Effective management of maintenance in an apartment community
Managing a maintenance function of an apartment or housing society can be a hard task especially if you are moving into an apartment with a number of unsold flats. Usually it is the imperative of the builder to manage various maintenance functions with the help of either facility management service provider or independent local vendors. As long as the residents do not form a housing society or association, there can be no change in the structure of such maintenance services.
Once the housing society is constituted, the choice is open for the residents and members of the society. They can choose to continue the old mechanism or seek the services of a different external agency for all day to day maintenance functions.
Most builders and real estate developers take advance payments from potential buyers towards society maintenance charges for the first few years. The date is calculated from the day of the handover of the apartment. Residents usually pick up faults with the maintenance activities carried on by the developer or service provider or the charges may well be too high for comfort. In such a scenario, the builder usually opts out of handling such maintenance responsibilities and it becomes the sole imperative of the residents housing welfare society to handle the day to day maintenance function.
Maintenance is not only about repair and looking after society rules and regulations. It also includes day-to-day functions like managing housekeeping, garbage collection and disposal, security and upkeep of common areas and green belt all come under the maintenance activity.
When to form a society?
All maintenance work can only be transferred to the residents once they have successfully formed an apartment owners association or housing society. As per the law, the builder or developer is supposed to form a housing society after selling 60% of the apartments, but since most apartments are handed out in a staggered time frame and not all residents move in as soon as they are handed over the apartment, the formation of the housing society gets inevitably delayed. Before taking complete takeover from the builder the housing society must be formed, including all wings and sections of the apartment or township as per the case.
The housing society once formed can officially press the builder for functional discrepancies found in both external and internal amenities. The society has in its power to chalk a checklist of works that the builder must accomplish before any final takeover to the residents.
Key factors affecting the effective management of apartment maintenance
- The builder outsource to facility management service, but residents are not happy with their service or maintenance.
- After the formation of housing society or apartment owners association, builder not handover the maintenance management.
- In housing society or apartment owners association managing apartment maintenance, residents or property owners default the maintenance charge.
- Lack of dedication and focus.
- Communication Issues and not attending day-to-day issues effectively.
Tips for effective apartment maintenance management
- There should be a proper system for maintenance of apartment and if required the managing committee can outsource to professionals in the field.
- Residents and apartment owners should pay maintenance charges on time and should consider that paying on time is their duty towards effective maintenance of the apartment community.
- Whether the maintenance managed by the developer or the housing society, they have to ensure that residents don’t face any problems.
- There should be proper communication and systems for attending day-to-day issues.
- Concentrate on vital matters and key amenities.
- Avoid unnecessary politics amongst residents and ensures transparency.
- Consider the budgets, quality standards and professional charges.
