Most Pakistani buildings split maintenance in one of three ways: by square foot, as one equal amount per unit, or by unit type (small flat, large flat, shop). No method is perfect. Per square foot is best when unit sizes vary a lot, an equal rate is easiest when all units are alike, and unit type is a practical middle path for mixed buildings.
Why does the charging method cause so many fights?
In most WhatsApp groups the argument is not about the total bill. It is about who pays what share. The owner of a 600 sq ft flat does not want to pay the same as the owner of a 1,800 sq ft flat. The shop owner on the ground floor says he never uses the lift. The top floor resident says the ground floor never pays for the lift at all. These feelings are real, and a clear, written method calms most of them.
What is per square foot maintenance?
The committee adds up the monthly budget (guards, cleaning, common electricity, lift service, water, small repairs) and divides it by the total built-up area of all units. Each owner pays the rate multiplied by their own area.
Pros - Bigger units pay more, which most owners accept as natural. - Easy to defend: one rate, one area figure per unit. - Works well in plazas and offices where areas vary widely.
Cons - Needs trusted area figures. If the builder's plan, the lease and the actual unit disagree, you get arguments. Measure once and keep the record. - Some costs do not depend on size at all. A guard watches the gate whether your flat is small or big.
What is an equal flat rate?
Every unit pays the same amount, for example Rs 10,833 a month. It is simple to explain and simple to collect.
Pros - No measuring, no area disputes. - Good for buildings where all flats are the same size, which is common in newer apartment blocks.
Cons - Feels unfair to owners of small units when sizes differ. - Pressure builds up and the small unit owners stop paying.
What is unit type based pricing?
The building groups units into categories, such as small flat, large flat and shop, and sets one rate for each group. The numbers are decided once, written down and reviewed every year.
Pros - Simple to read on a bill and easy to remember. - Lets you charge shops or offices a different rate because of footfall, extra garbage and lift use.
Cons - Edge cases: a flat slightly bigger than the small type, or a shop that is half the size of the others. - Needs clear category rules so nobody says "my flat should be in the smaller group".
What does this look like with real numbers?
This is an example only, to show how the three methods differ. Your building will have its own numbers. Imagine a building with 12 small flats of 1,000 sq ft, 8 large flats of 1,500 sq ft and 4 shops of 500 sq ft, with a monthly budget of Rs 260,000.
| Unit | Count | Per sq ft (Rs 10/sq ft) | Equal rate (24 units) | Unit type (example rates) | |---|---|---|---|---| | Small flat, 1,000 sq ft | 12 | Rs 10,000 | Rs 10,833 | Rs 9,500 | | Large flat, 1,500 sq ft | 8 | Rs 15,000 | Rs 10,833 | Rs 14,000 | | Shop, 500 sq ft | 4 | Rs 5,000 | Rs 10,833 | Rs 8,500 |
Notice the shop. Under per square foot, a small shop pays only Rs 5,000. Under an equal rate it pays more than double that. Under the unit type method the committee chose Rs 8,500, because shops create more cleaning and lift work. Each answer is defensible. What matters is that residents agree to it before bills go out.
Should every cost be split the same way?
Not necessarily. A mixed approach is common and often the fairest:
- Split by area: common area cleaning, painting, repairs, water and sewerage upkeep.
- Split equally per unit: guard salaries, gate and CCTV costs, since every unit gets the same protection.
- Split by actual use or a special rule: generator diesel and lift. For diesel, see our generator fuel split formula.
Keep the mixed formula simple enough to explain in two lines. If it needs a spreadsheet to understand, people will distrust it.
How do you change the method without a war?
- Show the budget first. List every monthly cost with amounts before discussing who pays. Numbers calm people down.
- Show the old and new bill side by side for every unit type, like the table above.
- Vote at an AGM and record it in the minutes. Do not announce a new method only on WhatsApp.
- Check your by-laws. The method may already be written there. If owners and the by-laws disagree, a lawyer can advise on how to proceed.
- Start from a fixed month and review after six months.
What about tenants?
The bill usually belongs to the owner, even when the tenant pays it in practice. Who actually pays should be in the rent agreement. Our guide on tenant vs owner maintenance rules explains how to avoid the usual confusion.
A short checklist before you decide
- Do we have trusted area records for every unit?
- Are our units mostly the same size or very different?
- Do shops or offices share the building with flats?
- Which costs should be equal, and which should follow size?
- Is the method written in the by-laws or AGM minutes?
- Will every resident see the same formula on their bill?
Whatever you choose, the method matters less than being open about it. Residents accept a fair formula they can check. They fight a hidden one.
Nearlify lets a committee set charges per unit, send monthly bills and keep every payment and receipt in one place, so everyone sees the same numbers. You can start free at https://nearlify.app/signup.