In the last decade alone, there has been a sharp rise in the number of gated societies in the country. To help these societies manage their operations, society management apps have also cropped up and today, there are too many to count.
But then, how many of these apps actually have the support, bandwidth, and experience to cater to all the needs of gated communities?
In this article, we bring you the top five unique features of ApnaComplex that cannot be found in any other society management software. Read on to know more about these features!
Prepaid Meter
The ApnaComplex app allows you to integrate your society’s prepaid meter with the app. Using a prepaid meter, you can automatically get an accurate reading of the usage of the resources which will be reflected on the ApnaComplex app. This will help you optimise the usage of the resources and help conserve them.
N Format Balance Sheet
Form N is a Profit & Loss A/C and Balance Sheet format for Housing and Co-operative Societies under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act.
ApnaComplex is the only app that offers this format for auditing purposes along with hundreds of other audit-ready reports.
QR Code Asset Tracking
ApnaComplex allows you to track complaints against assets, their maintenance dues, AMCs, and much more by simply scanning the QR-code attached to the asset using the app.
This is a lot more comprehensive, and since every detail is available in a single place, the admin doesn’t have to sift through tens and hundreds of documents to find asset-related documents.
Budget Variance Report
Using ApnaComplex, the management can effortlessly draw a budget for their society and keep track of it. The Budget Variance Report helps you keep an eye on your expenditures. If you have overspent or are close to overspending the report will indicate the same. This will help you to spend your society’s budget judiciously.
Water Tanker Monitor
Water shortage is one of the biggest concerns in Societies in major cities. Therefore, judicious usage of water is a necessity. The Water Tanker monitor allows the management to efficiently track the water consumption and charge residents according to their usage. This also plays a vital role in preserving the water.
Apart from the above five features, ApnaComplex offers comprehensive solutions for gated communities including Billing & Accounting, Facility Management, Helpdesk, Security and more.
These features are tailor-made for managing gated communities and have undergone constant modifications after taking feedback from several Management Committee Members. This makes ApnaComplex the perfect solution for gated communities.
To know how to streamline your society’s operations, visit www.apnacomplex.com!
Accounting can make or break a society. When your society’s finances are handled meticulously and your treasurer or president is well aware of the income, expenses, outstanding payments, loans, etc, auditing the accounts would be a cakewalk for any auditor and he/she might as well make a wonderful example out of your management prowess.
However, when the income and expenses are not accounted for properly and there are too many discrepancies to count, well, your society’s finances will likely go downhill from here irking both the residents (after all, the monthly maintenance fee is a major chunk of income) and auditors.
In India, societies majorly follow the Single Entry or Double Entry Accounting systems. The key differences between these two systems and the impact they can have on a society are explored in this article.
Single Entry Accounting
1. Single entry accounting is majorly used in smaller societies where there is no large maintenance fee collection from the residency.
2. Smaller societies are unlikely to follow a proper bookkeeping process. Their entries may not be comprehensive.
3. They record the transactions on a cash basis and not on an accrual basis. Here, the cash transactions are recorded only when the payment is made and then the invoices are raised. However, Double Entry Accounting gives an estimation of all the transactions, upcoming payments, assets, and liabilities, etc.
4. The biggest advantage is, Single Entry Accounting will be useful for societies that do not require a skilled accountant to record financial transactions. Also, they do not require a large number of books/statements to record the limited number of financial transactions.
Double Entry Accounting
1. This system gives the idea to the Management Committee (MC) members or the treasurer about the total maintenance amount which needs to be paid by the residents, how much is pending to collect, and how much paid by them.
2. Likewise, they will also get a fair idea about how much they need to pay to the vendors from whom they are taking various services, and how much has been paid.
3. By following the accrual accounting method, the MCs can get a clear picture of the fixed assets they have, loans, and advances they have provided to their staff and outsiders, including vendors. They will also be aware of their liabilities such as loans borrowed by the association from banks, financial institutions, and other parties.
4. Accrual accounting comes as a big advantage for larger societies that have thousands of apartments. The treasurer or the Management Committee will get to know how much bank balance, cash, fixed deposit, and investments they have in their books of accounts of the association. This recorded information will come in handy when they have to submit their financial statements to auditors.
Financial maintenance: an obligation
It is imperative that the treasure or the Management Committee precisely knows how much maintenance fee they have collected from the residents, the amount paid to vendors, creditors, and other various parties. Likewise, they should also have updated information about fixed assets, loans, fixed deposits, investments, funds available in bank/cash, etc. This cash flow helps the management to run the society smoothly.
On the other hand, the treasurer, and the Management Committee are obliged to maintain these financial records. After all the residents entrust the treasurer with a portion of their income every month and hence, the management is answerable to the residents and must be able to present a satisfactory financial statement.
Apart from the residents, the management and treasurer should also be able to submit clear financial records to auditors, banks, and other legal entities. At some point, these documents can be used by the society to secure loans.
How can ApnaComplex be of help?
The ApnaComplex software is the only mature solution available in India today that offers an extensive Accounting module specifically conceived for the Indian gated communities. The software completely automates the accounting process in a society and simplifies the process for the treasurer or management.
– The software or app automatically reconciles the balance sheet eliminating the need for manual intervention.
– Payments can be paid through the app and when every transaction is digitally recorded, there are no suspense entries.
– ApnaComplex automatically generates defaulters and penalty collection reports. You can custom configure the software to send automatic notifications to the defaulting residents.
– You can configure the software to send auto-reminders to residents when maintenance dues are close.
– You can also configure the software to send recurring invoices to residents or vendors.
– When a resident default often and fails to pay dues on time on multiple occasions, the system allows you to block them from using certain facilities until the dues are paid. This improves your collection and minimises defaulters.
– ApnaComplex Budget Variance Report helps you to modify the budget of your society according to your needs. The app helps you keep track of your budget and will send reminders if you are close to the threshold.
– ApnaComplex offers 30+ Audit-ready financial reports. These comprehensive reports can be downloaded effortlessly during the time of audit streamlining the whole process.
– By using ApnaComplex diligently, a treasurer can save their time by 80%.
Though the Single Entry Accounting is straightforward to follow, it is evident that gated communities can benefit a lot by following the Double Entry Accounting system both in terms of legal obligations and welfare of the society.
To know more about our Accounting and other modules, visit apnacomplex.com
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Do not use almirah made of stones or marbles. Always prefer wood or iron almirah in the bedroom.
Almirah should be placed in Southwest direction so that it opens in North or East.
Almirah should be in some subtle colours like cream or light colour shades.
Make sure not to have any mirror on the Southwest almirah.
Placement of Almirah has different impacts for different rooms and should be placed as per Vastu guidelines.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Broken furniture- If you have broken furniture, pots or vessels that are not in use and unrepairable. Throw them off to remove negative energy.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Avoid placing Empty Rocking Chairs- Avoid placing empty rocking chairs at home as it invites dark forces to come and sit in it.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Domestic help/maids have now become a necessity for almost all households in India. Presently, with the average citizen working in the 9-5 shift or more, basic household chores need to be taken care of. It becomes essential that you hire the right person for all these activities that affect your day-to-day lives.
Some of the cities such as Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Hyderabad have several high-rise apartments with 700+ people residing in the same. The amount of domestic help available in such apartments should also be abundant? But this is not the case and the simple rule of economics that demand generates supply fails here. Finding domestic help is not easy irrespective of where you stay or how much you can pay. Sooner or later you do go through the pain of finding the right domestic help and retaining the same. Essentially, the story remains the same whether you reside in a big apartment or small: demands by the domestic staff for salary hikes are too frequent and largely unaffordable.
How can you tackle this problem?
Tips to standardise domestic help rates:
Prepare a rate card for all the household activities and ask residents to pay only that much.
Every maid needs to carry a No-objection-certificate from her previous employer so that the prospective employer ensures she/he is not switching jobs for money.
Residents are requested not to deviate from the rate card.
Any domestic help asking for more than the agreed rates are penalized.
Pitfalls of standardised rates:
The question that arises from the above pointers is that how easy is it to apply these rules to housing societies. A lot of residents were happy with the above-mentioned resolutions, however, some disagreed to the resolutions claiming that they were quite capitalist in nature and if doctors/engineers can demand their price, why can’t the domestic help do the same? The whole demand and supply economics lies in the scenario that if you can afford a maid for Rs. 8,000 and can very well afford it, it doesn’t matter to you if others in the apartment are paying Rs. 3,000. The others sooner or later will have to succumb to the so-called “market rate” pressure and increase the salary bars.
The resolutions mentioned above can only work if people living in an apartment work as a team with their associations and come to a common resolution wherein neither the domestic help is exploited nor are the employers blackmailed for sudden pay hikes.
Until then people with maids/drivers working with you for more than a year, good luck in maintaining them. For people searching for a good domestic help, best of luck for your quest to find the right domestic help!
