In a recent incident in Thane, Maharashtra, a resident in a housing society failed to pay his maintenance dues which accumulated to as high as 5 lac rupees. It is evident that the concerned resident has been defaulting his monthly dues for several months and a time came when the amount went so high that it went beyond budget.
The resident had been given payment reminders several times which he chose to ignore at his own convenience. Finally, upon instructions of Thane Housing Federation, the unit was sealed, auctioned and the full default charges were recovered by the management committee. This is certainly a very sad turn of event, but it is the resident himself who called upon this fate on himself.
The one reason for paying your housing society maintenance charges on time is to prevent accumulation of charges which can go too high with time that it gets over your head. It is always easier if you pay up monthly, quarterly, annually, whichever is your society’s applicable and allowed norm. This way not only it is easier on your pocket but also helps the management committee carry out their tasks of maintenance and management easily without facing any unwanted budget crunches.
CONSEQUENCES OF NOT PAYING HOUSING SOCIETY MAINTENANCE BILL ON TIME
There can be several other (may be not so severe, but serious) consequences for the defaulters in a housing society.
1. A defaulter cannot cast his/her vote in the election held to elect the Managing Committee members of a Society.
2. A defaulter cannot contest the election for the post of the managing committee.
3. A persistent defaulter can be expelled from society, as has been ruled by the high court.
4. In case of any legal procedure to be undertaken against the defaulter, not only the member will have to defend his/her legal cases at his own cost but also the expenses incurred by the society will be recovered from the concerned member.
5. If the society happens to apply for the recovery of dues, the RBI Challan fees, fees paid by the society towards court stamp and legal fees spent by the society have to be borne by the defaulter.
6. The general management committee of the housing society can frame rules against the defaulter and apply. Say for example, disallowing parking, disallowing attending general meetings and functions.
8. The defaulter member cannot sell the flat/ unit unless the dues are cleared. The society can refuse to grant NOC unless the dues are cleared.
9. The defaulter also cannot avail of any loan from any financial institutions as the society administration can refuse to give a NOC to the member.
Therefore it is always advisable to pay up your dues on time and maintain peace, harmony and convenience in your co-operative living.
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