Apartment amenities: what you use and what they cost

6.5.1 What counts as an apartment amenity under RERA?

An apartment amenity is a shared facility in the project, such as a clubhouse, swimming pool, gym, park or play area. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016 has no separate definition of “amenity”. It uses two related terms instead. Section 2(n) defines “common areas”. The list includes parks, play areas, terraces, lifts, staircases, open parking areas, water tanks, sumps and motors. It also includes “all community and commercial facilities as provided in the real estate project”. Section 2(zb) defines “internal development works”. That list includes parks, community buildings, sewage treatment, water conservation and fire safety. Most brochure amenities fall inside one of these two terms. This matters because the Act attaches duties to them. The builder must build them as per the sanctioned plan. The builder must not change them without consent. The builder must hand the common areas over to the association of allottees.

Brochure item	RERA Act term	Section
Clubhouse, community hall	“All community and commercial facilities as provided in the real estate project”	2(n)(vii)
Parks, play areas, terraces, common basements	Common areas	2(n)(iii)
Lifts, staircases, lobbies, fire escapes	Common areas	2(n)(ii)
Power, water and sanitation installations, water tanks, sumps, motors	Common areas	2(n)(v) and 2(n)(vi)
Sewage treatment, water conservation, fire safety, community buildings	Internal development works	2(zb)

Source: Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, section 2, checked 9 October 2026.

6.5.2 Where can you see a project’s amenities on Karnataka RERA?

A Karnataka RERA (K-RERA) project page lists the amenities that the builder declared to the regulator. Search the project on rera.karnataka.gov.in and open its details. Below the Project Schedule, the two pages we checked on 9 October 2026 show four tables: Internal Infrastructure, External Infrastructure, Amenities and Common Areas. The Amenities table has 14 fixed rows. They include Club House, Community Hall, Swimming Pool, Gym, Parks, Outdoor and Indoor Sports facility, Power Backup and CCTV Surveillance. For each row, the builder marks “Is Applicable ?” as Yes or No. A row marked Yes also shows an area in square metres. This table is a filing with the regulator, so it is stronger evidence than a brochure. Section 4(2)(e) of the RERA Act requires the registration application to describe “the proposed facilities to be provided”. Compare the table with the brochure, row by row. If the brochure shows a gym but the K-RERA row says No, ask the builder in writing which document is correct.

Amenities row (K-RERA)	Sidvin Symmetra	Casagrand Meridian
Club House	No	Yes, area 0.0 sq m
Swimming Pool	Yes, 618.2 sq m	Yes, area 0.0 sq m
Gym	No	Yes, area 0.0 sq m
Parks	Yes, 2,422.2 sq m	No
Outdoor Sports facility	Yes, 1,157.7 sq m	Yes, area 0.0 sq m
CCTV Surveillance	No	Yes, area 0.0 sq m

Source: K-RERA project details for PRM/KA/RERA/1251/308/PR/071026/009001 and PRM/KA/RERA/1251/446/PR/181122/005482, checked 9 October 2026. An area of 0.0 gives you no size to compare. In that case, ask for the sanctioned plan sheet that shows the facility.

6.5.3 Can the builder change or drop an amenity after you book?

Not freely. Section 14(1) of the RERA Act says the builder must complete the project as per the sanctioned plans and specifications. Section 14(2) applies once the builder has disclosed the plans, specifications, amenities and common areas to you. For your own flat, the builder needs your previous consent for additions or alterations. The Act allows some minor changes, for example a change that an architect or engineer recommends on architectural or structural grounds. For the buildings or the common areas, any other change needs the previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees who booked in that building. The builder’s own units do not count. Each allottee counts once, however many flats they book. Section 12 adds a remedy for false advertising. If you paid an advance based on a false statement in an advertisement, prospectus or model flat, and you suffer a loss because of it, the builder must compensate you. If you withdraw from the project, the builder must return your entire investment with interest, plus compensation.

Change	Consent the RERA Act requires	Section
Change to the plan, specifications or fittings of your own flat	Your previous consent	14(2)(i)
Minor change on architectural or structural grounds	Architect or engineer recommendation, then declaration and intimation to you	14(2)(i) proviso
Any other change to the buildings or the common areas	Previous written consent of at least two-thirds of the allottees in that building, other than the builder	14(2)(ii)

Disputes about amenities do reach K-RERA. On 9 October 2026, the Complaints tab of one Bengaluru project page listed promoter-level complaints. Some titles allege a clubhouse relocation without buyer consent. A complaint title is the buyer’s allegation, not a finding. Before you book, open the Complaints tab and read the titles for words such as clubhouse, amenity or plan change.

6.5.4 When will the amenities be ready?

Check the dates the builder filed with K-RERA, not the brochure image. Section 19(2) of the RERA Act gives you the right to know the stage-wise schedule of completion. That schedule includes “other amenities and services as agreed” in the agreement for sale. Section 11(3)(b) makes the builder give you the schedule at booking and at the allotment letter. On a K-RERA project page, the Project Schedule table lists each work item with an estimated start date and end date. Landscape and amenity work can sit at the very end. For example, Sidvin Symmetra lists “Internal and External work including landscapes as per sanctioned drawings” from 01-01-2030 to 31-08-2031. Its proposed completion date is also 31-08-2031. So, on the filed schedule, the landscape work runs through the last 20 months of the project. If the project has phases, ask which phase holds the clubhouse and pool. Then get that date written into the agreement for sale.

Item on the Sidvin Symmetra K-RERA page	Date filed
Project start date	01-10-2026
Internal and external work including landscapes: estimated start	01-01-2030
Internal and external work including landscapes: estimated end	31-08-2031
Proposed completion date	31-08-2031

Source: K-RERA project details for PRM/KA/RERA/1251/308/PR/071026/009001, checked 9 October 2026. A filed date is the builder’s estimate. The completion date can move if K-RERA grants an extension.

6.5.5 Who runs and pays for the amenities after possession?

The builder runs the amenities until the association of allottees takes over, and then the owners pay. Section 11(4)(d) of the RERA Act makes the builder responsible “for providing and maintaining the essential services, on reasonable charges” until that takeover. Section 11(4)(e) makes the builder enable the formation of the association. If no local law sets a time, the association must be formed within three months of a majority of allottees booking. Section 11(4)(g) makes the builder pay the outgoings it collected from buyers, including maintenance charges, until it hands over physical possession. Section 17 says the builder hands over the common areas, with their documents and plans, to the association. Section 19(6) makes every allottee pay their share of maintenance charges and other charges as per the agreement. Section 19(7) adds interest for late payment. So every amenity you buy into becomes a running cost that all owners share, whether or not you use it.

Stage	Who runs the amenities	RERA Act section
Before the association takes over maintenance	The builder, on reasonable charges	11(4)(d)
Formation of the association	The builder must enable it; three months after majority booking if no local law applies	11(4)(e)
Handover	Common areas, documents and plans go to the association	17
After handover	Owners pay their share of maintenance charges, with interest if late	19(6), 19(7)
Defects reported within five years of possession	The builder fixes them within 30 days at no charge	14(3)

6.5.6 Is GST charged on apartment maintenance in Bangalore?

It depends on the amount and on who collects it. CBIC Circular No. 109/28/2019-GST, dated 22 July 2019, explains the rule for a Residential Welfare Association (RWA). Charges up to ₹7,500 a month per member, collected for goods and services in common use, are exempt. The limit was ₹5,000 before 25 January 2018. An RWA pays GST only if two conditions are both true. The charge is above ₹7,500 a month per member, and the RWA’s annual aggregate turnover is ₹20 lakh or more. The circular says that above ₹7,500, the entire amount is taxable, not only the excess. Its example applies GST at 18 percent on the full ₹9,000. The ceiling applies separately to each flat that one person owns. A large amenity package raises the monthly charge, so it can push the charge over this limit. The circular covers an RWA only. It does not deal with a builder or an agency that bills you before the RWA takes over.

RWA annual turnover	Monthly charge per member	Exempt?
More than ₹20 lakh	More than ₹7,500	No
More than ₹20 lakh	₹7,500 or less	Yes
₹20 lakh or less	More than ₹7,500	Yes
₹20 lakh or less	₹7,500 or less	Yes

Source: CBIC Circular No. 109/28/2019-GST, checked 9 October 2026. The circular is inconsistent at exactly ₹20 lakh. Its answer text says “Rs. 20 lakhs or more”, but its own table says “More than Rs. 20 lakhs”. On 1 July 2021, a single judge of the Madras High Court quashed the “entire amount” clarification in Greenwood Owners Association v. Union of India. The court held that only the amount above ₹7,500 is taxable. Unverified: secondary sources report that a Division Bench stayed that part of the order on appeal in October 2021. Sachi has not checked the appeal, so the issue is not settled. GST rates can change. Ask a tax adviser for the current position before you budget.

6.5.7 How do you judge whether an amenity is worth paying for?

Divide each amenity by the number of homes that share it, then ask whether your household will use it. The K-RERA Amenities table gives an area in square metres for each amenity marked Yes. The project description gives the number of units. Sidvin Symmetra declares 328 units, a swimming pool of 618.2 square metres and parks of 2,422.2 square metres. By Sachi’s calculation, that is about 1.9 square metres of pool and 7.4 square metres of park per home. Use the same sum to compare two shortlisted projects. A larger number per home means less crowding at peak hours, but it can also mean more upkeep per owner. Then ask three plain questions. Will someone in your home use this every week? Who else can use it, such as other phases or paying guests? What will it add to monthly maintenance? An amenity that you will not use still adds to your bill.

Sidvin Symmetra amenity (K-RERA)	Area	Area per home (328 units, Sachi’s calculation)
Swimming Pool	618.2 sq m	About 1.9 sq m
Outdoor Sports facility	1,157.7 sq m	About 3.5 sq m
Parks	2,422.2 sq m	About 7.4 sq m

Source: K-RERA project details for PRM/KA/RERA/1251/308/PR/071026/009001, checked 9 October 2026. Before you book, ask the builder for:

1. The sanctioned plan sheet that shows each amenity in the brochure.
2. The phase and the date in which each amenity will be ready.
3. An estimate of monthly maintenance, and the basis for the estimate.
4. The access rules for each amenity, including guest and booking fees.