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Maintenance fees used to be a passive payment - Rs 500 handed over with little thought. But today, these small sums are building something bigger: micro-economies within housing societies. Residents are hiring local plumbers, cleaners, and electricians directly, creating flexible jobs and faster service. It’s not just about fixing broken pipes—it’s about trust, community, and control. These informal systems are saving costs, reducing dependency on builders, and giving residents a say in how their homes are managed.
The Numbers Behind the Shift
In mid-sized housing societies across Mumbai - typically 100 to 150 flats—the monthly maintenance collections range from Rs1.5 to Rs3 lakh. On paper, it’s a routine figure. But in practice, it’s the backbone of a self-managed ecosystem that’s quietly replacing builder-led service models.
The financial structure has evolved too. Emergency repair funds, previously handled by builders or left untracked, are now managed by resident committees. These groups allocate budgets for common area upgrades, water tank cleanings, and even festival decor—decisions made collectively, with transparency and speed.
What’s striking is how these numbers reflect a deeper change: residents are no longer passive payers. They’re active participants in shaping how their homes are maintained, how money is spent, and who gets hired. It’s a quiet financial revolution—one Rs500 fee at a time.
The Human Economy
Walk into any mid-income housing society in Mumbai, and you’ll find a quiet rhythm of work unfolding—plumbers fixing leaky taps, cleaners sweeping staircases, electricians rewiring switchboards. But what’s changed is who they work for. Increasingly, these workers aren’t coming through agencies or builder-appointed vendors. They’re hired directly by residents, often through word-of-mouth or society WhatsApp groups.
This shift has created a new kind of employment—flexible, trust-based, and hyperlocal. Semi-skilled workers like Rafiq Khan, who services multiple buildings in a single neighborhood, now earn Rs12,000 to Rs15,000 a month without the overhead of middlemen.
This informal hiring model is becoming a backbone of urban housing life. It’s not formalized, not regulated, but it works—because it’s built on proximity, reputation, and mutual benefit. In a city where time and trust are scarce, these micro-jobs are quietly redefining how homes are maintained and communities are built.
Policy Blind Spots
While housing societies across India are evolving into self-managed ecosystems, the legal frameworks meant to support them haven’t quite kept pace. At the heart of this disconnect is the issue of maintenance fees—those monthly payments that keep buildings running. Despite their importance, there’s no standard rulebook.
RERA, the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, is silent on how maintenance fees should be calculated or spent once the builder exits. This leaves societies to navigate the terrain on their own, often relying on informal norms or legacy practices. Cooperative Society Acts, which govern resident associations, offer little clarity either—especially when it comes to auditing these funds. As a result, many societies operate without formal financial oversight, even when handling lakhs of rupees monthly.
Builders, during the initial years, often charge maintenance based on square footage—anywhere from Rs2 to Rs25 per sq ft. But once residents take over, there’s a clear shift toward flat-rate models.
What’s Next?
The micro-maintenance model is no longer just a workaround—it’s becoming a blueprint for smarter urban living. As societies grow more confident in managing their own operations, tech platforms are stepping in to support them. Apps now help track payments, log service requests, and even rate local workers, turning informal systems into organized, transparent networks.
This isn’t just about saving money. It’s about giving residents agency, creating jobs that fit real lives, and building housing systems that reflect the people who live in them. The future of urban governance may well begin at the society gate.
