Written By: Anil Kapilashrami, Co-founder and CEO, roofontop.com
Today, more and more people are moving from
individual single family homes into apartments.
Whether they are renting or own their own homes, the trend in Gurgaon,
Noida, and Faridabad and the overall National Capital Region (NCR) is clearly
in favour of apartment living. Why is
this the case? Below is my perspective
on the key benefits of apartment living and why we are all moving in this
direction.
Benefits of Apartment Living:
1.
Power Backup – In a place like Gurgaon,
where the power situation is extremely bad, apartments provide a huge advantage
over single family homes. 100% backup is
provided and when the power does go, the backup generators kick-in within
seconds. This is a major-major advantage
especially during the scorching summer months, which in the NCR is for a
minimum of 6-7 very long months (March – September). When you have called your friends for dinner,
you don’t have to worry whether the oven will work for that new lasagna recipe
or whether you will have ice for drinks for your guests. Also, you won’t have to walk the streets
covered in perspiration, along with your fellow bungalow owners in search of a
breeze!
And if you are
bold enough to get your own power backup infrastructure –inverter/generator/ups, you don’t have to run up and down your 2-storey house to reset the
malfunctioning unit as the power comes and goes. The trips to the petrol pump to get diesel
are no longer needed and you don’t have to worry about the hired help siphoning
off diesel or the arguments with the neighbour regarding the direction of the
exhaust fumes from your generator.
2.
Cleanliness – In a gated community the
cleanliness of the entire area is looked after by the society/RWA. There is a labour force to oversee the
regular cleaning of the area, the upkeep of the community and to ensure that
there is no trash, unkempt leaves, or dog poop in every nook and corner. We Indians tend to be fascinated with
cleanliness within our homes but unfortunately are equally fascinated with
dumping our trash right outside our homes.
This is absolutely taken care of in apartments. While you manage to keep your interiors
spotless, the hired team will ensure that the exteriors are as spotless!
3.
Security – In a single family home you
may have your own employed 24 x 7 guards and even a motion detection security
system linked to the local police station.
However, how safe are you really and how well do you sleep when
travelling out of town? Not too well,
I’m afraid. The level of security
provided by a top notch team of 75-100 guards in a gated community cannot be
matched with 1-2 self-hired guards. Each
car, visitor, and intruder will be screened, questioned, and verified before
entry and at times during exit. You can
sleep assured that you are as safe as the times will allow us to be!
4.
Maintenance – While apartment complexes
help provide external cleanliness, they also provide for upkeep of the lawns,
the planted trees, shrubs, speed breakers, and overall greenery. The roads, the drains, and the exterior of
all towers are looked after and well kempt.
Additionally, all common areas including the stairs, the elevators and
the lobby are kept clean and well maintained.
For any issues within the apartment – leakage, clogged drain, electrical
noise, etc – help is just a call away. A
uniformly dressed maintenance crew arrives within minutes to ensure that life
is back to normal and one may focus on living life and not servicing our
appliances!
In a single
family home, one must maintain a diary full of specialized support personnel –
plumber, carpenter, electrician, gardener, mason – and the list goes on and
on! And one must pay top dollar to
ensure that they attend the next emergency you will soon have!
5.
Facilities – Apartment complexes and
gated communities provide multiple facilities to their residences. From swimming pools to full-sized basketball
courts, to tennis courts, various kinds of facilities are provided. Often a club house provides indoor amenities
to include table tennis, billiards or snookers, a gym, card room, and squash
courts. Organized activities like yoga
classes, aerobics, dance classes, and tennis lessons are a major convenience
provided at your doorstep. These same
activities would cost a bomb at an independent bungalow!
6.
Celebrations – Another major advantage
of community living is the joint celebration at all major festivals. Be it Diwali, Holi, New Years, or Christmas,
the entire community celebrates jointly.
The entire area lights up and there is celebration in the air –
greetings with warm smiles, warm handshakes shared over the warmth of eggnog
and a meal. No more hunting for
celebrations and friends and family to share with – all the family needed is
within the warm walls of the gated communities we live in!
So, if you live in a gated community, continue
to enjoy the good practical life! If you
do not, please do join the party!
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