Bengaluru apartment dwellers struggle with surging maintenance charges, with water and security costs skyrocketing

The cost of maintaining properties has surged over the years, with rising costs of water, power and security being important factors

Bengaluru, once known for not just its pleasant weather but also affordable living costs, has seen a sharp change on both counts over the decades. From skyrocketing real estate prices to inflated everyday expenses, residents are feeling the pinch. One of the growing concerns contributing to financial strain in the recent past is escalating apartment maintenance charges.

With the city’s rapid urbanisation and an influx of residents, gated communities and apartment complexes are becoming the norm. The cost of maintaining these properties, covering everything from security to upkeep of common areas, has surged, with rising costs of water, power and security being important factors.

The resident of an upmarket apartment in Jalahalli, a retired professional who preferred to remain anonymous, said that maintenance charges have been steadily increasing over the last two years. “We currently pay ₹6,273 as maintenance charge every month. Until a few months ago, it was ₹5,967, which again was a lot. Since the shortage of water supply this summer, we have seen an increase in demand for water tankers, forcing the apartment’s association to increase maintenance charges very frequently,” said the resident. 

Similarly, in an apartment in J.P. Nagar 4th phase, charges for water have increased by 50% said a resident. “We have lived here for more than 10 years, and our apartment’s maintenance charge has always been nominal. But since March this year, there has been an increase in the water charges that are included in the monthly maintenance charges by at least 50%,“ said the resident. “Water expenses were anywhere between ₹400-450 every month for each resident, but post summer, it has gone up to ₹800-1,000 every month,” she added.   

Lack of foresight

At an apartment complex in Turahalli, that houses close to 1,120 houses, residents say that lack of foresight by builders has led to a shortage of water, which has added to already high maintenance charges, “Our apartment is less than five years old, and we are heavily dependent on water tankers due to overuse of ground water. When the apartment was built, 7-8 borewells were dug, and ground water has depleted just within two years. As occupancy kept increasing, the ground water level also went down. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems are a mere formality by the builders, catchment areas are not planned well, water overflows or does not go directly into the catchment area, residents must invest time and money to have better RWH systems,” a resident said.

As a result, the apartment complex has been heavily dependent on water tankers for close to a year. Agencies supply water tankers only on long-term deals, they ask for commitment for months, as they fear that after good rains their businesses will go down. “Whether we consume the same amount of water tankers or not, each day, we are charged the same. The monthly maintenance charges at our apartment used to be around ₹6,000, since summer it has gone up to ₹8,000-₹9,000 per household depending on the square feet of the apartment. In which ₹2,000 is spent by each household every month for water,” he added.  

Many resident dwellers also say that maintenance charges have increased as security agencies have begun to charge more.

“Initially finding security personnel was not a problem, but post the COVID-19 pandemic it has become difficult. Many security personnel are from the North-east, and it looks like many of them have settled in their hometowns or have moved to smaller cities after the pandemic. Young local security guards are hard to find, even if agencies have localites, they are mostly over 45 years of age, and are not able to handle the pressure,” said Deepak Nayak, a resident in another apartment in Turahalli.

Many guests, delivery personnel

He pointed out that apartments have many guests, delivery personnel and other visitors coming in every few minutes, which requires alert security guards. They need the basic education to handle the gate entry applications and registration books round the clock. “Agencies charge us more for the services of such personnel. Since the safety and smooth functioning of the apartment is important, we decided to opt for such services, which is costing us around ₹500 more per household, with our existing maintenance charges of ₹3,500,” said Deepak.

Priya Ramesh, a long-time resident of a gated community in Whitefield says the situation is the same in their community, “In just the last year, our apartment maintenance fees have shot up by almost 20%, and the reason is the rising cost of security services. We were already burdened with the extra charges for water this year. The security agencies we hire are charging more than ever, citing reasons like staff shortages and inflation. We absolutely value our safety, but it is frustrating to see such sudden and steep hikes,” she said. 

On the other hand, Santosh, the manager of Garuda Security Services, that has been operating for more than three decades in Bengaluru, says that agencies across the city charge “a very nominal amount” for apartments. “There are government-mandated minimum wages for security personnel. No apartment in Bengaluru is ready to pay an amount to meet this. We struggle to meet the requirement of apartments, as that is the only way our business can run, while adhering to the government-prescribed salary,” he said.

“Every apartment requires a minimum of two security personnel and more depending on the scale of the apartment. Though we charge a nominal fee, for apartments that are not ready to pay a decent amount, there have to be some compromises, we will not be able to provide young and educated personnel who will take up work beyond attending the gate. We make sure we are paid at least ₹20,000 per personnel, out of which we try to pay close to ₹ 14,000 as their salary, and the remaining amount is put into their health insurance and other mandatory financial schemes,” he explained.

Santosh says there are close to ten lakh security personnel in Karnataka, which is even more than the number of police in the state. He says that if the government provides the right funds, schemes and policies for security personnel, more educated and young people will be interested in taking up the job.

Electricity bills too

Speaking to The Hindu, Satish Mallya, the Vice President of Bangalore Apartment’s Federation (BAF), says that there is definitely a hike in maintenance charges across apartments from March this year, due to the scarcity of water across Bengaluru. He says that security services too, like any other manpower driven services, and over time their charges will keep increasing.

“But what has been added to the maintenance charges lately is electricity bills. In most apartments, around 45-56% of the maintenance cost is due to the rising cost of electricity for the common areas. We have been promoting the installation of solar panels for electricity, and so far, 100-120 apartments have installed them. It will be a significant capital investment initially, but after five years, the apartments will have free electricity for the common area which will reduce 50% of their maintenance costs,” says Mallya.

Published - September 19, 2024 09:00 am IST