In the last few years, Bangalore has seen the emergence of apartment management software tools. Sangeeta Banerjee of Apartment Adda attributes it to multiple reasons. "Bangalore has a higher Internet penetration and is a highly cosmopolitan city. It also has a higher population of younger people in apartment association committees. The average age in most associations we have interacted with is between 35-40." Most software developers think that people would prefer a software that provides value in terms of saving time, effort and providing transparency.

Parthasarathy of OneSolution thinks softwares such as these work better in larger complexes and Bangalore unlike other cities has several complexes with apartments numbering above 250 and more. In Bangalore you do get people who are much more tech savvy, admits Vikas Malpani, whose software CommonFloor has a presence in multiple cities across India as well as internationally.

Here’s a quick guide to each of the tools based on information provided by the service providers.

Common Floor

Started in 2007, Commonfloor remains a free tool and perhaps the easiest to register and use. The Rental and For Sale listing is extensive and gives people the option of looking for rentals across Bangalore instead of just specific to their apartment. Features extensive list of informative articles related to apartment sale, home loans, Khata transfer, etc.

Apartment Adda

Co-founder Sangeeta Banerjee says management applications are ultimately the core of this website. The Online Complaint Tracker is a much used feature, as is the Income Tracker that includes automatic invoice generation of maintenance charges for each flat and can also generate e-receipts and track payments made. Maintenance charges for apartments of different sizes (2 BHK, Penthouse, etc) can be set automatically. Both free and paid applications included.

Apna Complex

Launched in April 2010. Automatic Invoice generation of maintenance charges for each flat is one of the main features apart from billing of metered utilities. The Complaint Box feature is integrated with the maintenance staff and sms generation. There’s also a list of vendors and service providers who can be rated. Includes both free and paid applications.

OneSolution

Launched in 2008. Receivables management like maintenance, penalty calculation, club house subscription, etc, are some of the highlights, says founder Parthasarathy. The Move In Move Out option is also useful to keep track of residents currently in the complex. Both free and paid subscriptions available.

Groupz

Communication is the most important aspect of Groupz, says developer Suthindran as are MC needs. Notices and announcements are integrated not just with email and sms but also circulars for those residents not on the internet after the moderators have ascertained their number. Documents uploaded by the management can be viewed only till a certain date and once the document is clicked upon, the moderator can find out how many people have read it. Just being test marketed by the founder.

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