Managing and maintaining a housing community—whether it is a co-operative society or an apartment complex—always brings one key question to the surface: How should maintenance charges be calculated? Should everyone pay the same amount? Or should residents with bigger flats pay more? A recent judgment by the Bombay High Court in the well-known Treasure Park apartment case in Pune has once again brought this issue into public discussion. Many housing communities are debating whether the same rule applies to co-operative housing societies as well. Here we simplifies the topic and explains the law , the difference between societies and apartments , and why maintenance charges in co-operative societies must be equal for all members —regardless of the size of their flat. 1. Why Maintenance Charges Matter Every community—big or small—has common areas and shared facilities such as: Lifts Security services Water supply Common electricity Gardens and open spaces Buildin...