As of the end of 2023, the urbanization rate of the mainland has climbed to a new height of 66.16%, compared with 65.22% in the previous year, which not only means that nearly 13.16 million rural people have crossed the boundary between urban and rural areas and integrated into the urban tide, but also indicates that the urbanization process of the mainland has entered a new stage of development.
For those who migrate from rural to urban areas, housing is the first step in integrating into their new environment and is also the most immediate living need. Different from the familiar and warm single-family courtyards in the countryside, the housing in the city is mainly high-rise residences, which is not only a reshaping of the living space, but also a profound change in lifestyle, management mode and even social relations.
In rural areas, houses are mostly built on their own homesteads, and management is relatively loose, and village committees play the role of coordinators. In cities, where there are many high-rise buildings, property companies have become a key force in maintaining community order and ensuring the quality of life of residents. They are responsible for a series of tedious and important tasks such as the safety of the community, the daily maintenance of public facilities, and the cleaning of environmental sanitation, so as to ensure that urban residents can live in a safe and comfortable environment.
However, with the acceleration of urbanization and the improvement of residents' requirements for quality of life, the relationship between property owners and owners has quietly undergone subtle changes. What was supposed to be a win-win cooperation based on the spirit of the contract has gradually evolved into a contradictory opposite, and the contradictions are getting deeper and deeper, and many owners have begun to express their dissatisfaction by refusing to pay property fees. Under the new regulations in 2024, how should the property fee be paid?
01 Property and Owner: From Symbiosis to Contradiction
The relationship between the property and the owners of the community should be based on mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. However, in recent years, cracks have gradually begun to appear in this chain of social relations, which should have been running smoothly, and even in some regions, the depth of contradictions has reached an unprecedented level. Owners have adopted the extreme method of refusing to pay the property fee to express their dissatisfaction and disappointment with the property service, and the hidden problems behind this are mainly as follows:
1. Misalignment and cognitive bias of property roles
As a professional organization of community management, the core responsibility of the property should be to provide high-quality property services for the owners, including but not limited to environmental sanitation maintenance, public facilities management, safety and security, etc., to ensure that the living environment of the owners is comfortable, safe and orderly.
However, some property companies have gradually deviated from this original intention and placed themselves in the position of "managers" or even "rulers", rather than "service providers". This kind of role perception bias makes the property lack due humility and enthusiasm in the service process, and the attitude towards the owner becomes more and more indifferent and arrogant.
What's more serious is that some property companies even regard owners as a tool to make profits, and increase the charging items and standards through various means, but ignore the improvement of service quality. This kind of behavior of "valuing profits over righteousness" is undoubtedly a serious infringement on the rights and interests of owners, and it is also an important reason for the accumulation of dissatisfaction among owners.
Second, the lack of service quality and the neglect of the needs of owners
With the improvement of living standards, the requirements of owners for the living environment are also increasing, and they expect the property to provide more personalized and refined services. However, the reality is that many property companies still follow the traditional and extensive management model, ignoring the diverse needs of owners. Whether it is the maintenance of public facilities, the improvement of the green environment, or the strengthening of safety management, they are far from meeting the expectations of the owners.
In addition, property management companies often show a negative attitude when dealing with complaints and suggestions from property owners. They are either perfunctory or prevaricating, and rarely can really consider and solve problems from the perspective of the owner. This lack of service attitude makes owners feel that their reputation is being ignored and their rights and interests are violated, which further exacerbates their dissatisfaction with the property.
3. Transparency in the collection and use of property fees
As a fee jointly paid by the owners, the property management fee should be open and transparent to the owners. However, in practice, many property companies do not do enough in this regard. They either deliberately conceal the charging items and increase the charging standards; or divert property fees for other purposes and enrich their own pockets; Or they are secretive and vague about the expenditure of strata fees. This opaque way of operation has caused serious doubts and dissatisfaction among property owners about the whereabouts of property fees.
Owners generally believe that the property fees they pay should be used reasonably and effectively, rather than being squandered or enriched by the property management company. Therefore, they strongly demand that property management companies improve financial transparency, disclose the collection standards and usage of property fees, and accept the supervision and audit of property owners. However, this reasonable request is often rejected or perfunctory by the property management company, which further exacerbates the conflict between the two parties.
4. Refusal to pay property fees: the helplessness of the owner
In the face of the various misdeeds and lack of service of the property company, the owners felt angry and helpless. They try to solve the problem through negotiations, complaints, etc., but often with little success. In this case, some property owners began to choose the extreme way of refusing to pay the strata fee to express their dissatisfaction and protest.
Although refusal to pay the property fee is not the best way to solve the problem (because it may lead to chaos in the management of the community, affect the rights and interests of other owners, etc.), it reflects to a certain extent the strong dissatisfaction of the owners with the quality of property services and the resolute protection of their own rights and interests. Although this silent way of fighting the epidemic seems simple and crude, it contains the deep desire and firm pursuit of owners for a better living environment and higher service quality.
02 Under the new regulations in 2024, the property fee will be paid in this way
In 2024, the new Civil Code will have a series of provisions on property management and fee collection. These provisions not only reconstruct the rights and obligations between property management companies and owners, but also lay a solid legal foundation for building a harmonious, transparent and efficient property service environment.
1. Openness and transparency of property fees: building a bridge of trust
The clause in the new Civil Code that property management companies need to regularly disclose the income and expenditure of property fees is undoubtedly a major empowerment of the owners' right to know and the right to supervise. In the past, the income and expenditure of property fees were often regarded as the "internal affairs" of the property management company, and it was difficult for owners to understand their specific flows, which not only easily led to information asymmetry, but also could breed corruption and injustice. Now, with the implementation of this regulation, property companies must take the initiative to demonstrate the transparency of their financial management to property owners and ensure that every expenditure of property fees can stand up to scrutiny.
The significance of this move goes far beyond strengthening the trust of the owner. It is also an incentive mechanism for property companies to continuously improve service quality in order to win the recognition and satisfaction of owners. After all, under the sun, any service defects are difficult to hide, and property companies can only be invincible in the fierce market competition by optimizing services, reducing costs and improving efficiency.
2. Payment of property fees for vacant houses: the embodiment of fairness and responsibility
On the question of whether vacant houses need to pay property fees, the new Civil Code gives a clear answer: yes, vacant houses also need to pay property fees on time and in full. This may seem like a strict rule, but in fact it contains profound principles of fairness and responsibility.
From the perspective of the operating costs of the property company, no matter how many houses are vacant in the community, the investment in daily maintenance, safety management, environmental cleaning and other work will not be reduced. On the contrary, in order to maintain the overall quality and living environment of the community, property management companies often need to invest more energy and resources. Therefore, requiring the owner of the vacant house to bear the property fee is a reasonable compensation for the operating costs of the property management company.
From an equity point of view, if vacant property owners are allowed to be exempt from strata fees, it is clearly unfair to owners who have already moved in and paid strata fees on time. This will not only dampen their motivation and confidence, but may also lead to more controversy and dissatisfaction about "free-riding" behavior. Therefore, requiring the owners of vacant houses to bear the same strata fees is an important measure to maintain fairness and justice in the community.
From the perspective of responsibility, the owner buys a house not only for living, but also a commitment and responsibility for the overall environment and services of the community. Even if the house is temporarily vacant, the owner still enjoys the common facilities and services in the community. Therefore, they should bear the corresponding expenses to support the normal operation of the property company and the sustainable development of the community.
3. Protection of owners' rights and interests and dispute resolution mechanism
Of course, while emphasizing the obligation to pay property fees, we cannot ignore the protection of the rights and interests of property owners and the improvement of the dispute resolution mechanism. The new Civil Code not only gives property owners the right to supervise property management companies, but also provides them with a variety of dispute resolution methods.
Owners can collectively express their demands and opinions through organizational forms such as owners' meetings or owners' committees. As the representatives and defenders of the interests of the owners, these organizations can negotiate and negotiate with the property management company on issues such as the collection of property fees and the improvement of service quality. Through the power of collective action, property owners can better protect their legal rights.
When a dispute arises between the owner and the property management company, they can choose to resolve the dispute through legal means such as litigation and arbitration. The new Civil Code provides owners with a sound legal protection and relief mechanism to ensure that they can obtain effective legal support in a timely manner when their rights and interests are infringed.
In addition, in order to promote the harmonious coexistence and common development between property management companies and owners, we should also advocate the establishment of a dispute resolution mechanism based on communication, consultation and cooperation. Strengthen the communication and interaction between property management companies and owners by holding regular owners' meetings and setting up channels for complaints and suggestions.
On the basis of fully listening to the opinions and suggestions of the owners, the property management company can continuously optimize the service process and improve the service quality; Owners can also fulfill their responsibilities and obligations by actively participating in community management and jointly maintaining the community environment.
In general, the new pattern of property fee payment under the new regulations in 2024 is a profound adjustment and reconstruction of the rights and obligations between property management companies and property owners. It requires property companies to pay more attention to the improvement of service quality and the transparency of financial management; At the same time, it also requires owners to look at the payment of property fees more rationally and actively participate in community management. Only with the joint efforts of both parties can we build a harmonious, transparent and efficient property service environment, so that every owner can enjoy a high-quality and convenient property service experience.