Noida: Tenants in several highrise societies in Noida are being asked to pay additional charges to access amenities such as swimming pools, gyms and clubhouses. The move is yet another addition to the long list of discrimination that these societies have against tenants.Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) say the charges are necessary to regulate access, maintain security and cover the cost of running shared facilities. Tenants, however, argue that as legal occupants, they should be entitled to use common amenities on the same terms as homeowners.Arpita has been paying Rs 3,000 a month in maintenance charges at Golf City, Noida. She was recently asked by the RWA to pay an additional fee to use the society’s gym and swimming pool. “My family’s rent agreement says we need to pay Rs 30,000 per month along with a security deposit that will be refunded when we vacate our flat,” she said. “It also mentioned a maintenance fee but doesn’t mention an additional charge to use the pool.”She said the charge makes her feel that the RWA is trying to single her out. “Every time my family goes to use the pool or the gym, a security guard sits there to verify if we are tenants or residents,” she said.At Supertech Capetown, this “amenity charge” is Rs 500 per month for an individual and Rs 1,000 for a family. RWA president Gaurav Arora defended the policy, saying it was introduced after the association found that tenants were damaging equipment. He said the charges were not levied by the society until two years ago. “We had found several pieces of damaged equipment in the gym two years back. When we investigated, we found that some tenants had destroyed the machines and we came up with the idea to charge them extra,” he said.“It was a way of protecting the equipment, and the money goes toward other welfare work in the society,” he said. “We know the owners have already paid, but this was a way to give security to the facilities.”The practice has also raised questions among tenants at other Noida societies. At Noida’s Grand Ajnara, where families are charged Rs 1,000 a month, residents have questioned why an additional payment is required for amenities that are part of the society’s common facilities.“If maintenance is already being collected for the society and its facilities, it is difficult to understand why tenants should have to pay another monthly amount simply to use the gym or swimming pool,” said a tenant requesting anonymity. “Before I signed the documents, I had asked the owner and the broker about the charges; they kept telling us the facilities are for everyone.”The Skytech Matrott RWA has been charging Rs 650 for the amenities. “The amount doesn’t look like a lot initially but slowly one realises that it is draining a lot out of your pocket. Moreover, I am being looked down upon too,” said a tenant of that society. “I don’t see my complex making any changes to the gyms or pools. Where is the money going then?”At Dasnac The Jewel, where the charge is Rs 700 a month, a tenant also questioned the rationale behind the fee.At Pan Oasis, a resident said user charges apply to both owners and tenants for the pool and gym, although owners pay less. “It is Rs 100 less for owners,” the resident said. “We pay Rs 2,000 as the maintenance and pay extra to use these amenities.”The situation, however, is not similar in every residential society. At Noida’s White House, an owner, Virendra Prasad, said that both the owners and tenants are charged. “The charges are Rs 300 for the pool and Rs 800 for the gym across and it is for everyone,” Prasad said. He said that there is no distinction between a tenant and the owner. Earlier, it was covered in the maintenance, but it helps with the upkeep better.Noida Extension Flat Owner Welfare Association president Abhishek Kumar told TOI that at present there was no rule stating the ownership and charges levied for tenants to stay in highrises. “There is no rule as such, it is sheer differentiation. RWAs and AOAs along with developer plan on these ways to burden the tenants,” he said.Noida Authority ACEO and head of housing groups Vandana Tripathi said these are new problems of rising settlements and in most cases the decisions of AOAs and RWAs are arbitrary. “The problems should be taken to the concerned landlords. The Authority is aware and we cannot intervene till the time we have regulations regarding the same,” she said.
