Archives: March 3, 2022

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March 3, 2022

ApnaComplex’s Complaint management: Know how to log, monitor, and update a complaint!

Complaint Management/Helpdesk is one of the primary and strongest modules of ApnaComplex. It has helped thousands of societies streamline their complaint process and minimise grievances significantly.

When you tap into this module’s full potential, no matter how big or small a society is, managing complaints is going to be a cakewalk.

In this blog, we explain how residents can easily register complaints using various methods and how the management can resolve and close these complaints in a few steps, all by using the ApnaComplex app.

Logging a complaint

Logging/raising a complaint is quite easy using the ApnaComplex app and it can be accomplished in a few simple steps.

–          Open the ApnaComplex app. Under ‘Quick Actions’, you will find ‘Complaint’. Click on it.

–          Once the ‘Complaints’ page opens, click on the ‘+’ button that will be on the right bottom of the screen.

–          Here, under ‘My Complaint’ you can describe your complaint and if you have a picture of your complaint, upload it under ‘Add Photo’.

–          Under ‘Category & Type’, select the category such as electrical, common areas, plumbing, etc, and click ‘Done’. Also, select the complaint type – personal or community.

–          Under ‘Urgency’, enable ‘Is this urgent?’ if you want the complaint to be immediately resolved.

–          Click ‘Post Now’ to successfully raise a complaint.

The ‘Complaints’ page can also be accessed by clicking the ‘+’ button that will be on the right bottom of the ApnaComplex app’s home screen. You will be taken to the ‘Actions’ page, and under ‘Helpdesk’, click on ‘Raise a Complaint’. The rest of the procedures remain the same.

Logging a complaint using QR code

Raising a complaint by scanning QR codes applies to a society’s assets and equipment, and this feature is unique to ApnaComplex. Follow the below steps to successfully perform this particular action.

–          Open the ApnaComplex app and click the ‘+’ button that will be in the bottom right of the screen.

–          The ‘Actions’ page will open and under ‘Helpdesk’, you will see ‘Scan QR Code’. Click to scan and register a complaint against an asset.

When you scan a QR code, the admin will be notified of the complaint and the relevant maintenance staff will receive the complaint. This is the easiest way to raise a complaint against an asset, and this way, the response time is also quicker.

Monitoring a complaint

If you are unsure whether your complaint is resolved or not, follow the below steps to monitor your complaint.

–          On the ApnaComplex app, click on ‘Complaint’ which will be under ‘Quick Actions’. Over here, you can view the open complaints.

–          If your complaint is resolved and still open on the app, open the complaint and click ‘close’ to close it.

Updating and closing a complaint as admin

If you are an admin and want to close a complaint, follow the below steps.

–          Open the ApnaComplex app and click on the ‘Admin icon’ that will be on the top right of the screen.

–          You will be taken to the ‘Admin’ page. Over there, click on the ‘Complaint Box’ to open the ‘Admin Complaint Box’.  Here, you will be able to see all the open complaints and their escalation level. Click on ‘CLOSE COMPLAINT’ which will be in the centre bottom of the screen to close the complaint.

ApnaComplex offers one of the most comprehensive and robust complaint management systems. The app is intuitive and the actions are completely automated so that even a novice or any senior committee member who has no prior experience using technically sound apps can quickly learn it and simplify operations.

Not just Complaint Management, ApnaComplex also offers the best solutions for  communications within the society, accounting, facility & asset management solutions and more which are tailor made for each society. It is noteworthy that ApnaComplex has recently won the BEST ERP SOLUTION for gated community and society management at the PropTech Realty+ Awards.

To know how you can deploy ApnaComplex and automate your society’s operations, visit apnacomplex.com.

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apnacomplexnitin
March 3, 2022

Know all about non-occupancy charges

Before purchasing a house in a gated community, it is important to know about certain bylaws, charges, rules, and regulations. These are inevitable and failing to pay these charges or not abiding by these rules can cost you dearly.

If you are reading this blog, then surely you must have an idea about maintenance charges (add link). Like maintenance charges, societies also levy non-occupancy charges on flat-owners if their flat is unoccupied and vacant for a while.

In this article, we’ll explore more about non-occupancy charges, the criterias, and what the law says about them.

Criteria for non-occupancy charges

If a flat-owner and his family live in the unit, or if the unit is rented out, the flat-owner does not have to pay non-occupancy charges since the RWA (Resident Welfare Association) will receive the monthly maintenance amount from that unit.

Likewise, the flat is exempted from non-occupancy charges if the said flat is occupied by the flat owner’s immediate family members, given that they bear the maintenance charges.  

Calculation of non-occupancy charges

In 2001, the Maharastra government issued a circular under Section 79A of the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, 1960, capping the non-occupancy charges at 10% of the society’s maintenance charges.

For example, if monthly maintenance charges are ₹4000, the non-occupancy cannot be more than ₹400 a month. Service charges include maintenance charges, common area electricity, lift and security excluding municipal taxes.

The need for pegging the non-occupancy charges rate

Before the circular from the Maharashtra government came into effect, societies charged exorbitant rates as non-occupancy charges. This drained the non-occupying flat owners financially, negatively impacting rentals, and particularly affected the NRIs (non-residential Indians) who actively invest in the Indian real estate.

Additionally, several cases came to light where the non-occupancy charges were disproportionate. They were so high that societies were collecting lakhs per annum as non-occupancy charges.  

Bhartiya Friends Cooperative Housing Society and Mont Blanc Cooperative Housing Society were classic cases of this.

In the first society, that is Bhartiya Friends, among 49 flats, owners of two flats had paid ₹2,50,000 per annum as non-occupancy charges. However, it was found that a major portion of the amount had been used for paying the property tax of the other 47 houses.

Similarly, the Bombay High Court observed that out of the 51 flats in the Mont Blanc Cooperative Housing Society, only a maximum of six houses were rented or vacant at any given time. However, a whopping ₹3,00,000 to ₹24,00,00 per annum were collected as non-occupancy charges. On the contrary, the property tax of the building was only ₹16,00,000 per annum, showing a stark difference between the money collected and spent.

From these two cases, it is clear that non-occupancy charges had become a tormenting tool instead of being a marginal and negligible mount. It was also evident that the excess amount collected was misused to pay the dues of other members who were defaulting.

Consequences of levying high non-occupancy charges

Charging an additional amount under pretence apart from the fixed 10% is illegal. If a society is caught overcharging, under the Consumer Protect Act, the RWA members can be prosecuted for negligence, inadequate service, harassment, and abuse of power by overcharging. The flat owner must submit relevant proofs and documents while taking legal action.

When a flat-owner fails to pay non-occupancy charges

If a flat-owner continuously fails to pay the non-occupancy charges, the committee can send them reminder notices and declare them a defaulter. Additionally, the committee can deny providing the no-dues certificate when the owner is looking to rent or sell the property.    

Flat-owners must know their rights and committee members should discharge their duties with honesty and integrity. The Indian Cooperative Society Acts were framed and brought into effect keeping in mind the welfare of all the residents. A person looking to buy a resale property should also check if the previous owner has any arrears, know the society rules and charges, and laws pertaining to housing societies.

Since its inception, ApnaComplex has been bringing a slew of changes in India’s gated societies. Through its peerless technology and community automation, it has streamline societies’ everyday operations and has saved ample time and money for the management committees. The ApnaComplex app is being religiously used by more than 600K societies in 6000 societies across 80 Indian cities. 

To know how we can help you streamline your society too, visit apnacomplex.com  

Leave a comment InApartment Maintenance Charges
apnacomplexnitin
March 2, 2022

Here’re the top 10 reasons to pick ApnaComplex over any other society management app!

Over the last 10 years since its inception, ApnaComplex has been the single-post ERP Solution tailor-made for managing gated communities.

Every module and feature has been built/improved based on the feedback received from management committees making ApnaComplex the only mature solution for and by the Management Committee. 

Below, we bring out the top 10 reasons why ApnaComplex should be your top choice when you are looking for an automated society management solution.

Improved efficiency and streamlined operations

The sole aim of ApnaComplex is to simplify everyday society operations for the management and help them save time and money with the aid of smarter technology.

Features such as QR-code-based asset management and complaint registration, Guard Patrol Tracking, and facility management systems are specially designed to improve the staffs’ efficiency, simplify the management process, and reduce operational costs.

An easy-to-use app

ApnaComplex offers a very intuitive UI. The management, staff, and administrators can effortlessly use the app, thanks to ApnaComplex’s technically sound automation techniques.

The app also drastically reduces the time administrators spend in accomplishing their duties and tasks.

A fully developed accounting solution

Our Billing & Accounting Module has been developed and has changed over the years to cater to all the needs of gated communities. We have developed unique features like the Budget Variance Report to help societies keep track of their budget.

Apart from offering customisable financial reports, ApnaComplex’s accounting solution comes with 30+ audit-ready financial reports.

Effortlessly configurable

According to the society’s needs, the ApnaComplex app can be configured and effortlessly integrated with any other software or hardware.

One app for the entire community

With ApnaComplex, you don’t need any additional apps for various purposes. While the management can use the app for managing complaints, collecting maintenance charges, and broadcasting important information to the residents, the residents can use the app efficiently for booking facilities, approving visitors, and communicating with other residents.

Likewise, the staff can use the ApnaComplex app to resolve issues and the security can use the GateKeeper module to effectively guard the society gate.

Ingenious role-based access to management

Using the ApnaComplex app, the management can define custom roles and duties to their committee members. Also, the app allows the management to restrict committee members’ access to data based on their roles.

It is worth mentioning that ApnaComplex comes with 30+ inbuilt roles.

Data privacy, our priority

To ApnaComplex, our residents’ data privacy and protection are of the highest priority. To prevent unauthorised access, we have taken all the necessary precautions.

We offer bank-level security, i.e, our residents’ data and personal information are encrypted using the same advanced technology deployed by banks. This keeps our residents’ data secure, private, and safe.

Easy migration and set up

ApnaComplex provides a dedicated team to help the management integrate their society with the ApnaComplex system. This team also trains the management and staff on how to make the best use of the app.

Similarly, ApnaComplex offers the swiftest, most dependable, and easy method to adopt a single community management app.

Backed by ANAROCK – a profit-making entity

ApnaComlex became a part of the ANAROCK group since its acquisition in 2021. ANAROCK is India’s largest property consulting firm. The company is a key player in the Indian realty sector and is a tangible revenue-generating entity.

By Indian, for Indian

The ApnaComplex app was specially designed to manage Indian gated communities and address pain points specific to Indian societies. Our app is genuinely ‘Made in India’ and it is a homegrown technology suite rather than one put together through acquisitions.

ApnaComplex is the only solution in India that has robust community management solutions. It is worth mentioning that we have won the BEST ERP Solution Award for the year 21-22. If you would like to streamline and simplify the management of your society, visit apnacomplex.com!

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