The HCM City Department of Construction has proposed changingcurrent regulations on the collection of apartment maintenance fees.

Under the regulations, apartment building investors are responsible for collecting the apartment maintenance fee, equivalent to 2 per cent of the value of apartments, from apartment owners and renters.

The maintenance fee for apartments that remain unsold is paid by the investor.

The maintenance fee must be deposited at banks and transferred to the building management board which is composed of people living in the apartments.

However, the high fee has led to disputes between management boards and investors about how the fees are actually used.

Under the new proposal, maintenance fees would be collected by management boards of apartment buildings, and the percentage of the maintenance fee would be determined by the people who reside in the apartments.

According to the department, the city has 1,401 apartment buildings, including 474 deteriorating buildings built before 1975.

Some apartment buildings have not consulted residents living in the buildings, and disputes between investors and management boards remain unresolved. — VNS

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