BENGALURU: Beginning December 1, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) has decided to collect maintenance charges for one year at the time of sale of its flats along with its full cost. An internal order has been issued to this effect by BDA Commissioner N Jayaram.
The order released on November 30, addressed to officials in the Engineering and the flat allotment sections, also mandates that every residential complex of the BDA needs to set-up its own association within a year and take care of maintenance activities. “If this is not done, then BDA will continue to collect the maintenance fee,” it said.
Another major move specified in the circular was that the 3% commission to be paid by the BDA to marketing agencies, which facilitate sale of BDA flats would henceforth be paid to them only after the buyer pays the full cost of the flat as well as the maintenance fee for a year.
N Jayaram told TNIE, “We want all our flat allottees within a complex to form their association as early as possible and take over the maintenance activities.”
An official said, “The common area like park, garden, lifts, Sewage Treatment Plant and so on need to be maintained properly, and funds are needed. If we collect it in advance with the flat cost, then there there will be no problem with carrying out regular maintenance work. Until the association is formed, it is tough for BDA to be regularly chasing owners for payment of maintenance.” Many owners leave their flat vacant and do not bother to pay maintenance after purchasing them, he added.
It is also understood that there is much resentment by flat owners in many apartments who need to pay a higher maintenance fee, since houses are either left empty after purchase by owners who are not around or some remain unsold with the BDA too.
Karnataka Homebuyers Association convenor Dhananjay Padmanabhachar told TNIE, “We have this system already in place in the private sector. Most builders collect a Maintenance Deposit in advance for a period of six months or every quarter until the Association is formed to manage it. It used to be called as Corpus Fund earlier, but the nomenclature has been changed recently. The monthly deposit to be paid is deducted from it. It helps them rotate the money when they face a fund crunch.”