Bengaluru Residents Urge Reform Of Apartment Management

Bengaluru’s apartment residents are pressing the Karnataka government to enact a long-awaited update to the state’s apartment ownership legislation, citing outdated regulations and rising operational costs. The proposed Karnataka Apartment Ownership and Management Act 2025 is expected to replace the 1972 law, which experts say no longer accommodates the city’s high-density, apartment-driven urban landscape.

Industry associations representing apartment complexes with over 100 units argue that the delay in passing the bill has created ambiguity in managing common areas, resolving disputes, and enforcing ownership rights. Officials involved in drafting the legislation indicate that public consultations have concluded, yet formal legislative steps remain pending, leaving housing societies in legal and operational limbo. Urban planners and legal experts note that modern apartment living, particularly in IT-driven cities like Bengaluru, demands clear frameworks for land use, maintenance, and resident governance. “Without a contemporary legal structure, associations struggle to uphold collective responsibilities and secure residents’ rights,” said a senior urban governance expert. Alignment with the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 is a critical requirement, ensuring developers transfer common facilities to resident associations as per law.

At the same time, apartment communities are contesting recent solid waste management fees introduced by the city’s waste authority. Under the revised system, large apartment complexes are classified as bulk waste generators, attracting charges calculated per kilogram of waste plus applicable taxes, translating to several hundred rupees per flat monthly a significant increase compared to the nominal property tax-based fee for independent houses. Residents highlight that many societies have been practising in-situ wet waste processing and source segregation for years, raising questions about the equity and rationale of the fee structure.

Housing bodies have proposed alternative mechanisms, including vendor-managed billing to avoid tax complications, compost buyback programmes, and mandatory stakeholder consultations before revising fees. Urban sustainability consultants suggest that equitable fee structures, coupled with incentives for decentralised waste processing, could reinforce Bengaluru’s climate-resilient urban development while easing financial pressure on residents.

As the city grapples with rapid apartment proliferation and increasing civic costs, both legislative reform and structured stakeholder engagement are seen as crucial for sustainable, inclusive urban governance. Analysts emphasise that passing the updated Apartment Ownership Act, alongside rationalised waste management policies, would strengthen legal clarity, improve resident participation, and align housing governance with Bengaluru’s evolving infrastructure landscape.

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Bengaluru Residents Urge Reform Of Apartment Management