Society maintenance charges in Tricity (2026): the per-sq-ft maths, the IFMS nobody explains, and what an RWA cannot legally do

• ₹1.50–3.50Per sq ft, per monthobserved Tricity range, 2026
• ₹7,500GST-free ceilingper flat, per month
• 3 monthsTo form the associationRERA s.11(4)(e), after 51% booked
• ₹0Chargeable for open parkingit is a common area under RERA

The sale price of a flat is negotiated hard. The maintenance bill almost never is. Buyers in Mohali Sector 66, Zirakpur off VIP Road and the New Chandigarh belt routinely sign an allotment letter that says “maintenance as applicable” and then discover, two years later, that “as applicable” means whatever the builder’s facility company decides. Over a ten-year hold, maintenance on a 3BHK can quietly cost more than the stamp duty did.

This is the part of society living nobody explains at the sample flat. Here is what the money is for, what is legitimate, what is not, and where an RWA’s authority actually ends. Worth knowing before you argue with anyone: a lot of Tricity buyers now scout projects through local real estate Instagram pages and creators, which is fine for spotting inventory but tells you nothing about a society’s maintenance history — that only comes from the residents already living there.

What the monthly maintenance bill is actually made of

Society maintenance is not one charge. It is a bundle, and in a well-run society the RWA circulates the split. If yours does not, ask for it — under both the Punjab Apartment Ownership Act, 1995 and the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983, common expenses are the owners’ money and the accounts are theirs to see.

Two lines on that list get abused most often. The DG backup charge is frequently levied as a flat monthly amount whether or not the power actually failed, and residents of one Dera Bassi society took their RWA to task in exactly this way — over a ₹650 backup fee and charges that were not distributed in proportion to flat size. The second is the clubhouse fee, which in some projects is charged to every owner including those in towers where the clubhouse was never completed.

The per sq ft maths, on real Tricity flat sizes

Maintenance is charged on super area, not carpet area. That is the standard practice across Mohali, Zirakpur and Panchkula societies, and it is why a flat with a generous common-area loading pays more for the same usable space. If you are unsure what your super area actually buys you, our breakdown of standard flat sizes and carpet ratios in Tricity sets out the typical numbers.

The bottom-right cell is the one to look at. A 2,200 sq ft unit at ₹3.50 per sq ft crosses ₹7,500 a month, and that single rupee over the line changes the tax treatment of the whole bill. More on that below.

These rates are an observed market range gathered from what Tricity residents and RWAs report paying, not a published tariff. There is no official rate card for society maintenance in Punjab, Haryana or Chandigarh. Verify the exact figure for the project you are looking at, in writing, before you pay booking amount.

IFMS and the sinking fund are not the same thing

Interest-Free Maintenance Security (IFMS) is a one-time refundable deposit collected by the builder at possession. It is a security corpus, not a fee. The builder holds it until the residents’ association is formed, then hands over the balance along with the accounts. Published IFMS rates vary widely by project and city — anywhere from ₹25 to ₹200 per sq ft appears in builder demand letters — so treat any single figure with suspicion and get your own project’s number from the allotment letter. On a 1,650 sq ft 3BHK at ₹50 per sq ft, IFMS works out to ₹82,500, payable in one shot at handover.

A sinking fund is different. It is a recurring monthly contribution, built up by the association itself, meant for large future work — lift replacement, external painting, waterproofing, STP overhaul. Roughly 5–10% of the maintenance figure is a common contribution rate. A society with no sinking fund will come to you with a special levy of ₹40,000 per flat the year the lifts need replacing. That is the single best question to ask existing residents: what is in the sinking fund and where is it parked?

The IFMS handover is where disputes cluster. Appellate tribunals have ordered builders to refund maintenance corpus where the builder could not produce audited accounts showing it was spent. If your builder says the IFMS is “exhausted”, the association is entitled to ask for the audit trail, and the burden of proof sits with the builder, not with you.

The ₹7,500 GST line, and the court fight behind it

Maintenance charged by an RWA is exempt from GST if it does not exceed ₹7,500 per month per flat. Cross it, and 18% GST applies. CBIC Circular No. 109/28/2019-GST, dated 22 July 2019, says the tax then applies to the entire amount — on a ₹9,000 bill, GST is charged on ₹9,000, not on the ₹1,500 excess.

That reading is contested. The Madras High Court quashed that part of the circular, holding that GST applies only to the amount above ₹7,500, and a Division Bench then stayed that order on the department’s appeal. The matter is still live, so societies across India continue to follow the circular. Two things follow for a Tricity buyer. First, the ₹7,500 limit applies per apartment, so an owner with two flats in the same society gets the exemption separately for each. Second, an RWA whose total annual turnover stays under ₹20 lakh does not need GST registration at all, which covers most small and mid-sized Tricity societies.

Who actually runs your society, and from when

This is the source of more bad blood in Mohali and Zirakpur projects than any other single issue. The sequence, in law:

1. Builder maintains firstUntil the association is formed, the promoter maintains the common areas and may collect maintenance — but only reasonable, transparent, disclosed amounts.
2. Association within three monthsUnder Section 11(4)(e) of RERA, 2016, the promoter must enable formation of the association within three months of the majority of allottees booking their units.
3. Handover of common areas and moneyUnder Section 17, the promoter transfers title in the common areas to the association, along with the corpus collected, the balance in the maintenance account and all project documents.
4. Association takes overFrom then the RWA sets the rate, runs the tenders and answers to the general body. In Mohali and Zirakpur it is governed by the Punjab Apartment Ownership Act, 1995; in Panchkula, by the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983.

One recent order is worth knowing. On 25 April 2026, the Punjab Real Estate Regulatory Authority held that allottees who have taken possession and are enjoying the amenities cannot refuse to pay maintenance charges merely because the project has no completion or occupancy certificate. Withholding maintenance is a weak weapon in Punjab. Filing a RERA complaint over non-handover of accounts is a much stronger one.

What an RWA can and cannot do

The pet question comes up constantly in Tricity societies and the legal position is settled enough to rely on. We have set it out in full in our guide to what an RWA cannot legally ban about pets, including the six checks to run before you sign a lease in a society with a hostile management committee.

Parking: the charge that is often not chargeable

Section 2(y) of RERA, 2016 defines a garage as a place with a roof and walls on three sides. That can be sold. An open or stilt parking space cannot — Section 2(n) lists open parking areas as common areas, and Section 17 requires the promoter to hand common areas to the association. The Supreme Court reached the same conclusion in Nahalchand Laloochand Pvt Ltd v. Panchali Co-operative Housing Society on 31 August 2010, holding that stilt and open parking are part of the common areas and cannot be sold as independent units.

In practice, plenty of Tricity projects still take ₹2–5 lakh for a “covered parking” that is a stilt slot with pillars and no walls. If the space does not have a roof and walls on three sides, it is not a garage. Once the association takes over, slot allotment becomes the RWA’s job, usually by ballot or by unit size, and any pre-sale by the builder can be challenged.

When a society flat is the wrong buy

Being straight about this: high-rise society living is a poor fit for some Tricity buyers, and no amount of clubhouse rendering changes that.

If you are buying a small unit purely for rental yield, run the maintenance number before you sign. A 650 sq ft 1BHK in an amenity-heavy Zirakpur project at ₹3.50 per sq ft carries roughly ₹2,275 a month in maintenance. Against a rent in the ₹10,000–₹14,000 band, that is a meaningful slice of your gross yield, and it is payable in the months the flat sits vacant too. Small units in amenity-heavy towers are the worst combination for a yield buyer — you pay for a pool and a gym that your tenant’s rent does not price in. Our review of Hero Homes Mohali Sector 88 works through what a real Tricity society yield looks like after costs.

If you want control over what you build and when, an independent floor or a plot avoids the RWA entirely. If you are buying in Chandigarh proper, the ownership question is a different one altogether — see our explainer on freehold versus leasehold property in Chandigarh. And if a project has an active builder–RWA dispute over handover, walk away or price it in; those fights run for years.

Hoomzz lists physically verified sale and rental properties across Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula and Zirakpur with zero brokerage. You can browse flats and houses for sale across Tricity or compare sectors and townships by location before shortlisting.

Frequently asked questions

What are the typical monthly maintenance charges in Tricity high-rise societies?

Maintenance in Mohali, Zirakpur and Panchkula societies is typically billed at ₹1.50 to ₹3.50 per sq ft of super area per month in 2026. That works out to roughly ₹975–₹2,275 for a 650 sq ft 1BHK and ₹2,475–₹5,775 for a 1,650 sq ft 3BHK. Amenity-heavy projects with a pool, clubhouse and full-time security sit at the top of that range. These are observed market figures, not a published tariff, so confirm the rate for your specific project in writing.

What is covered under the monthly society maintenance fee?

The monthly fee usually covers security and housekeeping staff, common-area electricity, lift and firefighting AMCs, sewage and water treatment plant operation, horticulture and clubhouse upkeep. Power backup and water are commonly billed separately on actual consumption in Tricity societies. A sinking fund contribution of roughly 5–10% of the maintenance figure may also be added. Ask the RWA for the head-wise split; owners are entitled to see how common expenses are spent.

What is an IFMS deposit and do I get it back?

IFMS stands for Interest-Free Maintenance Security. It is a one-time refundable deposit collected by the builder at possession, held as a corpus for the society’s long-term repairs and transferred to the residents’ association once it is formed. It is not a fee and it is not the same as the monthly maintenance charge. If a builder claims the IFMS has been spent, the association can demand audited accounts proving it, and tribunals have ordered refunds where the builder could not produce them.

Can an RWA legally ban tenants or pet owners from common areas?

No. A resident welfare association cannot ban tenants, bachelors or pet owners, and it cannot bar pets from lifts, staircases or other common areas. A general body resolution does not override the law on this point. What an RWA can do is frame reasonable rules — leashing, cleaning up after the animal, noise timings — and require tenant intimation with police verification, which is mandatory in Chandigarh and SAS Nagar district.

How are open and covered parking slots allotted in residential societies?

Open and stilt parking are common areas under Section 2(n) of the RERA Act, 2016 and cannot be sold to individual buyers. Only an enclosed garage with a roof and walls on three sides, as defined in Section 2(y), can be sold. Once the association takes over the common areas, it allots slots by a transparent method such as ballot or unit size, and reserves visitor parking. A builder who charged separately for an open slot can be challenged before RERA.

Is GST payable on society maintenance charges?

GST does not apply if the maintenance charge is ₹7,500 or less per month per flat, and it does not apply at all if the society’s annual turnover stays under ₹20 lakh. Above ₹7,500, CBIC Circular 109/28/2019-GST requires 18% GST on the entire amount, not just the excess. The Madras High Court disagreed with that reading and a Division Bench stayed its order, so the position is still under litigation. The ₹7,500 limit applies separately to each flat an owner holds in the same society.

Can the RWA cut my water supply if I do not pay maintenance?

No. Disconnecting an essential service such as water or electricity to recover maintenance dues is not a remedy available to a resident welfare association. The association’s route is to charge interest under its bye-laws and pursue recovery through civil proceedings or the machinery under the Punjab Apartment Ownership Act, 1995 or the Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983. Equally, a Punjab RERA order of 25 April 2026 held that residents in possession cannot refuse maintenance simply because no completion certificate has been issued.

Sources, and what here is judgement rather than data

Measured or documented: the RERA, 2016 provisions cited (Sections 2(n), 2(y), 11(4)(e) and 17), the GST threshold and CBIC Circular 109/28/2019-GST, the Madras High Court challenge and the stay on it, the Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling on stilt and open parking, the Punjab RERA order of 25 April 2026 on maintenance without a completion certificate, and the existence of the Punjab Apartment Ownership Act, 1995 and Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983.

Observed, not official: the ₹1.50–₹3.50 per sq ft maintenance range and the ₹25–₹200 per sq ft IFMS range. No authority publishes a maintenance tariff for Punjab, Haryana or Chandigarh. These come from what residents and RWAs report and from builder demand letters, and they vary widely by project. Verify your own numbers.

Judgement, not data: the head-wise percentage split of a maintenance bill, the view that security and housekeeping is where padding hides, the advice to treat an active builder–RWA handover dispute as a reason to walk away, and the argument that small units in amenity-heavy towers are a poor yield buy. Those are our reading of the Tricity market, not findings.

RERA Punjab, Punjab State Real Estate Rules — association of allottees and promoter obligations
Punjab RERA order of 25 April 2026 — allottees in possession are liable to pay maintenance despite no completion certificate
Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983 — common areas, common expenses and the association (applies in Panchkula)
CBIC Circular 109/28/2019-GST — the ₹7,500 per member exemption and how it is applied
The Tribune — Dera Bassi society residents and RWA in dispute over unapproved maintenance and backup charges

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