Housing societies require regular upkeep to maintain their infrastructure and common areas. For this, they establish a dedicated repairs & maintenance fund to finance these ongoing maintenance activities as a financial reservoir for addressing routine repairs and upkeep needs.

This fund represents a collective effort from all society members. Contributions are collected at a rate determined by the General Body Meeting (GBM), which may adjust the rate periodically based on maintenance requirements and financial planning considerations.

According to the Model By-Laws of Maharashtra, the contribution rate should not fall below 0.75 percent per annum of each flat’s construction cost. This minimum threshold ensures adequate funding for normal recurring repairs throughout the society’s premises. The specified percentage helps standardize contributions while accounting for variations in apartment sizes and values.

The management committee holds the authority to utilize this fund for specific purposes related to property maintenance. These include meeting expenditures on general maintenance of society property and handling necessary repairs and renewals. The fund provides financial stability for addressing predictable maintenance needs without requiring special assessments or unexpected contributions from residents.

Proper management of the Repairs & Maintenance Fund requires careful planning and transparent administration. The committee should maintain detailed records of all fund transactions, including contributions received, expenses incurred, and the current balance. Regular reporting to members about the fund’s status helps build trust and ensures accountability.

Well-maintained common areas and infrastructure contribute significantly to residents’ quality of life and property values within the society. By establishing and properly managing a Repairs & Maintenance Fund, housing societies create a sustainable approach to property upkeep that distributes costs fairly among all members.

Additionally, the fund offers financial stability to deal with the inevitable deterioration that happens in any residential complex. Societies with adequately financed maintenance accounts may handle problems quickly, preventing small difficulties from becoming large ones, as opposed to rushing to collect money when repairs become essential.

Housing society members should understand the importance of their regular contributions to this fund. While it might seem like an additional expense, these contributions represent an investment in maintaining the community’s infrastructure and preserving property values over time.

Home ownership is a milestone, but it also means an ongoing commitment. One of the most significant and most misunderstood is the property tax. At Mygate, we engage with thousands of resident communities and see firsthand how confusing local tax systems can be. This guide is to make all you need to know about property tax in India easy to understand, from what it is to how it’s computed.

What is property tax?

Property tax is a periodic fee imposed by your local municipal corporation on the real property you hold, it can be a flat, standalone house, shop, or even a plot of unused land. The funds raised are utilized to finance civic amenities like road repair, drainage, garbage collection, and street lighting.

It’s not paid once, like stamp duty on property registration. Rather, it’s a yearly financial burden that keeps you in legal title and helps pay for local infrastructure maintenance.

Types of property tax

What you pay depends on how your property is classified. Here’s a quick summary:

Residential property tax: This is for houses intended for habitation, like apartments, villas, or independent houses. The rate is moderate and takes into account location, space, and type of house.

Commercial property tax: Areas intended for commercial purposes, like offices, shops, and retail space, are taxed more as a result of their potential to generate income.

Industrial property tax: Houses such as factories or warehouses come under this and are governed by a different taxation regime.

Vacant land tax: Not all empty plots are exempt from tax. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh charge tax on vacant land in cities to avoid speculative holding.

How is property tax assessed?

Every city or town follows its method of calculating tax, and although the rationale is the same, the method is different. Here are the most popular methods used:

Capital value system: In this, tax is computed as a percentage of market value of the building and land. This is decided by the municipal authority.

Unit area value system: The emphasis is placed on the area of the built-up property, and a constant rate is attached based on locality and type of property.

Annual rental value system: Even if your property isn’t rented out, this method assigns a notional rent, and tax is based on that estimated rental income.

What affects your property tax bill?

A variety of elements can impact how much you’re asked to pay:

Property size and type: Bigger properties or those with more floors are taxed more. Similarly, commercial buildings carry higher rates.

Location: A flat in a metro city will typically fetch more tax than one in a smaller town because of the higher base land value.

Property age: Older properties tend to be taxed less since their value decreases over time.

Intended use: Whether the property is being used for residential, commercial, or rental purposes will alter the rate to be applied.

Applicable tax bracket: Most municipalities use a slab system, higher-valued properties are in higher tax bands.

How to compute property tax?

The specific amount differs city by city and according to municipal regulations, but a typical formula most cities follow goes something like this:

Property Tax = [Base Rate] × [Built-up Area] × [Age Multiplier] × [Usage Type] × [Location Factor]

Let’s dissect:

Base rate: As defined by the municipality for your zone and type of property.

Built-up area: Cumulative built-up area, including walls and common areas.

Age multiplier: Older buildings tend to be rewarded with rebates.

Usage type: Commercial usage gets charged more than residential usage.

Location factor: Houses in prime locations are charged at a higher rate.

Most urban municipal authorities now provide online calculators wherein you fill in these values and obtain an instant estimate. It’s the quickest and most accurate method of knowing how much you owe.

Keeping up with your property tax is not merely for the sake of evading fines, it’s being a good citizen too. They directly fund the services and infrastructures that your home needs every day.

Manpower serves as the foundation for running both commercial corporations and apartment associations. No traditional organization can function effectively without adequate resources. The supervisory management team stands at the top of the organizational structure, ensuring smooth operations for both employees in corporations and residents in housing societies. However, some notable similarities and differences distinguish RWAs from corporate stakeholders.

What makes apartment associations comparable to commercial companies? 

• First, companies comprise shareholders who contribute funds for the sustainability and growth of the corporation. Similarly, society and apartment associations consist of members who hold shares of the property as residents and contribute funds for the maintenance and improvement of the community.
• Second, company governance is supervised by a board consisting of the majority shareholders. This governance structure resembles that of a society or apartment association, which is also supervised by a Board (sometimes called a Management Council or Executive Committee), formed through nomination or election within the community.
• Third, companies operate under the local laws of their country and state. They pay required taxes, submit audited financial statements to regulatory bodies, and report changes in shareholding. They maintain governing documents, including Certificates of Incorporation, Articles, and Memoranda of Incorporation. Likewise, housing societies follow local laws and pay relevant taxes. They submit audited financial reports to governing authorities, document ownership changes, and maintain governing documents such as By-Laws, Articles of Incorporation, and Declaration of Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions. These documents vary by the country where the Property Owners Association is located.

Despite these similarities, there are significant differences that set companies apart from apartment associations.

Here are three key distinctions.

• First, companies typically operate as for-profit entities with services aimed at customers distinct from their shareholders. This applies even to non-profit companies, which provide services to entities separate from their shareholders. In contrast, homeowners associations almost always function as not-for-profit organizations, with services primarily benefiting their own members who own the property.
• Second, companies generate most of their income through selling products or services to customers. Housing associations, however, derive most of their revenue from regular member contributions in exchange for immediate services like security and common area maintenance, as well as long-term infrastructure upkeep, amenities, and improvement initiatives.
• Third, companies operate as growth-driven profit centers with greater operational focus on revenue generation and relatively less emphasis on cost management. Apartment associations, conversely, function as sustainability-driven cost centers with accounting priorities centered on budgeting, timely collection of member contributions, and transparent expense management. This difference stems from the predictable but limited fund inflow available to residential communities.

At a fundamental level, society management operations differ from commercial companies regarding physical and financial asset management, as resource management plays a more prominent role in corporate environments. Nevertheless, both organizations rely on central management boards for governance, despite the differences and similarities outlined above. If you serve as a homeowner or elected member of a society or apartment association focused on core management resources, your responsibilities parallel those of corporate stakeholders in many ways.

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has issued a directive mandating all pet dog owners within its jurisdiction to obtain a valid dog license. This move comes under the Dog Tax Regulation, 1993, enacted through the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act, 1949 (Chapter 11, Section 149(1), and Section 127(2)(k)).

All pet owners must apply for a dog license via the official NMMC website, navigating to the ‘Citizen Services’ section under the Health Department.

Failure to comply can result in penal action, as the NMMC has warned of strict audits to track compliance across housing societies.

Simplify the process by encouraging your residents to register their pets on the Mygate app today.

With Mygate’s pet directory feature you can,

1. Keep an extensive record of all the society pets, helping you to promptly respond to emergencies or mishaps such as pets going on the loose
2. Easily access pet vaccination records & allow all to check the vaccination status of pets, fostering an informed and safe ambience.
3. Encourage residents to bond over pet playdates, strolls, and shared activities, contributing to a more interactive and joyful community

Curious about our pet directory feature? Read more about it here.

Managing committee members of housing societies often face the challenge of dealing with irrecoverable dues. These financial complications include outstanding loans and interest, charges due from society members, funds spent on recovery efforts, and accumulated losses. To address these issues, many housing societies establish a bad debt fund specifically designed to cover amounts that may need to be written off. These financial matters must be properly documented during housing society accounting audits.

The Model Society Bye-Laws 148 and 149 provide important guidance on handling irrecoverable dues. According to Bye-Law 148, a society may write off charges due from members, expenses incurred for recovery, and accumulated losses that have been certified as irrecoverable by the statutory auditor appointed under section 81 of the Act.

However, Bye-Law 149 establishes specific conditions that must be met before writing off these amounts. The process requires three key approvals:

1. The General Body meeting must provide proper sanction for writing off the amounts through a formal vote.
2. If the society has outstanding debt with a financing agency, that agency must approve the write-off.
3. The Registering authority must approve the write-off.

There are notable exceptions to these requirements that housing society managers should understand. If the society maintains an affiliation with a District Central Cooperative Bank or another financing agency but doesn’t carry debt with that institution, obtaining permission from the bank or financing agency becomes unnecessary.

Furthermore, societies classified as A or B category in their most recent audit receive additional flexibility. If these societies maintain sufficient balance in a specially created Bad Debt Fund, they can proceed without securing permission from the bank, financing agency, or Registering Authority.

Understanding these regulations helps committee members navigate the complex process of managing irrecoverable dues effectively. When handled correctly, writing off genuinely uncollectible debts allows the society to maintain accurate financial records and focus on sustainable operations moving forward.

The ability to properly manage irrecoverable dues represents an important aspect of financial governance for housing societies. By following established procedures and maintaining appropriate documentation, committee members fulfill their fiduciary responsibilities while ensuring the society’s long-term financial health.

Housing society management committees should regularly review outstanding dues, work diligently on collection efforts, and only resort to write-offs when truly necessary. This balanced approach protects the interests of all members while maintaining the community’s financial stability.

We’re rolling out a lucky draw offer in select communities to encourage more residents to use the Mygate app for their monthly maintenance payments, and we’re giving your community the first chance to benefit from it. 

What’s the offer?

If your society sees a 30% absolute increase in the number of flats paying maintenance through the Mygate app in May 2025 , that means if 20% were paying earlier, 50% should be paying now then one lucky household will win a 100% cashback on their next maintenance bill. That’s right, we refund their entire bill.

Why Maintenance Payments via Mygate?

Because it’s not just about convenience, it’s about:

• Instant confirmations
• Secure digital transactions
• Automatic receipts & reminder

Terms & Conditions

• A lucky winner will receive an amount equivalent to the amount of monthly maintenance paid, subject to a maximum of Rs.10,000.
• This is solely a promotional event and the winners will be selected through a lucky draw.
• A lucky winner will only be selected in societies if your society sees a 30% increase in the number of flats paying maintenance through the Mygate app in May 2025 (in absolute terms, not just a 30% more of currently paying residents). For instance, if 20% of total residents were paying earlier, 50% of total residents should be paying now to avail the offer.
• Participation in this offer is valid from May 1, 2025, commencing at 00:01 till May 31, 2025 culminating at 23:59 hours (hereinafter referred to as the “Offer Period”).
• Each winner is entitled to win only one voucher.
• In the event of inconsistencies between Terms & Conditions and the contents of marketing and/or promotions relating to the offer, these Terms and Conditions shall prevail and the decision of the company will be final and binding
• The cashback will be shared within 20 days of the lucky draw date, which will be on or before June 20, 2025
• Mygate reserves the right to extend, cancel, discontinue, prematurely withdraw, change, alter or modify this Offer or any part thereof including the eligibility criteria, and the T&C at their sole discretion at any time during its validity as may be required including in view of business exigencies and/or changes by a regulatory authority and/or statutory changes and/or any reasons beyond their control and the same shall be binding on the Customer(s).
• Taxes, if any, will be paid by the user.
• By participating in the promotion, the participant is deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and any other instructions, terms and conditions that the company may issue from time to time.
• Terms and Conditions are subject to Indian law and the exclusive jurisdiction of the Courts in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
• This offer is not applicable in the state of Tamil Nadu.
• Mygate employees are NOT eligible to participate in this offer.