ROADMAP FOR TAKE OVER OF MAINTENANCE – 1st draft

For the Kind Attn. Of: Mr. Kapoor

Dear Sir,

Sub: Suggested Roadmap For Takeover of Maintenance

This document is an effort to crystallize our thoughts generated over time & interaction in
the past. Taking over the maintenance is like taking charge of a running enterprise or a
functioning company or business.

I request you to kindly review this document and give your valuable suggestions &
views, some points may need elaboration, some may need to be added or deleted or re-
scheduled. Some of the issues may have been totally left out. This exercise in
Brainstorming should give us a clear roadmap to proceed.

I also request that the suggestions be given on a separate sheet or can be emailed to the
undersigned; best within 2-3 days.

We must keep in mind an important aspect that the builder may say that he will only give
his staff for 6 months & after that he will withdraw his staff and we will have to arrange
our own.
Also Point No. C-7 requires a careful thought.

The points to work on are as follows:

A. COMPETENCE OF AARWA – The 1st Step in Hand Over

AARWA is a registered body and a valid representative of the residents.

To make it more effective for the handover the following needs to be done.

1. Recover membership from all, even if visiting people is required.

2. Audit of accounts.
3. Obtaining PAN CARD/PAN NUMBER.
4. Apprise the flat owners of the building who are not staying here through mail &
letter and ask for their membership, outlining the need for membership and the
activities being carried out.
5. Recover the membership from ‘Flat Owner’ & ‘Tenant’ both as expense on
Capital Expenditure benefits the ‘Flat Owner’ whereas expense on day-to-day
activities like sports, cultural functions etc. benefits the ‘Tenants’. The concept of
Member & Associate Member exists in the By-Law and a consensus on this might
be required in the General Body.
B. RECEIVEABLES - Maintenance realized monthly, @ Re.1/- sq. ft.
To Work out/find/calculate….

1. Amount to be realized monthly as per the total area of different flats in the
building.
2. Amount that is realized in actual per month.
3. Current shortfalls keeping in mind the current expenditure.
4. The amount of outstanding at different slabs – 2, 4, 6, months.
5. The number of defaulters, I suggest over 2 months unpaid is a defaulter.
6. To find out and record are the defaulters residents, or their houses are on rent or
the houses are closed permanently.
7. We should know the frequency of payment of the flat owners whose houses are
closed permanently.
8. One suggestion is to make a dossier on the payment pattern of maintenance
amount for each flat. This will help in identifying people with lax attitude in this
building. It will also give an idea as to whom to counsel more, though we already
have some information on some defaulters.
9. Defaulters need to be identified and counseled individually in a congenial manner.
Some might be facing a genuine problem.
10. Analyze & suggest changes in the system of maintenance receivables so that at
any given time the outstanding liabilities are minimum

C. EXPENDITURE

1. Prepare a list of different Head’s of Expenditure based on payment schedule -

daily, weekly, bi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, bi-annual, annual,
unforeseen/contingency – this is important to assess the working capital
requirement which will further determine the amount of money to be available in
the maintenance account at different times. This will further determine the amount
of outstanding that we can survive with.

2. Daily checking of the day-to-day expense to understand the operations.

3. Prepare an estimate of expense required on Generator, Lifts, Motors for pumping

drinking & ground water, Motor for working Fire Hydrants, Fire Alarms, Power
Panels, Fire Hydrant & Sprinkler Systems, Building Upkeep, Shaft Upkeep,
Condition of plumbing, drainage, storage tanks, exterior finish & General Civil
Upkeep.
Ideally this assessment should be done after an audit of these utilities by
competent authorities.

4. An audit of items mentioned in No.2 will also give us an idea of the time when
heavy expenditure on these may occur. By this we will get an idea of the
level/amount of sinking/contingency fund to be prepared to meet any
eventualities.
 5. The estimate prepared in No.2 will also act as a bargaining point for collecting
some money from the builder for the upkeep of these items and can/will form an
initial corpus of the sinking fund.

6. Since our current level of maintenance & service is poor, to improve it to our
desired levels we may have to increase expenditure on some utilities & services.
For example – change of security agency, an increase in the number of guards,
sweepers etc. we need to work out the increase in expenditure and can this
increase be sustained by the current receivables.

7. Also the moment ‘MAINTENANCE HANDOVER’ takes place there is a

possibility that the existing staff may ask for an increase in their salaries, if not
immediately but after 2-3 months. Also I foresee that since all maintenance
contracts will be done a fresh with AARWA the service providers will quote a
higher price from the existing. We need to decide the course of action.
Which can be –
(1). Find out alternative agencies for every service and get quotes from them and
compare with the existing. Appoint the best quote, but we won’t know about his
service capabilities. We can ask other societies for the contact numbers of their
service providers.
(2). We can come to an understanding with the existing service providers that the
existing contract will be valid & continue till it expires, and new contract will
come up in the normal course. This will give us time to assess the service provider
and tighten him as required. It will also give him assurance about us. We can
compare his services with the past record and take appropriate action as and when
required. Can also bargain with him on the level of service provided in the past.
Also help us in assessing if we need a change.
(3). For the “Staff” we need to be on the lookout for replacements.
(4). Look for an agency, which can take care of the entire day-to-day services &
maintenance.

D. DOCUMENTS THAT ARE REQUIRED FROM THE BUILDER & WHICH NEED
TO BE IN ORDER

1. Certified True Copy of the ‘Sale Deed’ of the plot between GDA & Builder.
2. Terms of agreement of sale between the two.
3. Document underlining the Title/Ownership & its status of the plot.
4. Certified True Copy of the Detailed Layout of the building duly approved by
GDA.
5. Certified True Copy of ‘Sale Agreement’ between builder & flat owner for each
flat.
6. An undertaking from the builder that responsibility of any damage to the building
structure will lie with him even after maintenance handover.
7. An undertaking from the builder that he will be liable to pay any dues that the
civic authorities may charge/levy for the period before the handover.
 8. An undertaking on ‘No Outstanding Dues’ of any Government/Civic
body/department.
9. FD’s of the Security Deposits of all the flats.
10. Fire Certificate
11. Certificate on Structural Safety.

E. OTHER ISSUES

1. A study needs to be done on the structural safety of the building.

2. A study needs to be done on the existing level of maintenance for each
utility/service department.
3. The systems & procedures that should be followed in case of breakdown of any
service/utility.
4. Assess the existing level of response and suggest systems, provide any
equipment/training to the staff responsible for the maintenance. This will include
all the services & utilities.
5. Study the admin procedures and spruce up where required.
6. Assessment of ‘Service Record Books’ to know the break-own & preventive
maintenance done for each utility item.

F. GOVERNANCE & MAINTENANCE AFTER HANDOVER

1. Lay down ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ for each utility & service, running,
breakdown & preventive.
2. Lay down a system of Do’s & Don’ts for the residents & tenants.
3. Establish a system of receivables & expenses.
4. Establish separate fund for cultural activities.
5. Separate fund for upkeep & addition of sports activities.
6. Separate fund for temple.
7. Separate fund for Gym & Aerobics.
8. System for sale of flats & entry of tenants.
9. Revenue generation for AARWA
10. System for amicable settlement of disputes amongst residents, between residents
& service providers like maids, car cleaner, electrician etc.
11. Clear-cut defined policy on use of Common Area such as Baraat Ghar etc. Its
rental charge etc.

Thanks & regards,

Jaideep Mathur
M-9810220959, 0120-4158432
Email – jaideep_mathur@rediffmail.com

**********End of 1st Draft**********

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