Archives: October 29, 2022

Pay Rent by Credit Card & Earn Rewards With ApnaComplex Rent Pay
Paromita Datta
October 29, 2022

Missing out on Earning Credit Card Rewards when Paying Rent? Here’s Your Chance

Most tenants pay their rent through cash or bank transfers with credit cards rarely seen as an option. When used wisely, credit card payments can have multiple benefits. However, a general reluctance to use credit cards, plus the lack of a relevant digital infrastructure has resulted in tenants failing to leverage the hidden saving potential in their rental transactions. This has been a major gap when it comes to personal and rental industry finances. 

ApnaComplex resolves these challenges with an easy-to-access Rent Pay module. Available on its app, it allows tenants to use their credit card for rent payments. As a common and reliable platform for tenants and landlords, it smoothens the monthly cycle of rent payments. There are other benefits that can be accrued through credit card-based rent payments. 

Why pay rent by credit card?

Credit card usage is still fairly low in India. Most Indians, more inclined towards savings, tend to use them only for bigger purchases. The lack of a suitable infrastructure to support peer-to-peer credit card transactions has further hampered their usage for rent payments. 

Overuse of credit cards can be of concern in tracking purchases. However, regular expenses are relatively easy to track, minimising any chances of running up debt. On the other hand, by avoiding card payments you may actually lose out on the opportunity to increase your earnings.

Earn rewards: Every credit card issuer today offers rewards to cardholders in the form of points, gifts, freebies, discounts, and other deals. Since rents today mean a fairly high spending on a monthly basis, you stand to rack up a substantial number of points or rewards in a short span. You can use these for rewards like air miles, gift vouchers, merchandise, and more.

Cashback: Check if your credit card has a cashback offer. These are generally offered on specific amounts. The cashback is credited directly to your account. This means that you actually stand to get back part of your rent!

Pay when you want: With a typical 45-day credit period, you have the freedom to make the actual payment at a later date. Just make the initial payment via your credit card and pay the bill within the credit period. You can free up your cash for any other urgent requirements or emergencies and pay when you want. 

Pay on time: The 45-day credit period is especially useful when you have an irregular income or when your rent payment falls before your salary cycle. Pay the rent via your card, making your credit card payment whenever you get your salary. 

Using ApnaComplex Rent Pay

ApnaComplex offers a reliable, trustworthy, and safe rental payment gateway where you can pay rent via credit cards. There are also other benefits that you accrue, which include:

Timely reminders: Avoid missing any payment when paying through ApnaComplex Rent Pay. Get timely alerts whenever your payment is due.

Instant receipt: You don’t have to wait for the landlord’s acknowledgment with Rent Pay. Get an instant receipt whenever you make your payment. Now you don’t have to wait for filing your tax returns or HRA benefits. 

Get value-added services: With ApnaComplex you also get access to home services to meet your every need, from painting to cleaning and pest control. 

Complete rental platform

The PropTech platform offers a one-stop solution for tenants with ApnaComplex Rentals. As the largest repository of verified landlords and tenants, it offers a wide network of options in the best housing complexes in your city. With a dedicated Estate Portfolio Manager, you can also avoid dealing with multiple brokers. Other than assured supply, you can benefit from move-out / move-in assistance, lease agreement support, and more. 

If you want to know more about Rent Pay, get in touch with us at support@apnacomeplex. For ApnaComplex Rentals, call us at 0120 71173344 or write to us at rentals@apnacomplex.com.

Leave a comment InProduct News
ApnaComplex Payment Gateway Convenience at your fingertips
Paromita Datta
October 26, 2022

Why ApnaComplex Payment Gateway is the Collection Solution You were Waiting for

The core function of a society or gated community’s Management Committee (MC) or Resident Welfare Association (RWA) lies in the general upkeep of the premises. Their biggest task under this is the repair and maintenance of infrastructure. Other tasks can include handling communications, ensuring security, managing facilities, and addressing resident complaints and concerns.

The successful execution of these tasks depends on all the residents paying maintenance charges on time, especially given that an MC or RWA has only limited options in raising funds. However, despite its importance, the timely collection of these charges remains one of the biggest hurdles for many MCs and RWAs. 

This makes user-friendly and efficient solutions like Payment Gateways all the more important. With an easy payment process and attractive rates, the ApnaComplex Payment Gateway not only encourages residents to pay on time it also offers substantial benefits for the MC, particularly in ensuring efficiency. With a recent slash in convenience charges, the platform now offers upto 40% savings when compared to market rates. 

Importance of Maintenance Charges

Managing any residential complex typically involves multiple expenses. Maintenance charges are levied by the MC or RWA to meet these expenses. Its calculation can depend on multiple factors and can differ from one residential complex to another. It can be calculated according to per square feet of a unit or may be the same for every flat / villa / house. It typically covers, but is not limited to areas like: 

  • Common areas electricity and water charges
  • Insurance and taxes
  • Sinking or reserve fund
  • Parking charges
  • Society election fund
  • Service charges
  • Non-occupancy charges
  • Repairs and general maintenance
  • Staff salaries 

To know more about society maintenance charges, read our article here. Despite its importance, gaps in collecting these charges remains one of the biggest challenges for most MCs. Every measure that can prompt residents to make payments on time, therefore, can prove critical in minimising chances of defaults. 

Why ApnaComplex Payment Gateway  

The ApnaComplex Payment Gateway not only makes it easy for residents to make payments, it also makes the process of maintenance collection significantly more efficient. Here are just some benefits of adapting Payment Gateway for collecting maintenance charges:

Generate instant receipts: In a legacy system, residents often fail to inform the society after making their digital payment. Even in case of cheque or cash payments, there could be gaps in receipt generation due to human errors. With a Payment Gateway, receipts are generated automatically, allowing both the residents and the MCs to keep accurate records. 

Automatic reconciliation: Typically, the accounts team will wait for bank statements to enter payment details in the society accounts. This involves extra effort and time, and may delay receipt allocation even further. Account reconciliation is made even more cumbersome when details of each bank account has to be tallied. With a payment gateway, accounts are reconciled automatically. Apart from saving time and effort, it also reduces any chances of errors.   

Minimal convenience fee: With ApnaComplex Payment Gateway, residents can make in-app payments at a minimal convenience fee of 1.1% (plus GST) on credit cards and 0.6% (plus GST) on debit card transactions below ₹2000. This allows them to save upto 40% on when paying their common area maintenance charges and electricity bills. 

Credit card benefits: Residents have the opportunity to gain other rewards and benefits when making their digital payments. They also have some leeway in making the actual payment when paying by credit card.  

Defaulters’ list: Despite best efforts, some residents will still default on their payments. Timely access to defaulters’ list is essential in tracking these gaps. Apart from identifying defaulters, it helps in calculating actual collections, and in planning any corrective measures. Under a legacy system, this would be generated only after account reconciliation. However, the ApnaComplex accounting module automatically updates the defaulters’ list which can be viewed or downloaded at any time. 

The Payment Gateway further strengthens ApnaComplex’s digital payment structure. It ensures efficiency by reducing time, effort, and errors. More importantly, it promotes transparency in the system, further enhanced through automation of the accounting procedures. Read our article here to know why you should adopt digital payments. If you want to know how to manage late payments and improve collections, read our article here.  

Please refer to our Collection Gateway page for more details. To schedule a free demo, or to know more about ApnaComplex Payment Gateway, get in touch with us at support@apnacomeplex. 

Leave a comment InProduct News
ApnaComplex Rentals, creating a paradigm shift
Shajai Jacob
October 20, 2022

Data Insight With Personalised Service: How ApnaComplex is Driving the Change in Rentals

For years, the residential rental brokerage has been dominated by local agents. Largely unorganised, these agents often lived locally and had limited resources. Most rental agencies were effectively manned by a single agent who kept tabs on vacancies in the area. With the internet came the digitalisation of the rental industry. However, this was largely limited to property listings where people could view different vacancies in a city.  The online portals rarely affected the local broker who continued to operate in silos, relying on their extensive network. 

As the rental industry turns a full circle, we are again poised at a turning point where the online-to-offline model is fast gaining traction. Combining the data insight of a tech-first approach with personalised services of offline brokers, this model has evolved partly to meet changing customer requirements and partly in response to the need for hyper-accelerating rentals to meet exploding demand. 

Working in Silos

Like other industries, the internet was expected to be a game changer in residential rentals. Online listings were expected to streamline the process, directly connecting the owner and the tenant, taking out any unnecessary third party from the equation. The reality was starkly different. Most such portals operated on a subscription basis where detailed information was only visible for a nominal fee. 

More importantly, they lacked the network and reach of local brokers. The model depended on homeowners listing their property, but found few takers. Quite often the contact details were of brokers who used these portals to increase their reach. In fact, local brokers were often more likely to close the vacancies in their catchment area, further strengthened by personal service. 

Yet, they too faced challenges. Most potential renters are now increasingly likely to do their initial research on the web. They also expect end-to-end support that can strain smaller brokerages. There have also been concerns about ethical conduct where a broker may try to reduce the rent to find suitable renters in a short time. 

Online-to-Offline Approach  

A new generation of tech-savvy consumers and the increasing digital penetration in our daily life is now creating another paradigm shift, bringing together online and offline approaches in a manner to enhance each other’s advantages. Online reach is becoming increasingly critical to reaching the millennial buyers who form the dominant demographic in the real estate industry today. They are more likely to look for their next home online than meet multiple brokers. 

The increasing digital penetration has further accelerated this trend, giving us the tools to refine our search and correct the current imbalance between surging demand and low supply. However, there is also an increasing realisation that this must be supplemented with personalised service. A digital-only approach bypasses the personal touch that can be instrumental in building long-term relationships. Hence, leading to an approach where offline and online can be combined. 

ApnaComplex Rentals, Creating a Paradigm Shift

ApnaComplex Rentals leverages its tech-first approach with a pan-India network to bring together both online and offline models in rentals, thereby creating a smooth end-to-end service. On the technology side, it benefits from data insight derived from the app’s adoption in gated communities. Rental availability can be determined from move-in / move-out data, while lease agreements help in predicting availability. 

With an extensive network in gated communities, built on continued relationships with Management Communities and Resident Welfare Associations, we can also access a verified pool of tenants and landlords. This resolves one of the persistent challenges of carrying out relevant verifications. 

It is further supported by an offline approach where an on-site Estate Portfolio Manager (EPM) handles all requirements on behalf of the landlord, including assisting with the lease agreement and move-in. ApnaComplex Rentals also activates the unorganised local broker community in AC micro markets while partnering with leading real estate portals to funnel leads. This ensures that demand can be met in a short span.

In a first for the industry, ApnaComplex Rentals offers the society a fee share from rental transactions. It also ensures a higher rental yield for the landlord (by 4.5% to 5%). This is further enhanced by a lower three-week transaction fee, as against higher market operating charges, ensuring maximum gains for the landlord. 

In short, ApnaComplex Rentals benefits all stakeholders.

  • Largest platform for verified pool of tenants and landlords
  • Society gets a share in transaction fees
  • End-to-end rental management for landlord
  • High rental yield
  • Three week transaction fee, lower than market rates
  • Quick closing of demand by tenant
  • Strong offline network with a dedicated EPM and local brokers

If you want to know more about ApnaComplex Rentals, call us at 0120 71173344 or write to us at rentals@apnacomplex.com.

Leave a comment InProduct News
How RWAs and MCs are Driving Property Values
Paromita Datta
October 10, 2022

Driving Property Values Through a high Living Index: How Gated Communities are Leading the Charge

There is little doubt that gated communities are among the most coveted addresses today. According to a recent study, the demand for gated communities will increase by more than 2.5 the current levels to reach $500 billion by 2026 covering at least 24 million households. With many such residential developments now coming up in almost every city, gated communities are also driving the revival in residential sales. 

There are multiple reasons for their increased popularity. Gated communities offer a superior living experience in cities that are often plagued by crumbling infrastructure. With amenities like clubs, healthcare and sports facilities, these residential complexes also offer a strong spirit of community. One of the biggest contributing factors behind this is the hard work put up by Management Committees (MC) and Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) who are responsible for the overall administration of these residential areas.

SaaS-based Enterprise Resource Planning solutions like ApnaComplex have emerged as powerful tools for these MCs and RWAs in discharging their duties. With end-to-end digital solutions for community management, ApnaComplex has empowered MCs to optmise their resources, improve performance and cost efficiency. 

Role of MCs and RWAs in Raising Market Value

What puts gated communities at a higher premium than their non-gated counterparts? Even in developments that are coming up in peripheral areas, the market value often exceeds the property rates in the same locality by at least 10% to 20%. In many cases, it can even be double the rate. This higher market value comes from the quality of life that many MCs have successfully managed to maintain within premises. 

These governing bodies have increasingly taken on the mantle of delivering a higher standard of living in direct contrast to the state of affairs in most of our cities. Many of the leading gated communities today boast of state-of-the-art facilities like clubhouse and wellness facilities. They have also actively implemented sustainable practices like setting up waste segregation, rainwater harvesting and wastewater processing. 

In the process, these gated communities today offer an exceptional way of life that often raises the market value of the property. As a result, buyers are now increasingly willing to pay the extra buck for the facilities and ease of living in such complexes. 

How ApnaComplex is changing the game

Apartment management solutions have emerged as game changers in this endeavour. Through extensive digitalisation and automation of their functions, MCs and RWAs have been successful in improving the efficiency of community administration while delivering greater value to residents. 

As pioneers in community management automation solutions, ApnaComplex has been an intrinsic part of this journey, helping MCs and RWAs through innovative tech solutions. Via a central platform, it has helped these bodies through the following measures:

  • Digitalisation of billing and collections
  • Online payments 
  • Swift complaint resolution
  • Digital visitor management system
  • Establishing sustained two-way communication
  • Efficient asset management through timely maintenance 
  • Digital facility management including an app-based reservation system 
  • Involving residents in policy formation through multiple channels, including surveys and polls

These digital solutions are a vital part of initiating a smart living ecosystem in our urban areas. Empowered by ApnaComplex’s cutting-edge digital solutions, MCs and RWAs have managed to outpace the government in creating a higher living standard among gated communities. These benefits have, in turn, been instrumental in raising the market value of gated residential complexes. 

If you want to know more about our community management and security solutions, get in touch with us at support@apnacomeplex. Our team will help you understand the various features you can use for improving efficiency through digitalisation and automation.

Leave a comment InProduct News