At the Better Apartment Management Conference held on Nov 15th 2014, Raja Sekhar, Co-founder of ApnaComplex.com presented “7 Habits of High Effective Managing Committees” of Apartment Associations.
The presentation itself is packed with things that Managing Committees should be doing to be most effective and the talk was peppered with real life examples and scenarios that a typical managing committee member faces. The talk also offered guidelines on how to be a better committee member of the apartment association.
The presentation is a first of its kind focusing on Managing Committees of Apartment Associations. The talk delves into how Highly Effective Managing Committees are different from others and bring amount a positive and visible increase in quality of life in the Apartment Complex during their tenures. The characteristics of these Highly Effective Managing Committees have been grouped into 7 different habits which should help any managing committee and apartment complex to become better.
Below is the updated presentation that was delivered at the conference:
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Better Apartment Management conference covered different aspects of managing Apartments more efficiently and offered tips for Managing Committees
Managing Apartment Complexes is a tough job – Managing them efficiently is even tougher. Significant part of the problem lies in the fact that the people who manage the apartment complexes are volunteers with no formal background in dealing issues surrounding the apartment management.
Better Apartment Management Conference conducted on November 15th 2014 by ApnaComplex was aimed to bridge this knowledge gap for Managing Committees. We have brought together experienced folks from various apartment complexes who have been there, done that to share with rest of the audience the secrets of managing apartments in a better way.
Representatives from various associations, facility management firms, even property developers have attended the conference and every one has some learning to take away at the end of the event.
Agenda
Welcome
7 Habits of Effective Committees – By Raja Sekhar, Co-founder at ApnaComplex.com
How to Select a FM Agency – Prashanth, Committee Member at Concorde Manhattans
Best Practices in Apartment Management, Rohit Talukdar and Ipsita Bose, Committee Members at Alpine Eco Apartments – a 810 flat complex
Best Practices in Apartment Management, Shubho Banerjee – Core committee member at L&T South City – a 1998 flat complex
Key Metrics to monitor in Apartment Management – Satish Rajendran, Director at Cushman & Wakefield
Apartment Social Responsibility – Meera K, Co-founder at Citizen Matters
Panel Discussion – Time Permitting
7 Habits of Highly Effective Managing Committees
Rajs, Co-founder at ApnaComplex welcomed the audience. Rajs, being part of managing committee in several capacities for 5 years and have personally been part of several hundred committee meetings of various apartments, spoke about “7 Habits of Highly Effectively Managing Committees” which all the managing committee members in the audience could relate to and benefit. The presentation covered Seven Habits that a Managing Committee could follow in order to effectively manage their Apartment Complex.
Raja Sekhar, Co-founder of ApnaComplex presenting 7 Habits of Highly Effective Managing Committees
The presentation covered on various topics like working as a team, importance of listening to members, transparency, not resigning for minor issues, responding with facts with no emotions, including every one, not clinging on to the committee posts and so on. This was very well received by the audience with lively interactions.
Lively audience from various apartments
Selecting an Facility Management Agency – Concorde Manhattans
This was followed by an idea rich presentation by Prashant M, Committee Member from Concorde Manhattan on ‘Contracting/ Outsourcing Process to FM Vendors’ covering
Preparedness prior to handover date
Track record
Transition phase
Critical points for selection:
Staff expertise
Checklist and reports
Clarity of scope
Mr. Prashanth – Committee Member of Concorde Manhattans, a 1200 unit complex talking on “How to select a Agency for Facility Management?”
He closed and stressed on the points
Selecting a firm marks the starting point in facility services.
Periodic checks on performance are a must to ensure resident satisfaction.
Concorde Manhattans is a 1200 flat apartment complex and has been using ApnaComplex portal for one and half years. It was time for a short tea/coffee break to buck up the energy levels of participants.
Best Practices in Managing Apartment Complex – Alpine Eco
Immediately after the break was followed by an energetic presentation from Mr. Rohit Talukdar and Ms. Ipsita Bose committee members of Alpine Eco Apartments, on “Best Practices in Apartment Management”. Alpine Eco is complex with 800+ apartments located on Outer Ring Road. Alpine Eco has been using ApnaComplex.com for 3+ years. Rohit and Ipsita shared their best practices implemented at Alpine Eco managing the apartment complex and making life better for all the residents.
Rohit Talukdar and Ipsita Bose, committee members of Alpine Eco sharing Best Practices on Apartment Management
They shared few Thumb Rules along with examples which has helped them in Better Apartment Management:
Don’t be afraid to use the right tool for the right task
Train your staff. Then rely on them.
Cheaper ain’t better
A tool is only as good as the committee that’s using it. Most people dismiss tools before using it.
Prefer people in your team who say “I will” as against people who say “We should…We could….Do it”
Execute->Delegate->Automate->Monitor.
The presentation also included how ApnaComplex portal is playing a role in managing the apartment better.
Best Practices in Managing Apartment Complex – L&T South City
Then came Mr Subhranshu Banerjee, Co-founding Member, South City Group Housing Apartment Owners’ Association who gave insights and experience on managing ~2000 apartments and covering the following challenges.
Cash flow (no corpus), big ticket capital expenses & maintenance collection
Residents info. & info. dissemination
Complaint handling
Safety & Security – ID, parking discipline
Waste recycling & disposal
Water – quantity & quality
Lift & DG up-time, breakdown handling
Common Area Electricity Bill
Fire safety & evacuation during emergency
Mr. Shubo Banerjee committee member of South City – a 2000 flat complex sharing Best Practices on Apartment Management
Shubho also mentioned how ApnaComplex portal is helping in managing the apartment better. The Q&A session did not stop for a long time post this presentation and we had to request the audience to take further questions later.
Approach to Managing Large Residential Properties – Cushman & Wakefield
Mr Sathish Rajendran, Associate Director, Cushman & Wakefield took up the charge of sharing knowledge on “Key Metrics / Approach to Managing Large Residential Properties” and touched upon how life styles have evolved for humans and the expectations of residents living in Large Apartment Complexes at present. Sathish touched upon the key concept of quality of life in an apartment vs cost of maintenance and suggested some basic guidelines for management:
Maintain day-to-day operations
Supervision of staff
Study local laws, regulations and bye-laws
Communication with residents / MC / service partners
Cost Optimization
Mr. Sathish Rajendran from Cushman & Wakefield talking on points to consider for large apartment management
Sathish stressed on how all of PEOPLE, PROCESS, TECHNOLOGY, and MEASUREMENTS should work in tandem to achieve Better Apartment Management.
Apartment Social Responsibility – Citizen Matters
The last presentation was on the topic “Apartment Social Responsibility” – a phrase coined by Raja Sekhar, Co-founder of ApnaComplex. “Apartment Social Responsibility” is coined from Corporate Social Responsibility phrase and refers to collective responsibility of people residing in Apartments towards the neighbourhood outside their “gated” community. This topic was aptly covered by Ms Meera K, Co-founder, Citizen Matters who nudged the audience pick up the responsibility of doing more to make the neighbourhoods and city much better place. Meera shared case studies on Kasa Muktha Bangalore on how few citizens coming out of the comfort of their apartments are making a difference to the city, and about few special interest groups working on Lake Rejuvenation across several lakes and making city a better place to live. She urged the audience to actively participate in various ward committees, liaison with authorities to improve things like roads, traffic and other aspects.
Meera K, co-founder of Citizen Matters talking on “Apartment Social Responsibility”
With all these running in everyone’s mind all the participants were interacting amongst themselves and with the speakers at the networking lunch. We asked for feedback on the event and every one gave thumbs up to Team ApnaComplex for organizing one of its kind event and wanted more such events that will help managing committees. All of them felt they had few takeaways which they could consider implementing in their apartment to manage it better – now that’s what is Better Apartment Management conference is all about!
We have also captured the videos of all the sessions and feedback on the session which will be shared soon on our YouTube page.
The entire team of ApnaComplex thanks the speakers for their time and knowledge sharing and we look forward for more such support in the near future.
When the entire nation was praying for the safe insertion of Mangalyaan Orbit into the planet Mars, we ran an confident booster contest on Mangalyaan Yathra. It was an open contest for all. Participants had to come up with encouraging headlines on the successful insertion of the Mangalyaan orbit into Mars, considering that the journey was successful. The encouraging responses showed that we Indians had huge confidence on ISRO and their most talked about baby – Mangalyaan Orbit. To encourage them further, the contest carried a gift voucher reward of Rs 1,000 for the best one-liner/headline which landed in the kitty of Saurabh Dwivedi.
The contest began on September 19, 2014 hitting the weekend and successfully went on till September 23, 2014; 8 pm. We planned to conclude the contest few hour before the most awaited success news on Mangalyaan journey so that we could decide among the huge number of participants. We also displayed the winning headline along with the winners name on our Facebook cover page. Here is the contest page that we ran and some encouraging comments that came our way.
The Contest
Encouraging Comments from the Participants
3 Cheers to the Success
First Attempt Mein Pahoocha Koun?
India All the Way
The Sanskrit Touch
Earth Finally got its partner – Wedding Bells
Mars has No way to Go
Rhyme and Rhyme all the way
We are proud of you ISRO.
Looking forward for more such events which will make India proud.
ApnaComplex, ReapBenefit, CHF Global communities and CSA-Christ University is organizing a workshop on waste management pinning on how apartments can take charge and manage its own waste.
With the Mandur Landfill slatted to close down on December 1st, the city’s garbage has nowhere to go. At the very least there is going to be a widespread disruption to the garbage collection and disposal. In light of this, Reap Benefit along with its partners ApnaComplex, CHF Global communities and CSA-Christ University is organizing a workshop on how apartments can take charge and manage its own waste.
Takeaway for apartments:
Are you complying with present rules and regulations?
How do you involve residents and implement a successful waste management program
How do you manage kitchen waste, recycle your dry waste and dispose of rejects?
Suggest a Crisp and Catchy Headline, Anticipating Successful Mars Orbit Insertion of the Mars Orbiter Mission – Mangalyaan which is Scheduled to be happen on September 24, 2014.
All of us are waiting for Sep 24th 07:18 AM for India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) to be a success.
Have some fun while waiting!
Suggest a Original Crisp and Catchy Headline that can be used upon successful mission and take away Gift Voucher Worth Rs. 1,000/-.
Here is how you could participate:
1. Submit your headlines as comments under this facebook post before 8PM on 23rd Sep 2014.
2. Number of likes on your comment would be a key point in deciding winner.
3. Keep it original.
4. You can also post your headlines as reply to any our tweets at twitter.com/apnacomplex with hashtags #CheerIndia2Mars
The best headline among all the submission will Win a Gift Voucher worth Rs 1,000 and the Headline will also be showcased on our Cover Page along with Your Name on 24th.
Takes away Flipkart voucher worth Rs 1,000 by participating in the ApnaComplex Ganesh Chaturthi Contest.
Starting this week we ran an exciting Ganesh Chaturthi contest on our ApnaComplex Facebook page. It was an open contest for all. Participants had to tickle there brains, come up with an environmental friendly idea to celebrate this Ganesh Chaturthi and post the same on our facebook and twitter pages. Soumyadeep Sur has provided the most practical Eco-Friendly idea, which is not just interesting but worth considering by all. ApnaComplex is excited to reward Soumyadeep Sur with a Flipkart Gift Voucher worth Rs 1,000.
The contest started on August 25, 2014 and concluded on August 28, 2014 at 2pm. We got some encouraging ideas from across which definitely shows that our fans are concerned about environmental safety. We would like to share few interesting ideas with all, you never know you might implement the same in the future. So lets hit it —
Detailing the celebration process
Say no to colors and think of poor
Ganesha loves food
Art will speak it all
Eco-friendly water Ganesha
Why not Ganesha from the leaves
Summing up for an environment friendly Ganesh Chaturthi celebration
Ganesh – the Plant to worship
Some Sincere Prayers to conclude
It was indeed a very fruitful contest.
Did you miss this one, don’t worry we have our next one coming up right away. Share your Ganesh Celebration photos with us on our Facebook and the best photo can win exciting goodies from ApnaComplex.
ApnaComplex team wishes everyone a Very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi.
In the rush and stress of urban life, we often forget about the ancient customs and traditions associated with our festivals. In fact, one of the common complaints of parents living in apartment complexes in cities is that their children are unaware of their roots and culture. Yet another complaint often heard is that city living has cut the links that develop between members of a community.
Have a communal Pongal celebration in the apartment complex is a good way to solve these problems. Children get to know more about their culture even as their parents learn to interact and develop friendships with their neighbors.
Tips for Planning Pongal Celebrations
(i) Pongal is a four day festival. While it might not be possible to evoke a good response to an event stretching out over four days – give the hectic pace of urban life – plan to have at least a two day celebrations to create a true impact.
(ii) The first day of Pongal, known as Bogi, is normally marked by a pooja and a bonfire. The bonfire in the evening can be made into a community event.
(iii) Make arrangements for the bonfire well in advance. Keep one person in charge of the entire event. Designate a safe area for the bonfire, which is away from parked cars and other fire traps. Involve children in the activity of building the bonfire. Also ensure that safety precautions are in place. Check that fire extinguishers are in working order.
(iv) On the second day of Pongal celebrations – the Surya Pongal – arrange for women in the apartment complex to draw kolams. Get children involved in the activity, so that they learn about this tradition. Some apartment complexes even arrange group kolam competitions.
(v) Cooking the pongal can also be an event where all the residents in the complex participate. This again adds to the excitement and fervor of the occasion.
(vi) A community lunch can be organized. The residents of the apartment complex should be encouraged to bring in one dish each for the lunch. This will again involve a lot of planning and interaction – which is the point of holding Pongal celebrations in your apartment complex!
(vii) Have special events for the children. A quiz competition regarding Pongal traditions, a exhibition of Pongal Panai pots painted and decorated by the residents and a cultural program are just some of the ways to get children involved more actively in the celebration. These activities will also build up a special atmosphere in the apartment complex and add to the sense of festivity.
(viii) The success of the Pongal celebrations in your apartment complex will depend on the degree of participation. It is therefore essential that the event is well planned taking everybody’s suggestions and ideas. Discussions should be held and responsibilities assigned to make sure that the event goes off smoothly.
Group celebrations can reduce the feeling of alienation that people living in apartment houses often experience – and Pongal is definitely a good reason to celebrate!
Get your Society on ApnaComplex – Today!
ApnaComplex is India’s most comprehensive web based housing society accounting, management and communication software. It is designed to make the life of residents and owners a lot better by bringing in more transparency and accountability in managing a housing society. Check out the features of ApnaComplex and sign up your society today to get the benefits! We offer a free 30-day trail as well so that you can try before you buy!
Announcing a photography contest for the shutterbugs in your apartment. Three simple steps:
ApnaComplex Holi Photography Contest
1. Shoot pictures of the Holi Celebration in your society/apartment/layout
2. Upload best among those pictures on our Facebook wall.
3. Get your friends like the picture directly on ApnaComplex wall!
The top 3 pics with maximum likes will be given one ApnaComplex Goodie Bag each!
Flying fishes crossed with menacing black bats. Giant butterflies raced with Winnie the Pooh. Spiderman playfully chased eagles in the sky. It was a bright sunny morning on the 12th of February – a clear indication to Bangaloreans of the receding winter and the descent of the colourful spring time. Welcome to Galipata Time! – A morning with kite flying & traditional games.
The day started with enthusiastic children with their parents in tow, crowding around the stall of colourful kites, picking and choosing their favourite ones ranging from the traditional paper-based ones, shiny silver ones to the more sturdy plastic theme-based ones. After a little bit of trial and error, the “kiters” quickly got into the groove. And soon the cheerful, colorful forms dotted the sky.
After a few hours of pure fun in the sun, it was time to sit in the shade and play the traditional, indoor, games from long ago. While elders got nostalgic and smiled at fond memories, children looked at then with fresh eyes and thoroughly enjoyed playing games from Kavade (A Niche Toy Hive) – like Pachchisi, Pallanguzhi, Navakankari, Chaukabara etc. In no time, they got deeply involved and interested – trying to master the nuances and “levels” of the games, they had only so far, heard about from their grandparents. It just went to show that though times change, it just cannot wipe out the charm of golden oldies!
Finally where there are children around, can food be far behind? There were food stalls like The Green Pantry (We Think Green & Use Brown!)icecream, corn, etc to keep the spirits high. At the end of the day, everyone who walked out had a kite or more in one hand, a game in the other and a smile on their face! May more such events happen!
The event was organized by Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Citizen Matters. ApnaComplex sponsored the the traditional games for all the children.