A Homeowner’s Guide to Apartment Maintenance Fees

Homeowners are unaware of what maintenance services are covered by, how the residents welfare association uses them, or how much is included in them. To get the answers to all of these queries and worries, scroll down.

One of the many costs associated with buying a flat / apartment is maintenance. This maintenance charge is paid by the owners/tenants on a monthly or yearly basis to cover building upkeep, repair, and operation. The duration of these vertical establishments is determined by the upkeep of your flat and shared facilities.

Most gated communities offer their inhabitants various facilities for them to have comfortable and enjoyable living conditions. To utilize these amenities and services, owners of properties need to pay for maintenance fees every month. This article will help you know more about these maintenance fees as well as how they are determined. Furthermore, a yearly or monthly schedule for maintenance costs is also included together with the implication of GST under RERA guidelines and regulations.

Some significant elements of the property maintenance fees in different societies are listed below:

• Service charges for things like electricity, housekeeping, security, and so forth.
• The cost of lift maintenance and repairs is shared by all residents.
• Residents who use the parking lot owned by the society are charged a fee for parking.
• The quantity of water that each apartment uses determines the water charges.
• Sinking Fund for any kind of emergency caused by an unanticipated disaster.
• When residents use their property for commercial reasons, they may be required to pay insurance.
• The leasing rent is calculated per square foot for a certain space.
• When an apartment or flat is vacant, its owners are subject to non-occupancy fees.

One of the elements of the builder-buyer contract that needs to be paid for is maintenance. Any allottee engaging into a builder-buyer contract is required by Section 6 of the RERA Act of 2016 to make timely payments for these charges. Another justification is that there are many benefits to paying these bills, like not having to handle things on your own. The maintenance crew will handle parking allocation, essential security, water supply arrangements, telephone connections, and power supply in exchange for these costs.

Most people have questions as to whether they still have to pay maintenance fees even when they aren’t residing in their apartment or flat. Yes, is the response. This is so because there are no maintenance costs associated with individual properties. All residents are still required to get shared maintenance and facilities from the builder. Should your community employ a hybrid maintenance schedule, you have the option to pay yearly maintenance fees solely for necessary parts.

You will know how much you should pay once you realize how maintenance fees are calculated. Buyers ought to consent to only fair prices, not demands made at random. When all the flats in a society are the same size, some societies base maintenance fees on that fact, while others base them on other considerations.

There are two main ways that builders can bill for upkeep. The first is for the initial years of upkeep of the residential project. The maintenance fees are paid in full to the builders or in monthly installments. Additionally, they get paid for building upkeep according to the frequency that is mentioned in the buyer-builder contract.

The following are some widely used techniques for figuring out a society’s yearly maintenance fees:

The majority of societies that utilize this method of determining annual maintenance charges have flats or apartments with different sizes and configurations. For instance, if a certain society levies a monthly maintenance fee of Rs 2, then the maintenance cost per month for an apartment measuring 1,000 square feet would be Rs 2,000.

When every flat or apartment in the complex is roughly the same size, this technique of figuring annual maintenance fees is employed. Most societies estimate and collect these fees at the conclusion of each calendar month.

Certain societies use a hybrid system to determine their maintenance fees. It combines the Equal Maintenance and Per Square Foot techniques of calculation. In a partially equal maintenance system, residents must pay the costs of shared services such as parking lots, lifts, swimming pools and others. What’s more, if the per-square-foot calculation method is employed, the residents will be charged fees based on their property size.

Regarding monthly, quarterly, or annual maintenance costs, the following are some important RERA regulations.

• The builder and the property buyer are required to sign a maintenance contract.
• Maintenance fees must be agreed upon between the buyer and the builder on a monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, or annual basis.
• The maintenance agreement must specify the amount and frequency of maintenance fee payments.
• Until the buyer takes possession of the property, the builder bears the responsibility of covering the upkeep costs.
• The amount and frequency of maintenance fee payments must be determined by the builder and disclosed.
• At the time of ownership, builders may ask for a 12- to 24-month maintenance fee payment.
• Monthly maintenance costs might vary from Rs. 2 to Rs. 25 or more, depending on the facilities that societies offer.
• Once the owner acquires ownership of the property, they are in charge of all upkeep costs. Tenant is in charge of paying maintenance costs if they are specified in the lease (owner-tenant agreement).

The majority of Flat or apartment organizations gather maintenance fees either monthly or every three months. Residents get maintenance bills or invoices from the association or society’s management committee, along with a note detailing the amount owed and the due date. In order for facilities and services that are necessary to run properly, it is imperative that residents pay these fees on time.

The management committee carefully considers how maintenance fees are used, adhering to the rules and regulations of the organization. They bear the obligation of preventing any misuse of the funds and making sure they are used for the intended reasons.

The components of maintenance fees, which include GST taxes, are frequently unknown to buyers. It is essential to comprehend the components for which GST charges must be paid as well as the minimum maintenance costs for which GST will be assessed.

• In accordance with a Finance Ministry circular of July 22, 2019, housing societies are required to fulfill certain requirements in order to apply GST to their maintenance fees.
• GST is applicable if the total revenue from yearly maintenance expenses surpasses Rs. 20 lakhs.
• A housing society is required to pay 18% GST if each member’s monthly payment to the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) exceeds Rs. 7,500.

Finally, keep in mind the following information regarding your apartment’s maintenance costs:

• You are entitled as a resident to a summary of your annual, quarterly, or monthly maintenance fees.
• Ask the service team for specific information regarding the available payment options for maintenance fees.
• Ensure that you promptly pay your maintenance fees and receive a receipt.
• The value of the property might be increased by the initial upkeep cost. Therefore, to avoid paying these fees twice, carefully examine the comprehensive contract and, if at all feasible, negotiate a similar price with the builder.
• Compared to residential homes, commercial real estate has higher upkeep costs.

Maintenance is one of the components of the builder-buyer contract that requires payment. According to Section 6 of the RERA Act of 2016, any allottee who signs a builder-buyer contract must make these payments on time. Another justification is that there are many advantages to paying off these obligations, such as not having to manage everything alone. The initial expenditure of maintenance may add to the property’s worth. In order to avoid paying these costs twice, carefully study the entire contract. Not to mention, maintenance expenses for commercial real estate are greater than those for residential ones.