Gursimran Aurora and his neighbours at Adani M2K Oyster Grande B1 block, off the Dwarka Expressway in Gurgaon’s Sector 102, are protesting a sharp increase in their maintenance charges.Their builder has sent revised bills increasing their maintenance charges from Rs 3 per square feet to Rs 5.33, he told The Indian Express. Monthly bills that were around Rs 7,900 will now be close to Rs 13,500.Across the city, residential condominiums are seeing a steep rise in common area maintenance (CAM) charges following the Haryana government’s decision to hike minimum wages for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled workers by 35% in April.This has caused friction between residents, maintenance agencies, and Residents’ Welfare Associations (RWAs). With the wage revision implemented retrospectively from April 1, 2026, societies are having to adjust their annual budgets to accommodate higher expenses for security, housekeeping, and facility management staff.RWAs anticipate an overall increase in expenses of 15% to 30%, a jump that threatens to push many households beyond the Rs 7,500 monthly threshold at which Goods and Services Tax (GST) becomes applicable. If monthly society maintenance crosses Rs 7,500, and if the society’s total aggregate turnover exceeds Rs 20 lakh in a financial year, the 18% GST kicks in.The maintenance squeezeAt Suncity township on Golf Course Road, maintenance fees currently stand at Rs 4.50 per sq. yard for floors, Rs 5.25 for kothis, and Rs 2.65 for plots.The township’s association is preparing to propose a 15-20% rate hike, contingent upon approval at a General Body Meeting (GBM) slated for later this month. “We were trying to manage without increasing the fees but to comply fully, we have to,” said RWA chairperson Kusum Sharma.Story continues below this adOther sectors have already implemented revisions. In Sector 23A, wage hikes were rolled out in July, incorporating arrears dating back to April.The local association utilises these funds primarily for park maintenance, a cost partially offset by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), which reimburses the society approximately Rs 3.6 lakh on a quarterly basis.“To pay the arrears, it will cost us about Rs 2 lakh. We have three parks — a 15 acre one and two smaller sector parks. Wage hikes for certain categories have been substantial so we had to increase our park maintenance fees we would bill to the municipal corporation,” RWA general secretary Bhawani Shankar Tripathy said.However, in developer-managed societies, where formal RWAs that run all maintenance and operations are yet to be formed, the sudden spike in overheads has led to standoffs.Story continues below this adAt the Adani Oyster B1 block, residents like Aurora have termed the increase unfair and are currently withholding payment at the new rates, which has resulted in a visible decline in the upkeep of facility amenities.Cutting costs to avoid hikesMeanwhile, several larger condominiums are employing strict cost-cutting measures to absorb the shock without passing the full burden onto residents.At Sobha City in Sector 108, resident Brig. Anil Hooda, who pays around Rs 13,000 per month as maintenance for his flat, noted that while the society anticipates a 30% jump in expenses, the management is attempting to hold the current rate steady through tighter budget management.“We are in talks with the builder to keep the rates as is for us, and increase revenue pools. Let us see,” he said.Story continues below this adA similar mitigation strategy is underway at Imperial Gardens in Sector 102.A look at resident Sunil Sareen’s recent maintenance bill shows the society currently charges Rs 3.40 per sq. ft. per month for Common Area Maintenance, alongside Rs 0.30 per sq. ft. for Common Area Electricity. The recent quarterly bill, generated on July 14, amounted to Rs 22,478.00.“To stave off an anticipated 20-30% hike, the condominium association is attempting to consolidate its workforce by trimming the number of outsourced agencies and exploring avenues to increase non-dues revenue,” Sareen said.Despite these measures, the RWA at Emaar Imperial Gardens expects an eventual rate hike to be unavoidable.