A tenant in Karnataka has sparked a debate after sharing their experience of being denied access to gym and pool facilities in their housing society, despite paying maintenance charges. The post on Reddit, titled "Big society does not allow 1 BHK residents to use the amenities but takes maintenance," quickly went viral, highlighting issues of fairness and legality in housing society rules.
Tenant's Frustration Over Access Rights
The tenant, who moved into a large society paying high rent for a 1BHK/1RK apartment, was initially assured they could use the gym and swimming pool. However, they later learned that some residents objected to 1BHK tenants using the amenities, leading the society to quietly introduce a new rule locking out smaller units.
According to the tenant, the society now bars 1BHK and 1RK residents from using the gym and pool, forcing them to pay "guest fees" per day for access. The tenant added, "They are not even allowing a one-time payment to buy access to amenities. We have to pay like a guest per day if we want to use the amenities. The worst part is they are taking maintenance from us."
Maintenance Charges Based on Square Footage
The tenant noted that maintenance is calculated per square foot, meaning every apartment, including 1BHK units, pays according to its size. This undermines the argument that smaller flats "don't use the same amount of facilities," since the society treats them as full-paying members in billing.
Social Media Reactions
The Reddit post attracted mixed reactions. One user pointed out that in some gated communities, amenities are club-like and billed separately, with only owners allowed memberships. The tenant clarified that this is not the case, as the society has not allowed any membership; access is purely pay-per-use on a guest basis.
Another comment suggested the practice might be illegal unless the bylaws or flat-ownership agreement explicitly allow such discrimination. The person advised, "It's illegal unless there's some stupid clause in your unit/flats agreement with the builder or some authority, which is probably not the case. Get to the bottom, read everything. Go to the registrar's office/concerned authority for societies and raise your matter."
The incident has raised broader questions about fairness, maintenance charges, and the legal rights of tenants in housing societies across urban India.
