What maintenance per sq ft is normal in a new Bengaluru gated community, and what pushes it up?
Direct answer: There is no official per-sq-ft maintenance rate for a new Bengaluru gated community. A May 2025 analysis of more than 30 Bengaluru apartment projects came out at ₹4.31 per sq ft a month for possession in 2023–2025, and ₹4.50 for possession in 2026–2027.
Verify with your CA: Whether GST is due turns on the contribution per flat and the association's yearly turnover. This page is not a tax opinion for your society.
Verify with your lawyer: Until the association takes over, the amount you owe is whatever your agreement says, read next to RERA section 11(4)(d).
The per-sq-ft line often looks fine on the cost sheet. Then the quarterly demand picks up backup power and, where there is no borewell or municipal water, tanker charges, split only across the flats already handed over.
What should you check?
- Which area the rate uses. Carpet and super built-up are different bases. The analysis does not say which base its averages used. On its own example, ₹4.31 is ₹8,620 a month on a 2,000 sq ft flat.
- The breakup. Staffing was 35–50% of the cost and utilities (power, water and diesel backup) were 20–30%. Lift and plant contracts, waste and the facility-management fee made up most of the rest.
- How many homes are paying, and where the water comes from. A new phase can cost more per home than a full one, because the gates and clubhouse do not shrink when flats are empty. Buyer discussions have linked higher rates to that thin occupancy, and to tanker water where there is no borewell and no municipal connection.
- What sits outside the rate. A second parking slot, a corpus and a sinking fund are not the monthly operating bill. How the last two differ is covered in corpus fund vs maintenance deposit.
- Whether GST applies. Under CBIC Circular 109, a contribution up to ₹7,500 a month per member can be exempt. Tax applies when that figure is crossed and yearly turnover is ₹20 lakh or more, and the circular's example charges 18% on the whole amount, not only the excess. How that test works is on GST on apartment maintenance.
One mistake to avoid
Don't lock your budget to the brochure rate. In that analysis, advance maintenance is usually collected for one to three years, and costs rose by 15–25% in most projects once the advance ran out. A quarterly bill, plus GST if it applies, is not the per-sq-ft figure you compared.
A high bill also makes resale harder, because the next owner takes on that monthly outflow along with the loan. Until the association takes over, section 11(4)(d) makes the promoter maintain essential services on reasonable charges. If that handover stalls, see builder maintenance before handover.
Frequently asked questions
Is ₹4.50 per sq ft a cap?
No. It is the 2026–2027 average from that analysis, not a rule. Your agreement and, later, the association budget decide the bill.
Does every maintenance bill attract GST?
No. Circular 109 needs both tests: more than ₹7,500 a month per member, and annual turnover of ₹20 lakh or more. Have a CA read the invoice.
Is a second car park inside the per-sq-ft rate?
Often it is not. Owners in north Bengaluru have described extra parking as its own monthly charge, higher when the slot is covered or scarce. Get that line in writing before you compare two societies.
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References
- Propsoch, "What Drives Maintenance Charges in Bangalore Apartment Communities", 18 May 2025 (analysis of more than 30 Bengaluru apartment projects: ₹4.31 per sq ft for possession in 2023–2025, ₹4.50 for 2026–2027, ₹8,620 a month on the review's 2,000 sq ft example, staffing 35–50%, utilities 20–30%, advance maintenance usually for 1–3 years, costs up 15–25% in most projects studied after that advance): https://www.propsoch.com/blogs/what-drives-maintenance-charges-in-bangalore-apartment-communities/, accessed 26 Oct 2026.
- CBIC Circular No. 109/28/2019-GST, 22 July 2019 (₹7,500 per month per member, ₹20 lakh aggregate turnover, 18% on the entire contribution once the ceiling is crossed): https://cbic-gst.gov.in/pdf/circular-cgst-109n.pdf, accessed 26 Oct 2026.
- Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, section 11(4)(d) (promoter maintains essential services on reasonable charges until the association takes over): https://rera.karnataka.gov.in/resources/staticpage/Real_Estate_Act.pdf, accessed 26 Oct 2026.
This page explains public rules and processes. It isn't legal or tax advice. acre&key gives buyers advice for free.