What Changed
Before the 2026 amendment, societies had considerable discretion in how they structured service charges across their membership. In practice, most societies already billed maintenance proportionally to carpet area at a single per-square-foot rate, but some societies applied different rates to different wings, blocks, or floors, sometimes for a documented reason and sometimes without one.
Chapter XI-B of the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Rules, 1961, inserted by the 2026 amendment effective 30 June 2026, makes uniform service charges mandatory for housing societies.
What "Uniform" Means Here
Uniform does not mean every member pays the same rupee amount. A society billing maintenance per square foot of carpet area will still, correctly, charge a 1,000 sq ft flat more than a 500 sq ft flat, that is not what the rule targets. What must be uniform is the rate structure itself, the same per-square-foot rate (or the same flat rate, for societies with equally sized units) must apply equally to all comparable members, rather than one wing or block being charged a different rate from another without a documented, approved reason.
What Can Still Legitimately Vary
The uniform service charges requirement leaves several existing, well-established practices untouched:
- Per-square-foot billing naturally produces different total bills for different-sized flats, since the rate applied is uniform even though the total amount is not.
- Usage-based charges, such as individually metered water, can still legitimately vary by actual consumption.
- Commercial units, shops and offices within a residential society, can still be charged a different, typically higher, rate than residential flats, provided this distinction is documented in the bye-laws or approved by the general body, as was already established practice.
- Charges tied to a member's individual circumstances, such as the Non-Occupancy Charge or parking charges, are unaffected by this rule.
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The mandate appears aimed at closing a specific loophole, a committee quietly applying different service charge rates to different wings, blocks, or individual members without ever bringing the differential to the general body for approval or documenting a clear basis for it. Bringing every rate difference into the open, either by standardising the rate or by getting it formally approved and documented, is the practical effect of the new requirement. The precise enforcement mechanics have not been separately detailed in the sources reviewed for this post.
What Societies Should Do Now
A practical compliance checklist:
- Audit your current billing configuration and confirm the same per-square-foot (or per-flat) rate applies to all residential members within the same category.
- If your society currently charges different rates to different wings or blocks without a documented, general-body-approved reason, bring this to the next GBM to either standardise the rate or formally justify and approve the differential.
- Keep any commercial-versus-residential rate distinction clearly documented in the bye-laws or a general body resolution.
- Update your billing software's rate configuration to reflect a single, approved rate structure rather than ad hoc per-wing settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does uniform service charges mean every member pays the same total bill?
No. Per-square-foot billing still produces different totals for different-sized flats. What must be uniform is the rate structure applied equally to comparable members, not the final rupee amount on each bill.
Can a society still charge shops and offices a different rate than residential flats?
Yes, that distinction remains permitted, provided it is documented in the bye-laws or approved by the general body, consistent with existing practice.
Does this rule affect metered water charges that vary by usage?
No, usage-based charges can still legitimately vary by actual consumption. The uniformity requirement is about the rate structure for service charges, not consumption-based billing.
What should a society do if it has been charging different wings different rates without documentation?
Bring the current practice to the next GBM and either standardise the rate across all comparable members or get the differential formally documented and approved with a clear, justified basis.
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Yogesh Randive
Founder, SocietyBee
Yogesh built SocietyBee after spending years helping housing societies in Mumbai manage accounts in Excel. He writes about Maharashtra co-operative law, society accounting, and the practical realities of running a housing society in India.