Apartment Management Archives | ApnaComplex Blog

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May 4, 2022

10 things to consider before evaluating balance sheet

If you are a Secretary, President, or the Treasurer of a gated community, terms like maintenance dues, late payment charges, reconciliation of the balance sheet are a part of your everyday job.

For a society to run smoothly, maintenance dues have to be paid on time, the accounting has to be precise, and the treasurer must have clear insights on the society’s income and expenses.

However, not every treasurer or secretary comes from an accounting background and for this very reason, ApnaComplex offers a robust, fully automated accounting and billing solution with 100+ financial reports and 30+ audit-ready reports.

When the time comes to reconcile or evaluate a balance sheet, the Treasurer must consider various aspects and pay attention to a handful of factors before evaluating the balance sheet and submitting for audit.

Keep reading to learn about these essential factors and why they can never be overlooked!

Fixed Asset Verification

A Treasurer must ensure that whatever fixed assets physically available in the society’s premises, must reflect on the balance sheet as well. This will help the treasurer keep note of the available assets, depreciated value, etc.

Outstanding receivable confirmation

All outstanding amounts, including maintenance charges, vendor payments, service charge dues, etc are received and updated on the balance sheet. Failing to add even a negligible amount can cause confusion and discrepancies which will cause trouble to the Management Committee during the time of auditing.

Bank Reconciliation

The treasurer must ensure that the bank balance reflecting on the account and bank statement/balance sheet are the same. If it doesn’t match, the treasurer must spend eons of time figuring why the statement and balance doesn’t match and must fix it before auditing.

Thankfully, with ApnaComplex, a treasurer doesn’t have to worry about this, for the solution auto-reconciles the balance sheet. It also gives the comprehensive details of overdue, advance payments, late payment charges, etc, saving a treasurer’s time by more than 80%.

Vendor Payments

Vendor payments, including any loans or advance payments made to or received from vendors, have to be cross checked and recorded along with the date and vendor details. The treasurer must also keep a copy for all the invoices and receipts for future references.

The ApnaComplex system, enables the treasurer to auto-generate receipts and invoices, and maintain digital repository of the same.

Vendor Payable Reconciliation

Payments made to vendors must be recorded and reflected on the bank account and bank statement.

Corpus Fund and Sinking Fund

The Treasurer must confirm that the Corpus Fund (capital amount, or the money provided by the builder to RWA during the formation of RWA), and the Sinking Fund (emergency money) are untouched. They should also ensure that the money in the bank and the amount reflected on the balance sheet/statement are the same.

Fixed deposit and interest

The Treasurer must confirm the money fixed deposit and the interest it generates. It should match the bank statement.

Year ending provision

Any provision such as security services, electricity charges, equipment maintenance services that happened before March has to be incorporated in the provision and reflected on the balance sheet.

Refundable Deposit and Advances

The Treasurer must also confirm the Refundable deposits (if any) and advance payments.

Statutory Payment payable and Compliances

The Treasurer must make sure that the TDS payments, GST payments, ITR payments, etc are done and all the relevant forms are filled and submitted.

We hope you find these quite useful! ApnaComplex’s accounting solution is the only fully-mature solution made for and by gated communities available today. It is GST compliant and fully automated. If you would love to simplify your society’s accounting processes and save your time and energy, visit apnacomplex.com

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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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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

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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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apnacomplexnitin
February 18, 2022

ApnaComplex awarded the BEST PROPTECH ERP Solution of the year!

We are excited and thrilled to announce that ApnaComplex has won the best Community & Society Management ERP Solution Award for its unique Community & Society Management ERP platform at the REALTY+ PROPTECH EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2021 – 22.

Shajai Jacob, MD & Country Head of ApnaComplex, who received the award said, “The ApnaComplex app is a unique ERP solution actively used by over 6000 societies and more than 6,00,000 households in India. Its tailor-made features and modules offer unmatched services to the residents by automating all the bespoke needs of gated communities. This award is a testimony to the efforts and brilliance of the team behind ApnaComplex, as well as the trust reposed in us by our users”.

The PROPTECH EXCELLENCE AWARDS by REALTY+ is known for recognising and honouring outstanding proptech innovation, solutions, and initiatives in the realty sector. It recognises and honours the best solutions and innovation in the Indian Property Technology business

The award ceremony was graced by several important people from the PropTech industry, both from India and abroad. Vivek Agarwal (Co-founder & CTO, Square Yards), Aryaman Vir (Founder & CEO – MYRE Capital), Amit Gehlot (Founder & CEO, PropertyXpo.com), Amit Agarwal (Founder & CEO – NoBroker.com), and Pankaj Kapoor (Founder & MD, Laises Foras Real Estate Rating & Research Pvt. Ltd.), to name a few.

Since its inception, ApnaComplex is regarded as the No 1 gated community management and ERP Solution in India. ApnaComplex is one of the few companies of its kind to be in the industry for more than a decade. The solutions offered by ApnaComplex have gone through several changes and modifications based on the feedback received from management committees to suit and accommodate all their needs.

From Gate Management to Billing & Accounting Solutions, Facility Management, Asset Management, Help Desk, etc, every module is customised for gated communities to offer a holistic ERP Solution. Spread across 80 Indian cities, ApnaComplex continues to expand and free societies from the clutches of manual management through the innovative blend of remote tech – SaaS deployment and on-ground support.

It is also worth mentioning that ApnaComplex has also pioneered its presence and business in the GCC region, operating through a dedicated team based in Dubai under the brand ANACITY, and working with the Dubai Land Governance as well as various owner associations in order to provide premium condominium management solutions. Such has been the uniqueness of the offering that ANACITY in its very first year of operations has garnered much acclaim and public accolades.

Know all about society maintenance charges and how they can impact buyers

Maintenance is a big part of housing societies. To maintain the building, the common facilities, and to pay the society staff (security, janitors), every resident is charged a maintenance amount.

Before moving into a gated community, owners and tenants must know all about the society’s maintenance structure and how their contribution will be used.

In this article, we explain all about maintenance charges, how a unit is charged, how the collected money is used, how they can impact you financially, etc.

Charging maintenance

The management/RWA (Residents’ Welfare Association) has the right to collect maintenance charges from the owner or tenant. The maintenance amount is charged per square foot, or a uniform amount is levied on all the residents – whichever is agreed by the majority of the residents.

When a building is constructed, the builder takes the onus of maintaining the building until the building is substantially occupied for an RWA to form. The builder might request initial buyers to pay the maintenance amount of a year upfront during the purchase or in installments. This is perfectly legal as long as the builder uses the money only for the welfare of the building and has a valid audited record.

How should the builder handle the maintenance money collected?

There are certain guidelines involved here and the builders must abide by them. These guidelines and how a builder should discharge his/her duties when it comes to maintenance charges are discussed below.

Maintenance charges belong the society

The maintenance charges collected from the buyers belong to the society only and builders cannot use them for their gains. Here, the builder only takes care of the building for a limited period and the responsibility of managing and maintaining the building and its premises, in the long run this falls under the responsibility of the RWA once it is formed and fully functional.

An exclusive bank account

The builder/developer is required to create a bank account for depositing maintenance contributions exclusively. Once the RWA is formed, the builder should hand over the accumulated maintenance amount or the balance amount to the RWA along with the income, expenditure, and bank account details.

When the builder hands over the maintenance to RWA, it is mandatory that an auditor or CA (chartered accountant) endorse that the maintenance money has been used for the welfare of the building only.

Similarly, the lump sum maintenance amount deposited in the bank account will accrue interests. This interest amount solely belongs to the maintenance account only and cannot be used by the builder.

What is included in the maintenance charges?

– Common electricity and water charges

– Insurance charges

– Property and non-agriculture taxes

– Sinking or reserve fund

– Car-parking charges

– Society election fund

– Service charges

– Training and education fund

– Non-occupancy charges

– Expenses arising due to repairs and general maintenance of the building, including lift and other facilities maintenance and services.

– Salaries of society staff including security personnel, janitors, maintenance staff and their travelling allowances, etc.

What are the criteria for maintenance charges?

There are six types of maintenance charges with each having a different criterion and the residents are charged accordingly.

Sinking Fund – 0.25% of each unit’s construction cost (per annum).

Repairs and maintenance expenses of building – 0.75% of each unit’s construction cost (per annum).

Repairs and maintenance expenses of lifts – Divided among residents equally.

Service charges (security, assets, common area electricity, etc) – Divided among residents equally

Parking charges – According to parking slots given to each unit.

Water charges and property tax – Depending on the consumption of each unit.

Maintenance charges and GST

For the first couple of years post the construction of the building, maintenance charges will be unclear since the unit will only begin to occupy and the application of maintenance charges will be work in progress. The homeowners will set a standard and decide the maintenance charges that work for them both in the short and long term.

However, in July 2019, the Finance Ministry ordered that flat owners must pay 18% GST if their monthly maintenance contribution is more than ₹7500 and RWA’s annual turnover of supply of goods and services is more than ₹20 lakhs.

Maintenance charges and RERA

According to the RERA – Real Estate ACT (Regulation and Development) of 2016, the developer is responsible for the maintenance of the building and providing essential services to the residents until it is taken over by the RWA.

RERA also clearly states that home buyers who have agreed to the sale of a unit are responsible for making the required maintenance payments towards the association and contribute towards common electricity and water charges, municipal tax, ground rent, registration charges, etc. The owners are required to make the payment on the agreed date, time, and place as outlined in the agreement

Financial implications of maintenance charges

A society’s maintenance charges are decided based on the building’s life cycle cost and can influence the buyers’ decision. When the building construction is underway, developers might not bring up the maintenance nor discuss it in detail.

Nevertheless, when the property is ready-to-move-in, the developer will quote a maintenance amount considering all the expenses taxes, and other deposits. At this stage, the buyers have to pay one or two years of maintenance amount upfront.

For example, if the monthly maintenance is ₹4000, they will have to pay ₹48,000 (4000 x 12 months) or ₹96,000 (4000 x 24 months) initially and this will have an impact on their purchasing decision.

Waiving off maintenance charges

Though payment of maintenance charges are a mandate, they can be reduced or waived off for a stipulated time due to unexpected circumstances. The classic example would be the COVID-19.

Several societies in India had reduced the maintenance fee or have waived it off for a few months when the pandemic was raging and people had to take salary cuts or lost their jobs,

To conclude, buying a property is a decision that involves a substantial amount of money. Before signing the agreement, buyers must consider and analyse all the expenses including the maintenance amount they will be paying during their tenure. This amount that will be paid every month can amount to a significant amount in the long run if saved.

Want to simplify and streamline your society’s daily operations and make maintenance dues collection and payment an easy affair? Visit apnacomplex.com and schedule a free demo!

1 Comment InMaintenance Charges Maintenance Tips

apnacomplexnitin
February 10, 2022

The 10 restricted areas children should never enter in a gated community!

Gated communities come with comforts, security, rules regulations, and of course restrictions too. Not all residents have access to certain areas. Some areas can be accessed only by the management committee, security, and maintenance staff.

Having said so, kids certainly should be kept out of these areas for their safety as well as to ensure the operations of the society are uninterrupted.

In this article, we bring out the common restricted areas in societies and why children and residents should seldom enter.

Mechanical and electrical closets

Mechanical closets hold the air conditioning, heating, and ventilation systems of the whole society and are located in the common area. The controls are sensitive and power several appliances in the building.

Electrical closets also function similarly. They house the entire power supply to the building and the community’s power connections are managed here. Since the controls are very sensitive and even one wrong move can cause a power outage. Only electricians have access to the electrical closets.

Both mechanical and electrical closets are locked. Nevertheless, remember reminding children to not play near these closets or shooing them away when they are too close to these closets will not hurt.

The communication duct

All the communication-related cables including the broadband, internet, and telecom cables, and their wirings are kept here, and meddling with them will cause great inconvenience for the entire society. Hence, keeping kids away from this duct is important for continued internet services and communications.

STP area

It is now mandatory that societies have Sewage Treatment Plants installed on their premises. An STP processes the wastewater and the recycled water can be used for gardening purposes.

Since STPs carry toxic waste, residents, especially children should be kept away from that area since the waste can cause health hazards.

Water tanks and pumping stations

Water tanks and their pumping stations are out-of-bounds to not only children but to adults alike. The pipes that push water can sometimes be fragile and can break when colliding with them while playing or moving around. Only plumbers know how to handle these pipes.

Also, the water moves with such force inside these pipes that if a pipe bursts, the gushing water that comes out can cause grievous injuries if it comes in contact with skin. Additionally, if any damages are caused, it will hamper the water supply to the entire community.

Lift maintenance room

Lift malfunctioning while you are stuck inside one can be nightmarish and no resident should go through that (well, power cuts are unavoidable and that is why we have generators!).

If children fiddle with it, it will cause the lift to malfunction and cause great inconvenience to other residents. To avoid such mishaps, children should be strictly prohibited from entering the lift maintenance room.

Gas cylinder storage area

If a society has such an area, then they must ensure that no one enters the area except for security. Even accidental gas leaks are risky and God forbid, if there is a spark, it can cause great damage to the society.

It is best to store cylinders in the open and prohibit children from coming near to these cylinders for obvious safety reasons.

Garbage area

Every society has a garbage collection area and the entire society’s dry, wet, and medical wastes are dumped here. For health and safety reasons, children should be forewarned and prohibited from playing near the garbage collection area.

Terrace area

Most societies restrict residents from accessing the terrace and the keys remain with either security or the management. Playing on the terrace may lead to accidents and for this very reason, children should be kept away from this area.

Break and storage rooms

A Break room is the only place where the staff take some rest and have their meal in peace. Causing disturbance over there while they rest and relax is unacceptable. To ensure that the maintenance staff are well-rested, children must not be allowed inside break rooms.

Likewise, storage rooms have chemical-laden cleaning agents, acids, cleaning, mowing, and other expensive equipment. It is best to prohibit children from playing in these or near these rooms.

Before you move into a new society, check with all the rules and regulations, restricted areas, and general guidelines. Move-in only after considering everything. Also, constantly remind children not to enter the restricted areas for safety reasons.

About ApnaComplex

Regarded as the No 1 society management app, ApnaComplex has 11 years of expertise in community management. Every feature offered by us is carefully curated to meet the needs of the management committee.

ApnaComplex is the only mature solution that has undergone modifications based on the feedback given by management committees, making the software for and by the management committee.

To know about the modules we offer and how they help streamline your gated community operations, please visit apnacomplex.com.

Apartment Owner and Resident Welfare Association – What are they and their key difference

Becoming a homeowner or property owner ticks a huge milestone in one’s life. However, it also involves an understanding of a handful of legal processes including home registration, obtaining NOC, occupancy certificate, etc.

Having said this, the one question we are often asked is the difference between the Apartment Owner Association (AOA) Act and Resident Welfare Association (RWA) Act; and which of these two acts should a society follow.

In our quest to find all about AOA and RWA and their impact on society, we posed a smattering of questions to an RWA member based out in Gurgaon whose responses can be found below.

Q: What are the prime preambles of the AOA (Apartment Ownership Association) act and RWA (Resident Welfare Association) act?

AOA – A voluntary body formed by the owners of an apartment complex. It is responsible for enforcing regulations, building and amenities maintenance, etc. An Owner Association is bound to follow the rules and regulations of the respective State government’s Act and the owners can provide the builder with a power of attorney to register the association. While a registered AOA can enjoy few legal benefits, the association doesn’t need to be registered mandatorily.

RWA – It is also a voluntary body whose roles, rules, and responsibilities are established solely for the welfare of the residents. It is registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860. However, RWA does not hold any legal authority or power.

Q: The difference between the AOA and RWA acts. Which of the two-act is beneficial for a society?

The HAOA 1983 (Haryana Apartment Owner Association) is a special Act for Apartment Owners, where the HRRS (Haryana Registration and Regulation of Societies) 2012 is a general Act for all sorts of societies.

Q: In case of any dispute, what are the legal remedies applicable to residents in case they are following these two acts.

Under the HAOA 1983, one can approach the Town & Country Planning Department, file legal cases, and approach RERA – Real Estate Regulatory Authority of India.

Under the HRRS 2012 Act, one must approach the District Registrar, Firms & Societies, then the State Registrar, and finally the Registrar General (RG) who is the final deciding authority. Once the RG gives a ruling it cannot be challenged in court.

Q: Which of the two acts should a society follow during the formation of the committee and why?

Maintenance is handed over by the builder under the provisions of the HAOA 1983 to the RWA/AOA, hence the committee is formed at this stage itself.

If an AOA/RWA wishes, it may register itself under the HRRS 2012 Act. It is not mandatory to do so, but since everyone registers, there is a misconception that it is mandatory.

*Kindly note that the above answers are in accordance with the laws applicable to the state of Haryana.

About ApnaComplex

We are one of the top apartment management solutions in the country that offers tailor-made management solutions of Indian gated communities.

In the last 11-years since our inception, oue solutions have been through constant development, modification, and modernisations based on suggestions and feedback provided by various management committees and RWAs. This makes ApnaComplex one of the few solutions that is for and by the Management Committee.

To know how we can simplify and streamline the operations of your gated community, please visit ApnaComplex.

Leave a comment InApartment Management Apartment Owners Association

apnacomplexnitin
January 25, 2022

Top 5 unique features of ApnaComplex that set us apart

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!

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January 21, 2022

How to resolve parking issues in gated communities?

Though most of the societies have designated and sufficient parking spaces, many societies do not or have poorly designed parking spaces causing confusion and inconvenience. Some of the common parking woes include lack of visitor parking space, unauthorised parking, parking in the wrong spot, etc.

The best way to resolve parking issues is to streamline the parking process and have appropriate rules and regulations in place. Keep reading to know how to handle parking woes rationally and what the management committee can do to provide a fair parking allotment.

Some common parking issues in societies

– Residents parking their vehicles in undesignated or other residents’ parking spots.

– Visitors parking their vehicles haphazardly, in ‘No Parking Zone’, and/or in some other residents’ designated parking area.

– A resident owning more than one two-wheeler or four-wheeler can be problematic too since this leads to an added number of vehicles than designated parking spaces within the society. To park their other vehicles, residents who own multiple vehicles use the allotted parking spots of other residents causing inconvenience to the latter.

All the above issues can be effortlessly addressed and resolved with the help of effective and clear communication, workable parking rules and regulations. Streamlining community parking will benefit all the parties immensely eventually.

Tips to solve parking issues

Better Communication and Management

Parking in the wrong spot deliberately or unknowingly can cause problems shortly and one cannot blame the other resident for wanting their covered parking spot.

To avoid this hassle, a simple check with the security or the resident of that particular spot will help you determine if you can park in that spot or not.

If you are part of the management, then it is important to communicate your society’s parking rules to other residents and visitors. Paste those rules on the Notice Board. If you use ApnaComplex, digitally store these rules on the app using Document Repository and share them with residents. The rules can also be shared via the ApnaComplex ‘Notice Board’.

Using these smart tools, you can efficiently manage vehicle parking.

Fine wrongful and unauthorised parking

Imposing fines can be annoying to the one who pays but for the management, it can solve a lot of issues. Identify and fine residents who park their vehicles randomly and park in spots designated to other residents.

Monetary penalties can have a stronger impact than verbal or written censures. While eliminating the troubles of wrongful parking, this penalty will also bring additional income to the society that can be used for the welfare of the society and residents.

These penalties collected can be digitally recorded using the ApnaComplex Billing and Collection Module and invoices can be raised automatically too.

Hold the resident responsible

Ensure that all the parking rules of your society are communicated to the entire residents. When a guest or visitor parks in a random parking spot, they aren’t aware of the rules, and penalising them is unjust.

It is the responsibility of the resident that the visitor parks the vehicle in the right spot. If they fail to do so, it is only fair to penalise them. This will drive home the point that your society is quite serious about the parking laws.

Rent space for multiple vehicles

If you have space left in your society, rent it to residents for parking their additional vehicles or request them to park the additional vehicle outside the society. This will allow other residents to park their vehicles freely without any inconvenience.

A little planning, smarter management, and clear communication can help you manage parking issues better in your society. These efforts exerted in the present will pay off in the long run.

We hope the aforementioned tips help you manage parking in your society better. To know how we can help you with parking management and streamlining society operations, visit www.apnacomplex.com.

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Category Apartment Management