Owning a house is a dream of many. Beautiful property in a safe neighbourhood – that’s what is the primary goal for working professionals. They chiefly look for properties available in gated communities since it is both practical and affordable, not to mention, safe too.

Larger apartment complexes have a plethora of benefits – excellent amenities, wonderful neighbours, unparalleled security, immediate help at hand, and much more. A well-managed gated community can feel like heaven on earth. However, an ill-managed community can be far from pleasant to live in.

Apartment complexes do have their share of troubles and residents face plenty of problems. In this article, we will explore how to handle commonly occurring problems in a gated society and how Management Committee can make living in a gated community a pleasurable experience for everyone. 

Providing the best security

Security is one of the primary reasons many professionals look for properties in a gated community. Ensuring proper security is one of the many and important jobs of the Management Committee who also happen to be the residents of the complex. Security personnel needs to be trained well and there cannot be room for mistakes since the safety of all inhabitants is dependent on it.

Installing CCTV cameras inside, outside, and around the property is a start, but remember, it only records the happenings, not prevent any unfortunate events. Deploying the latest technology is prudent since it offers seamless security solutions.

The Gatekeeper App in the ApnaComplex software enables the Management Committee to perform a plethora of actions. It will record the details of the visitors and their vehicle number, it has a feature called ‘Guard Patrol’ using which MCs can assign security to guard the complex, etc. By using ApnaComplex, both MCs and residents can worry less about the security of their apartment complex.

Management and disposal of waste

Waste segregation and garbage disposable is a national problem. Beginning to fix this at gated communities can make a lot of difference in the long haul. MCs can implement rigorous segregation policies as a start. The first and best approach is to colour-code the dustbins and place separate bins for organic, plastic, and medical waste. If any resident does not follow the rules, the MC should not hesitate to fine them.

Management Committee and residents can also raise money for installing a waste-processing unit within the complex. The extracted compost can be used to manure the plants planted inside the complex. Another effective measure is collecting garbage, including plastic waste, as often as possible so that the garbage doesn’t pile up.

Keeping the common area clean

When you have hundreds of flats and kids running amok, maintain a cleaner common area can be quite a difficult task. No matter how much your cleaner tries to keep the common area immaculate, it is not uncommon to receive complaints about rubbish being strewn around.

To avoid such complaints, placing enough dustbins around the complex can prevent unnecessary littering. As additional measures, the MC can assign each cleaner separate wings or blocks to avoid confusion, have them clean multiple times a day, and impose fines on residents who are caught littering.

Access to amenities

All the residents should have fair and equal access to common amenities like game and recreational areas, gym, park, swimming pool, etc. Alas, this is not the case always.  The facilities are mostly occupied especially if it’s a larger community especially in the morning and evening and during summer, it nearly impossible for all the residents to enjoy the amenities they are paying for.

Such problems can easily be averted by using the ‘Facilities’ application in the ApnaComplex software. Using this feature, you can book the available slots according to the time you prefer and the amenities you wish to access. You will also be informed if the slots of particular amenities are already booked.

Using the Facilities, you can also book your society’s Clubhouse on select dates and enter how many members will be accessing, including visitors. This will keep the MC informed about the bookings and can effectively prevent clashes in the booking.   

Neighbour Trouble

Apartment Complexes house not only homeowners but tenants as well, and therefore, it is highly likely that some tenants might cause a nuisance to other residents. Bachelors and bachelorettes might host parties late at night causing disturbances to the other residents. Similarly, families with kids can also cause disturbances at times.

While it is alright to be a little lenient, the MC must ensure it doesn’t escalate beyond tolerable measures. In such a case, tenants who are repeatedly creating nuisance must be handled strictly.

As a first step, Management Committee must lay the ground rules of Do’s and Don’t’s to bachelors, bachelorettes, and larger families who are moving into the apartment. Similarly, if possible, write those rules down and have the new tenants sign them. Include a clause stating that the authority has all the right to remove tenants from the property if their conduct is worse or if they are involved in illegal activities. And lastly, if you have to involve the authorities, do not hesitate to do so.

Collecting Maintenance Dues

Collecting maintenance and other dues on time can be a gigantic task for the Managing Committee of larger gated communities. The committee has to be assiduous when it is dealing with money and it can not afford to overlook maintenance or any other dues since a gated community is dependent on it. 

However, residents living in a gated community are inclined to miss their payments due to mere forgetfulness, work, stress, etc, and tracking the defaulting residents and reminding them of their dues can be very hard for the Management Committee. Nevertheless, it has to be done.

Putting up signs is one way but one cannot expect it to get the desired attention since people reading notice boards and signs are a thing of the past. The best way to collect dues efficiently is to employ the assistance of smart solutions offered by ApnaComplex that can make your and your residents’ life a lot easier.

ApnaComplex’s Billing & Collection Module allows the Management Committee to collect maintenance dues online in a hassle-free manner and the Committee can send reminders and invoices to the residents in just a click. Likewise, residents can also pay their maintenance online using the ApnaComplex application at zero additional charges.

The application allows the Treasurer or Management Committee to set recurring invoices and send those to residents every month. If they wish to, the Management Committee can also block repeatedly defaulting residents from accessing certain facilities or raise complaints. This will both increase the collection rate and minimises defaulters.

It is worth mentioning that both the recurring invoice feature and the ability to block defaulters are unique to ApnaComplex software.

Preventing Water Crisis

The water crisis, especially during the summers, is a common problem faced by most of the population in India and clean water is hard to come by. This problem is more prominent in gated communities since they largely rely on borewells. Not using water judiciously can dry up the underground well leading to water shortage.

Though all the residents are responsible for preventing this situation, the Management Committee can take certain measures.  Apart from installing rainwater harvesting, the committee can request the other residents to use water mindfully using the ApnaComplex application. 

ApnaComplex software also has a feature called ‘Water-Meter’ which will help track the water levels in the tank. Using this feature, the Committee Member can see how much water each resident has used and bill them accordingly. This feature will also alert Management Committee and residents if there is water leakage in the apartment.

Staff Management

A larger apartment complex requires a handful of staff such as security persons, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, janitors, etc to maintain the building and they come under the payroll of the apartment.

Similarly, the residents also have their domestic staff like maids, nannies, drivers, cooks, etc. Tracking and managing these staffs can be a huge task but with ApnaComplex software, this can be a cakewalk.

With our ‘Attendance and Staff Tracking’ software, the Management Committee can track and record the visits of staffs. They will also be given a digital card and ID number in which all of their details will be recorded. Residents and Committee Members can also pay their staffs using ApnaComplex.

Complaint Request

Apartment Complexes having their share of problems is quite common. From broken light to leaking pipes, the residents and Management Committee has seen it all. When the Management Committee receives multiple complaints, it is natural to miss out complaints which can irk the residents.

With ApnaComplex’s ‘Helpdesk’ application, you can easily avoid this since the app allows the residents to raise complaints effortlessly and state their issues in a detailed manner. The complaint will then be assigned to the Facility Manager who directs it to the technicians. If the issue is not resolved during the stipulated time, then the complaint will be escalated to the higher authorities and there are three levels of escalation. This way, there is no way the Management Committee will overlook any complaints.

The service staff will also be given a ‘Job Card’ in which the residents are required to give their feedback. This will help with the service provided by the technicians.

Parking and safeguarding the vehicles

When residents do not have a designated parking spot, things can get chaotic. That is why every gated community comes with a parking lot. Cars and two-wheelers of guests’, visitors’ and residents’ moving in and out of an apartment is a common sight and it is prudent to have dedicated personnel oversee this.

To avoid chaos and confusion, allow guests and visitors to park their vehicle only when there is free space or in the designated spot given to the resident they are visiting.

With ApnaComplex’s ‘Vehicle Sentry’ feature, you can track the vehicles entering and leaving the building, and if any unauthorised movement of vehicles is detected, the feature sets the alarm off alerting the Management Committee and Security immediately.

Also, ApnaComplex’s Gatekeeper application allows security to record all the details of the visitors and guests including their mobile and vehicle numbers. If the said guests’ vehicles need to be moved, the security can easily call them and request them to move.

Satisfying the needs of all the residents may look far-fetched but it is not. When you use a tech-driven solution like ApnaComplex, effective management is only a tap away and it can be done at the convenience of your home. ApnaComplex not only reduces the burden of the Management Committees in gated communities but also strives to give the residents a pleasurable experience.

Want to give ApnaComplex a try? Mail us at sales@apnacomplex.com, our representatives will get in touch with you.