Housing societies open gates for tech

Housing societies open gates for tech

• By Staff Writer

Housing societies open gates for tech

Housing societies countrywide are fast adopting technology to control daily operations from payments to safety protocols amid the pandemic, according to software solution providers that are recording a keen uptick in business. Tech-based platforms such as MyGate, NoBroker, Jio Gate, ApnaComplex and Apartment Adda that help gated communities digitise and automate manual tasks including the regulation of on-campus movement of delivery agents, domiciliary staff as well as guests are seeing a sharp surge in signups.

More than 35,000 housing societies and apartment complexes have bought software solutions to manage security protocols, communication as well as for cash collections, with bulk of the growth coming in the last five months, according to data shared by MyGate and NoBroker.

NoBroker, which had signed up about 650 societies pre-Covid, has grown its customer base to over 6,000 in the last five months. MyGate said it has been growing 10% per month and plans to reach 30,000 societies in the next six months.

“The kind of new normal we are all adapting to is one of its kind. People are much more cautious about who is coming to their house,” said Amit Agarwal, CEO, NoBroker. The tech platform has raised $151 million from investors such as General Atlantic, Tiger Global, and SAIF Partners.

Adoption Fast Expanding to Smaller Cities

The trend, which was earlier more pronounced in the metros, is fast expanding to smaller cities like Kochi, Nagpur and Jaipur, industry data shows.

MyGate estimates monthly addition of 1,200 new societies, while NoBroker—which has added new features like maintenance and rent payment—aims to expand to 50 new cities including Surat, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Raipur, Lucknow and Vizag in the next six months.

“One broader shift we are seeing is a move to touchless community management. Our monthly maintenance collections grew to Rs 100 crore from Rs 35 crore in March,” said Vijay Kumar, CEO of MyGate.

Health safety features have also emerged as prominent additions to the basket of services these companies are offering.

Raj Kumar, a management committee member at Hiranandani Hill Crest, a 1,000-apartment complex in Mumbai, said a software-led management system helped the community “in contact tracing, visitor management as well as deliveries of packages,” during the pandemic.

"We also get 24-hour support on WhatsApp, as well as authentic information on regulations, which had added importance for the society during the time of the lockdowns,” he said.

In recent months, MyGate has introduced features like containment zone identifier, Aarogya Setu integration, body temperature, mask and oxygen-level checks in a bid to help combat Covid-19. The platform last raised $56 million from Tencent, Tiger Global Management and JS Capital Management, the investment fund of Jonathan Soros.

“As people increasingly transition to digital including smaller things like the notice board and management of deliveries and accounting, the need for a community management system will be felt strongly even in smaller societies nationwide,” MyGate’s Kumar said.

Anuradha, a resident from Shriram Summit society in Bengaluru, told ET that the community engagement feature of these apps has also become popular with residents during the pandemic. “We can track all community happenings like group chats, forums, clubhouse bookings, bill payments, calendar for maids.”

Society managers told ET that technology has become crucial for the smooth functioning of large societies. This includes timely communication, maintenance collections, as well as enforcing safety protocols like social distancing.

To ensure the tech backbone is utilised efficiently, software providers are also adding skill training for on-campus staff. Earlier these were in-person sessions in a classroom setting. But as Covid-19 forces businesses to move online, companies are growing digital training modules. “Facilities and security staff can only go on the floor after passing internal benchmark scores,” said MyGate’s Kumar.

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