Flat owners’ body imposes security fee, tenants protest

GREATER NOIDA: Around 150 residents of 16th Avenue, Gaur City 2 in Greater Noida West on Sunday staged a demonstration against the apartment owners’ association (AOA), demanding immediate recall of the decision to impose a security fee on tenants.

The tenants alleged that the AOA is arbitrarily charging ₹5,000 from tenants and will charge ₹7,000 from new ones who come to live there.

“The decision to levy security fee is an effort to divide on the basis of owners and non-owners and to extort funds. We are paying maintenance for every service; why we should pay this arbitrary security fee now, which has no legal basis,” said Amit Goswami, a tenant in society for a year.

At least 150 tenants have started a signature campaign over this handed over a letter to the AOA. There are 1,710 units in the society out of which around 50% are occupied by tenants.

“Only 59 flat owners in their general body took this decision on February 14, 2021 without any legal ground on this. If they do not take back this decision we will write to the district magistrate, Greater Noida authority and other top officials for help,” said Suresh Verma, another tenant.

According to new order, a new tenant will have to pay move-in charge of ₹7,000, which includes ₹2,000 non-refundable and ₹5,000 refundable fee.

The security fee is being imposed as ‘Excessive Resource Utilization’ by tenants in the society. Even if an old tenant changes a flat within this society, then also the security fee will have to be paid, reads the general body’s letter issued February 14.

However, flat owners support the decision. “Old tenant needs to pay only ₹5,000 one-time as security, which is refundable. New tenants will have to pay ₹7,000 as ₹2,000 is non-refundable and the rest will be refunded once the tenant leaves the unit. The decision has been taken as per rules and for the welfare of the society,” said KP Chauhan, an apartment owner and member of AOA.

Dilip Gupta, deputy registrar of the Society Chit and Funds from Meerut that looks after AOAS, etc, said, “If the aggrieved persons move an application to our office we can look into the issue and take appropriate action as per the rules. A decision by AOA should not be arbitrary and without consultation with all flat owners. The aggrieved party can file a complaint, without which we cannot intervene.”