association will normally have to be formed under The Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act of 1972 or
The Karnataka Societies Registration Act, 1960 (and appropriate act for states other than Karnataka).

Every resident welfare association will have a management committee, a president, a treasurer and a secretary, apart from the regular members. There are many common responsibilities that members of the association should take up among themselves, and some of these have been mentioned below (we will cover other roles in future blog posts):

The President’s Role:

  • The President will be given the authority to defend any form of legal action that is taken against the association, and will also be given the authority to sue people for legal purposes and reasons.
  • The President of a resident welfare association will have the final call in approving a contract that is brought by the committee and implementing the terms.
  • The President should maintain an overall view on the occurrences and ensure that all residents and members are satisfied without having any qualms or problems. The President should also oversee all expenses and make sure that they are put to good use.

The Treasurer’s Role:

  • The Treasurer in a resident welfare association will be given the task of maintaining all funds within the organization. The responsibility of maintaining the money safely along with all documents also rests solely with the Treasurer.
  • The Treasurer’s role is a demanding one and should be bestowed upon an experienced person with good management capabilities, as these documents and funds are very important for the association.
  • The Treasurer should also make note of the overall income and also calculate monthly and yearly expenditures. This way the flow of money will be constantly regulated for the benefit of the residents.

The Secretary’s Role:

  • The secretary in a resident welfare association will be given the responsibility of conducting various general body meetings.
  • The secretary will also be given the responsibility of compiling the minutes of the meeting and analyzing the overall information brought to the table.
  • The secretary will have to bring up concerns from each individual resident in order to ensure active participation of all members. 

These are the three major roles in any resident welfare association, and you’ll need to be aware of all such responsibilities involved, in order to contest for the spot yourself, or even in order to vote for the right person when the polls come up.

ApnaComplex supports the notion of committee members – administrators can tag members with different committee member roles and even give “permissions” to modules specific to thier roles. For example, a member can be tagged as a treasurer can be given access to only accounting modules. ApnaComplex is an apartment managment software. We are now offering a 30-day no obligation free trial for every complex. Go ahead and register your complex and see how you can manage your complex more easily, efficiently, and effectively.

9 Comments on Roles, Duties And Responsibilities Of Members Of A Resident Welfare Association InApartment Management Articles Bye Laws Community Living Legal
ApnaComplex
November 14, 2010

ApnaComplex at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2010

ApnaComplex was at the recent NASSCOM Product Conclave. We were one of the ten product start ups that were selected from around 50 nominations to be presented to media in an exclusive event of NASSCOM Product Launchpad on 9th November 2010.

ApnaComplex at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2010

ApnaComplex at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2010

ApnaComplex in News

ApnaComplex in News

We really had good time presenting and interacting with all learned people post the session and learned quite a bit. We were covered by few news papers post this event (see right side for a snippet from Deccan Chronicle dated 10th November 2010).

Below are links to few more blogs/papers that we got a mention. We thank every one who covered us. These definitely help us to put our best foot forward.

WAT Blog: http://www.watblog.com/2010/11/10/nasscom-product-conclaves-launchpad/

Mint: http://www.livemint.com/2010/11/09212408/8216Product-ecosystem-needs.html?atype=tp

Deccan Herald: http://www.deccanherald.com/content/111378/nasscom-product-conclave-city.html

Deccan Chronicle Article (extracted from the e-paper): http://blog.apnacomplex.com/media/2010/11/ApnaComplex-NASSCOM-Product-Launchpad-Coverage.pdf

We thank NASSCOM for providing this platform for us. We also thank all the jury members for having selected us to be in top ten from a list of 50 products.

1 Comment on ApnaComplex at NASSCOM Product Conclave 2010 InApartment Management Apartment Management Software ApnaComplex Review Housing Society Software Media Product News Software
ApnaComplex
November 4, 2010

Diwali Special – A New looking ApnaComplex

Team at ApnaComplex welcomes Diwali with a new vibrant look for the website. While the earlier design was functional and did its job  – we were finding it inadequate accommodate all the new stuff we keep doing and hence the need for a new design.

Farewell to the Old Design

Farewell to the Old Design

And what a better time than Diwali to launch the new look. 

ApnaComplex - Home Page with New Design

Welcome to the New Design

Along with the new design and new graphics, we spent time in thinking and re-writing most of content of our static pages. We attempted to elaborate the ever-increasing feature set of the product to give more information to our web site visitors.

We hope you like the new design as much as we do. Check it out.

Have a Happy and Safe Diwali!

Leave a comment InApartment Management Apartment Management Software Housing Society Software Product News Software