Category : For Management Committee

For Management Committee Residents

Society Security Guards & Cleaners : An Ode

Apr 22,2020 / By / No Comment

Stay Home, Stay Safe. If this is your mantra for survival through the Covid-19 crisis, then indeed you are blessed. However, that is not the fate of several individuals around us whose services have been deemed essential, either by government order or by the need of this hour. Some of these people cross our paths everyday, namely the society security guards and cleaners. 

Coronavirus or not, our society security guards and cleaners are often the heroes of our communities without the cape. Their importance is only highlighted intensely in this situation. The security guards and cleaners are the residential communities’ frontline workers in this battle against COVID-19. Everyday, in thousands of residential communities across the country, security guards and cleaners are reporting for duty.

How Are Society Security Guards And Cleaners Helping to Contain The Pandemic?

With social distancing and isolation being the norm, a lot about how apartment complexes function has changed. There is a bar on the entrance of visitors, delivery personnel and domestic staff. The security guards are in charge of making sure this barring works. It is no mean feat to ensure this barring is implemented in a community of 200+ or 500+ or 1500+ units. 

Contactless deliveries has become the new law in all housing societies. Correct receipt of all parcels, food or non food items, has become the responsibility of the security guards. It is their efficiency that is contributing to residents safely receiving their packages even at a time like this, without any confusion. Imagine the logistics security guards have to handle now when they take responsibility for implementing contactless deliveries for hundreds of families. It is also these guards, who besides their regular work of manning the gates, are ensuring all packages are received by the residents properly. A 1500+ units community in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal is using it’s society security force as internal volunteers to assist senior citizens of the community. The force has risen high beyond their call of duty. 

Another 300+ units apartment complex in Caranzalem, Goa rely on their security force to coordinate the delivery vans coming to the community with essential goods for the residents. They are working 24*7 for our safety, our convenience. 

What About The Cleaners?

Imagine what if your community housekeeping staff decided to not come for work for safety concerns? The strict isolation and no-visitor policy will save you from COVID-19, but the piling garbage and the general lack of cleanliness will only lead to other problems – spread of bacterial or fungal infection, rampant movement of rodents and insects are a few things that come to mind. The cleaners today have become as much part of society security as the guards who patrol our premises.

All communities across the country have equipped security guards and cleaners with proper masks, gloves and aprons for their individual safety. A 3000+ units society in Bangalore has even arranged for the housekeeping staff to go through a complete medicated disinfection process after they are done with their work for the day. 

We, at ADDA, take this opportunity to cheer for the unsung heroes of COVID-19 – our beloved society security guards and cleaners. They have shown us the true spirit of our motto to Rise High. We congratulate them for their sincere service to keep us safe in these unpredictable times. 

Here is the link of a certificate we designed to show our gratitude to the community staff without whom we couldn’t have fought this battle so well. Please feel free to download it, fill up the gaps and present it to our foot soldiers to bring a smile on their face. 

Society Security And Cleaners Appreciation Certificate

Capture Of Appreciation Certificate

 

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For Management Committee Residents

Haste Makes Waste – Redefining Apartment Security with IT

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

Security is no minor necessity with rising crime everywhere. With cities and towns witnessing a massive population influx every single day of the year, all rounded security is the need of the hour. The bulk of the urban population are starting to depend on apartment complexes, housing societies and gated communities for their housing needs. The reason for this shift towards apartment living is twofold – affordable housing and increased security for themselves as well as their family. Apartment security system, therefore, has no scope to compromise on the hundreds and thousands of residents who consider such communities as their home, as their safe space.

Gatekeeper

What Is All Rounded Security?

Before a community decides on investing in security services and devices, an important question to answer is – what exactly do we mean by security? Is security only about protection from untoward events? Or does it also comprise prevention of untoward events? Does it also include proper mitigation protocols in case of an unfortunate incident?

All rounded security has three major steps – Prevention, Protection and Palliation. Apartment security system must remember all three Ps while setting up an efficient security system.

A security solution should be able to prevent any mishaps. Such a solution should also be able to protect in case something goes wrong. The same solution must be capable of mitigating the damage caused if an emergency arises. Achieving such all rounded benefits from a security solution is possible only when humans and technology work together with a single objective in mind – safety of the people they are responsible for.

Prevention

“Prevention is better than cure” – we have all grown up hearing the adage. Apartment security system is no exception to this rule. Gated communities these days have several entry as well as exit points surrounding the premises. In some cases, the residential section of the community has to share space with the commercial section like office complex or malls. As a result, some gates remain open to the public. Securing all these gates, irrespective of their location, are of utmost importance. Multi level visitor verification and check in increases the scope of safety in such cases. This work is made easier and faster with security software.

There is no replacement of the human instinct in sensing danger. However, information technology goes a long mile to support the human instinct and provide faster resolution and greater efficiency. Apartment security system must put an enormous focus on verification of every single visitor who walks in and walks out of its gates. This process must never be hasty. Saving 30 seconds of time on visitor verification makes no sense if the stake is compromising the lives of children, senior citizens, women and men. Having a strong verification procedure at gates discourage foul play.

Manual verification can be tedious. Visitor management software help to screen visitors faster. Their personal details like name, phone number, photographs, vehicle numbers are recorded and a notification instantly shot to the residents they have come to visit. The resident decides whether or not to entertain a visitor without going through irritating phone calls. Not just that! A digital verification process helps the apartment security system to keep a record of the data of visitors in a digital cloud, accessible from anywhere. Therefore, the security personnel can always keep an eye out for individuals who are not welcome in the premises.

Protection

Sometimes, even the most hawk eyed monitoring by an apartment security system might fail to stop or prevent an emergency situation. In such a case, the system must be equipped with protection. One of the most important aspects of protection is to ensure avoiding repetition. This is possible if an instant incident report is made while the events are still unfolding or still fresh in the memory. Security software provide options to instantly click and save picture on spot with the option to record your statement of the event. This helps in investigations which further contribute to ensure unfortunate incidents are not repeated. Apartment security system records access of every individual who walks in the community premise which in turn makes it easy to track someone when necessary.

Such security software also come packed with emergency alerts that can immediately send SoS messages to chosen contacts. The availability of outside help at such high tension moments is one of the best form of protection one can receive. One may question if these software can help in an emergency situation, when panic is the order of the day. The answer is a resounding yes. The user just has to remember they have something within the grasp of their palms that can protect them from adversity.

In addition to this, as a community practice fire escape drills regularly. Organise regular workshops on self defense and spotting signs that might hint at a security breach.

Palliation

An apartment security system is incomplete without the system of palliation in place. An adverse situation gets worse if there are no systems in place to mitigate the effect of untoward incidents. Emergency alert is again helpful to control the impact of an accident or any security breach in the community. A very small example would be the situation of senior citizens residing alone in gated communities – they are vulnerable to sudden sickness or accidents within their own apartment units; the presence of an emergency alert on their smart phone can help them to ask for instant help, thereby mitigating the impact of the mishap.

Apartment security system do not just offer visitor verification or incident investigation and emergency alerts. They also offer services like parcel management which allows the delivery executives to leave the parcels at gate when no one is at home to receive, thereby taking measures to stop home intrusion as much as possible.

An ideal apartment security system is an integrated system of biometric devices, security cameras. There should be eyes in every corner of the community to ensure absolute safety for each and every resident of the community.

If you are interested in opting for an apartment security solution capable of integrating with all security hardware and create an ambience of safety for your community, you have come to the right place. Contact us today to schedule a demo.

You may also like to check GateKeeper: The Journey from a Visitor Management System to a Comprehensive Security Management System

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For Management Committee Residents

Snakes and Apartment Safety: Prevention & Tips

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

Gatekeeper Security

Every living being, humans, plants, animals have equal rights to the resources on this planet. However, it will be foolhardy to not be conscious of threats certain animals pose to the human populace, and take sustainable measures to deal with this law of nature.

With the advent of the monsoons, snakes are a common sight everywhere. Apartment complexes provide a safe alternative to their natural habitat. However, by following a few simple steps, apartment management committees can deal with this issue sustainably without compromising on Apartment Safety.

Precautions apartment management committees can take to avoid snake nesting

  1. Discourage planting low dense shrubs in common area. Such vegetation are used as nesting grounds for snakes.
  2. Encourage regular checks of nooks and corners, gardens to ensure there are no nesting grounds. Clean common areas regularly with bleach and carbolic acid. Mow the gardens regularly to create low frequency vibrations on the ground to deter snakes from nesting underground.
  3. Keep pest infestation at minimum. Snakes prey on rodents, lower reptiles, like lizards and insects. Higher the rodent, reptile and insect population, higher the chances of attracting snakes.
  4. Keep local wildlife office contacts handy. On spotting a snake, immediately inform concerned officials who are trained and equipped to remove the snakes.
  5. Do NOT engage with snakes without proper training.

What To Do If You Are Bitten By A Snake?

  • Seek medical attention as quickly as possible.
  • Apply first aid treatment:
    • Remove any jewelry or watches, as these could cut into the skin if swelling occurs, quickening the venom spread in the bloodstream.
    • Keep the area of the bite below the level of the heart in order to slow the spread of venom through the bloodstream.
    • Remain still and calm. Moving around will make venom spread faster through the body. Do not remove any clothes since it will only lead to unnecessary movements.
    • Clean the bite wound after bleeding stops with a wet sterilised cloth or cotton and soap. Try to avoid running water on the wound until medical assistance arrives. Be sure to wipe in the direction away from the wound.
    • The main goal is to administer the correct antivenom as soon as possible. Knowing the size, color and shape of the snake can help Preventions determine the best treatment for a particular bite.
    • Monospecific antivenoms treat the bite of a specific type of snake, while polyspecific antivenoms can treat bites from a number of snakes found in a particular geographic region. Therefore, mentioning the region where the snake bite has occurred is mandatory.

What Not To Do In The Event of A Snake Bite?

  • Don’t apply ice on the snake bite as the ice may block blood circulation.
  • Don’t suck the blood out with your mouth (germs in the mouth may cause infection in the bite wound) and you may be also exposing yourself to the venom.
  • Do not tourniquet any spot around the bite wound. Rather, use splints and bandages to support and tie areas lightly around bite wounds to decrease movement.
  • Don’t attempt to cut the wound.
  • Don’t attempt to guess whether the snake was venomous or not, based on its physical characteristics.

Prevention Is Always Better Than Cure

Snake bite is one of the most underrated causes of accidental deaths in India. The number of deaths due to snake bite, peaks in the monsoon months of June to September. While rural areas bear the brunt of the bulk of these deaths, urban areas are not spared of this unfortunate situation. However, apartment complexes have the necessary resources to ensure the prevention of snake bite related accidents. Let small workshops and seminars be conducted on weekends making residents aware of prevention measures as well as first aid measures. Posters demonstrating the do’s and don’ts in the event of snake bites can be put up on notice boards. Let every resident have access to numbers of the local wildlife boards.

We have technology and modern amenities on our side. A little advance preparation can go a long way to deal with the problem of snakes and snake bites in a sustainable manner while protecting both the animals and humans.

Snake Bite Poster

Download this Poster

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For Management Committee Residents

GateKeeper in Dubai – Modern City Problems Require Modern Solutions

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

GateKeeper-in-Dubai

Dubai has been witnessing a steady drop in crime rates, making it one of the safest cities in the world. The occurrences are low enough to give a feeling of security. Thefts, burglary, break-ins are not a daily affair in Dubai. The Emirate’s strict laws of the land, well trained and well equipped police force, threat of deportation act as excellent deterrent for crimes. Perhaps, that has led to gated communities in Dubai to rely on traditional methods. They are still maintaining visitor ledgers or Excel sheets, instead of switching over to a transparent, modern, accessible digitized visitor management system. However, the traditional method has glaring security faults. Danger being unpredictable, it is always wise to be safe than sorry.

Manual record keeping has several downsides. It may seem like a good idea during the initial days when an apartment community is just starting to settle down. Setting up a wholly manual record keeping system barely costs anything. Thus, it is the preferred choice among community managers and owners association to keep a track of who or what or when someone has access to the apartment complexes. Nevertheless, as apartments start filling up and townships start witnessing more flow of people through the gates, it requires more than a long ledger and Excel sheets to manage gates smoothly.

The Problem Of Too Many

There is more to visitors’ registers than buying and filling them up. Ledgers have to be maintained and stored. They are after all security documents and might be necessary at any time. So the obvious question arises. Where are these ledgers going to be kept, after they are filled up? In cabinets and cupboards, of course. However, ledgers fill up fast. The bigger the apartment complex, the quicker it fills. Naturally, more and more registers are needed. Soon, storing them becomes an issue. Ledgers need a lot of space and space is never easily available. After a point of time, keeping ledgers become impractical majorly due to storage issue.

One can argue, registers are being replaced with Excel sheets thereby digitalizing and cutting down the problem of storing them and misusing space. While Excel sheets are a step forward, it also fails to solve a number of issues. The most important being inability to be quick. Manually entering names and purpose of visit in the Excel sheets is not as easy as it sounds. It often creates queues and hectic visitor management system. It fails to resolve the problem of listing daily visitors, avoiding a repeated entry everyday. The format of the Excel sheet, in the long run, gets unwieldy to tackle, defeating the entire purpose of doing away with ledgers.

Apps like the ADDA Gatekeeper makes gate security paperless. Just a smartphone or a tablet or a PC is enough to ensure meticulous tracking of all visitors, staff and delivery personnel, while not producing clutter.

Visitor Registers Need A Fort

Both ledgers and Excel sheets have another basic drawback. This snag has potential to turn into a disaster. Records kept in ledgers and Excel sheets can be easily damaged, misplaced or compromised. At first glance, this does not appear to be a big deal. However, this is a major security breach. Encouraging or ignoring this possibility puts the apartment community members at risk. One never knows when these records might be needed in the event of a mishap. While discussing this point, may we mention, it is laborious to organise and categorise ledgers and sheets properly. As a result, it gets difficult to retrieve them when needed.

Ledgers and Excel sheets are not immutable. They can easily be changed on purpose or accidentally. Security apps to manage gates, visitor management are more compact and safe for a city like Dubai. Designed by teams of dedicated engineers, security apps like ADDA Gatekeeper, are designed to provide safety with practically zero hassle. Information is stored such that their integrity is protected. They are not shared with anybody and everybody. During times of necessity, information can be easily procured from the database without annoyance and irritation. Since the app has been designed by experts in their field, data entry, data collection are not time consuming. They are concise and quick.

Visitor Management System

Managing visitors is crucial. Now that we are busy and our schedules have a degree of unpredictability, it helps to inform about expected visitors. A verbal intimation to the guards at the gates is not enough. It is presumptuous to expect they will remember amidst so many duties. The ADDA Gatekeeper app helps to notify the guards of any visitor the residents are expecting. They can always call to confirm visitors’ entry based on phone numbers set by residents on the app. They can also keep a tab on regular visitors like household and complex staff, nannies, delivery persons who might be visiting the apartment daily.

We are a generation who shops online and depend online for a lot of our needs and desires. Therefore, we receive parcels often. Sometimes, these parcels are scheduled to be delivered during hours when no one is available to receive them in person. ADDA Gatekeeper helps to inform the gate personnel of any parcel that is expected and they can simply keep it with themselves till one can collect it at their convenience.

The Ghost of Multiplying Expenditure

Ledgers and Excel sheets might seem low cost initially. However, their cumulative expense in the long run is high, considering they are majorly flawed. Ledgers and Excel sheets do not help to monitor visitors in real time. Gatekeeper does. It can track if delivery persons, cab drivers, staff members are overstaying or not. It also helps to check pilferaging and might even help to stop petty thefts by issuing gift passes to individuals who walk out with possessions from the apartment. With manual methods, the efficiency depends a lot on the human factor. It is not easy-breezy to trick an app. It takes care of loopholes, can be modified to requirements and helps deliver the kind of security a gated community with state of the art features deserve.

Security is an immense duty. It cannot be left entirely to the judgement of humans prone to fallacies. It demands the extra edge of precision which nothing other than technology can provide. Gatekeeper was not built with the objective to replace humans; it was envisioned with the motivation to empower the security personnel who have taken upon their shoulders to protect the common people on a daily basis.

Also, read Gated Communities – The Future of Affordable Housing.

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For Management Committee Residents

ApartmentADDA is Rebranded to just ADDA!

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

“Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts”, Arnold Bennett.

That said, our jolly old apartmentadda.com is now redirected to our new website adda.io as a part of this Rebranding. Don’t worry! We are your same old ApartmentADDA – just rebranded!

Advantages of the Rebranded ADDA:

  1. It is GLOBAL! Over the last 10 years, ADDA has grown by leaps and bounds with Worldwide operations and Offices across India, Dubai & Singapore.
  2. The new website is faster and more user-friendly.
  3. It’s just waaaaaaay cooler and totally awesome! Just like Anne Hathaway was in The Dark Knight Rises as Catwoman.

Wait! ….. What?! You were looking for an actual story? 😀

We proudly welcome you to the improved and rebranded ADDA.

Please don’t forget to Contact Us and raise a Support Ticket in case of any problems – our Support Ninjas will dive into your assistance immediately.

Read the full Press Release from ADDA

Press-Release

Press Release

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For Management Committee Residents

Safety of Children in Apartments- Common Area Electric Issues

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

We are inexpressibly saddened by the accident that happened in an Apartment Community recently where a 6 year old boy got electrocuted.

The little one was playing in the common area, the most common sight in the evenings in every gated community. While retrieving a ball he touched a lamp post which apparently was short-circuited.

The loss of the life is irreparable for the parents, we can hardly imagine the state of the mind when such a thing happens in one of the safest places they have chosen to be – a gated community.

However, there are risks of such electrocution in many gated communities. Common Area Lighting, Decoration lights during festivals, all such electricity usages that are kept openly accessible in common area (and hence to children) must be heavily safeguarded and periodically audited.

We must look inward – what is in our control – and ensure not another child or adult falls in such high-risk deathtrap. Here is a picture of the garden lamps in the author’s own community. Very easily accessible by children.

GateKeeper Children Safety

WHAT CAN I CHECK FOR IN MY GATED COMMUNITY

Here are some tips regards to this incident we can come up with. Please share any you may have.

1) In common areas, wall mount lighting instead of mounting them on iron poles.

2) If poles are unavoidable create an insulating barrier around the poll – made of fibre/wood or other insulators.

3) Enforce safety standards for Decorational lighting during community events – most carelessness happens in this area in the rush of festive preparations.

4) Perform a weekly audit of all such electrical equipment out in the open in the common area, check for proper wiring and insulation best practices (e.g., in older communities common area lamp posts do not have switches. Instead, they have wires that have to be connected and disconnected each time – keeping open high risks of a stray strand of wire coming in touch with the pole. )

RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL RESIDENTS

Found a hanging cable or open electric point? Snap a picture on the ADDA app > Helpdesk, do your duty to report.

Each Resident is the eye and ear of the maintenance team. A living community is one of the most complex infrastructures, maintained with constrained resources. A community that takes responsibility to be the ear and eye of the Maintenance Team can mitigate such Safety Risks.

GENERIC TIPS TO AVOID SUCH FUTURE INCIDENTS

Common area electrical installations exposed to the public are considered for review as under

  1. Test ELR ( Earth Leakage Relay) periodically in the electric panel.
  2. Individual light poles erected to be in touch with the ground to enable tripping of ELR
  3. Avoid lose wiring
  4. Tightening screws of the MCB connected to electric poles
  5. Ensure external electrical panels are covered and locked always.
  6. Waterproofing tapes to be used for external wiring connections.
  7. Armored cables are to be used While laying cable in soil/garden
  8. Armour portion of Armoured cable should be in contact with the panel.
  9. Gardeners should be educated about the cables laid in the garden area.
  10. Vegetation growth around the electrical panel and poles should be cleaned.

The above-mentioned pointers are courtesy of Mr. Vinod KC (Brigade Group)

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For Management Committee Residents

Apartment Security App, ADDA Gatekeeper in PC (using browser)

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

Now use the Apartment Security App, ADDA GateKeeper using the device of your choice! It’s the era of device independence!

Introducing the all new ADDA Gatekeeper App in Web.

GateKeeper PC

Why is having Apartment Security App, ADDA GateKeeper on Browser a big deal?

This is mainly because of 2 reasons:

1. Every Residential Community typically has a unique Security Setup: Security Gate design, number of entry/exit gates, etc. Ability to use ADDA GateKeeper on a PC, helps in setting up the Security Model as per your unique requirements.

Example: A centralized security system running in a desktop, paired with multiple Android devices working around it, between which data sync happens seamlessly.

2. Having a robust device is the core to having a robust Security Infrastructure. If you have a dedicated Security Cabin, with good amount of visitor traffic at the Gate, having a dedicated PC, is a long term solution for having visitor management online.

Contact our expert Security Consulting group in case you need help with designing/re-thinking your Security Infrastructure.

About the Apartment Security App, ADDA GateKeeper:

The ADDA Gatekeeper App is the perfect solution for visitor management, which brings the security gate online. It manages all the entries and exits at the gate. One can get notified, whenever a visitor/staff visits their apartment. Also, approve or deny a visitor, with just a tap of a finger in the Apartment Security App.

Talk to our Product Specialist

The Gatekeeper app  has various useful features. Whenever a visitor is at the gate, the security guard can capture and verify the details of the visitor. Verification can be done either by app notification, intercom or by phone call. The app has different sections for entry and exit records of visitors. Also, one can keep track of all the staff and maintain their attendance records.

The Gatekeeper App in Web fully resonates the Gatekeeper App with all the functionalities.

Here are the salient features released as a part of the new Gatekeeper App in Web:

  • Ability to capture and verify visitor details at the Gate
  • Sending real time notifications on visitors to residents and getting their approval/denial through App notifications
  • Integration with Bluetooth Gate Pass Printers.
  • Integration with bio metric devices to keep records of staff attendance

and much more….

So what are you waiting for?

Get in touch with us and we will help you setup your own custom security infrastructure.

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For Management Committee

4 Reasons to Gift ADDA The Apartment SuperApp to Your Community in 2020

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment

ADDA, The Apartment SuperApp comes fully loaded with awesome-possum features like Communication, Billing & Online Collection, complete Accounting, Helpdesk & Facility Management, and Visitor Management & Security.

Gift-ADDA-apartment-superapp-commiunity-2020

But you already know all that, don’t you?!

So, what the other reasons why one does not simply miss out having ADDA in their Apartment Community?

UPI Payments Gateway Integration

ADDA is India’s only Apartment Management Platform which offers UPI Payments Gateway for collecting Maintenance, Facility Booking, Sinking Fund, and any other dues payable to the Society Association. Thanks to NPCI and our Gateway partners, we were able to implement it and take a step forward to Cashless Communities.

What more is that the Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) is ZERO irrespective of the amount value.

How does it help the residents?

Residents now can pay via the quickest online transfer mode and forget the hassles of OTPs and netbanking credentials. The best part is Residents can now earn Cashback on maintenance and other payments by paying via Apps such as Paytm, PhonePe, GooglePay, and BHIM. There is no additional charge if your Association is absorbing the MDR for payments over Rs.2000.

ADDA Gatekeeper for Apartment Community Desktop version

Tablets and phones always have a way of getting lost, even more with changing hands! Especially if the security personnel in your Apartment Gate keeps changing. Not to mention that the tabs and phones are quite expensive, so losing them incurs a loss for the Apartment Association!

To solve this issue, we have slightly modified our Gatekeeper App to support on Desktop computers and the only one in India to have such a feature. The desktop version not only offers faster access to visitor entry because of ease of operation for Gate Security personnel but also security, as it generally seen that desktop computers don’t have the habit of getting lost easily!

Click here to check out the major features in ADDA Gatekeeper

Global Best Practices in Apartment Community Management

ADDA is fully compliant with Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) across multiple countries.

What is RERA?

RERA is a regulatory body that enforces a set of guidelines bought by the government to prohibit discrepancies in the real estate industry. Therefore making it more transparent and accountable in favor of home buyers. Read more about RERA here.

ADDA’s Accounting module also fully compatible with account and audit patterns for multiple countries. It offers End to end Accounting from defining a chart of accounts to the generation of final balance sheet and audit. No matter how complicated your accounting is, our module it foolproof.

Battle-hardened Track Record of 10 Years in Community Management

Been there, done that!

ADDA has come a long, long way from starting in 2008. With Research and Development for over 5 years and evolving, ADDA is the most advanced and only Apartment Management System in the world which covers all the aspects for Residents, for Owners’s Associations, and also for Builders/Property Managers.

ADDA, used by 1.2 million users and 20,000+ associations managed worldwide offers full 360 degrees of service including ERP and Security Solutions. We are proud to say that, it’s the only platform you’ll ever need to manage your community/property, hassle-free and seamlessly from anywhere on earth.

The new year also means new resolutions, so strap in and contact us for the smoothest ride in Society Management and Gift ADDA to your Apartment Community today!

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For Management Committee

Conventional Security Systems v/s Modern Security Systems in Apartment Complexes

Dec 18,2019 / By / No Comment
GateKeeper

What comes to your mind when you think of a gated community by a prominent builder? Acres of manicured lawns, gardens, happy families, state of the art amenities, pools, people leisurely strolling around and job opportunities for maids and the likes. Pretty much sums it up, right? Ever wondered what comes to the mind of someone with a sinister agenda at the mention of apartment complexes – cars, personal belongings, valuables, countless gadgets, many opportunities for crime and petty theft and much worse.

Pardon us for opening the article on a scary note. But if you give thought to just how much can be stolen or how much damage can be caused inside an apartment complex by one guy with a bad agenda, you’ll realise the need for tight security. Thankfully, for residents’ associations are strict about having security protocols and personnel in place. But unfortunately, in some residents, the system is just not strong enough to hold up against some perpetrators. And some housing societies have guards and CCTVs are just there because it is customary of all gated communities to have them. Such systems sometimes are merely functioning and until it is too late, associations do not realise just how incompetent their security was.

Conventional Security Systems Are Obsolete & Outdated

Let’s discuss about security measures inside apartment complexes. Here’s what they are comprised of –

  • A band of security guards distributed around the premises, exit/entry gates, clubhouses and other active spots
  • A CCTV circuit with cameras in every block, clubhouse, kids park and lanes
  • A record keeping system which is usually a ledger or similar physical entity typically used at the gate.

And that’s pretty much it! Do you realize that all of this cannot do much at preventing crimes? They may discourage crimes to a certain extent but once a crime is happening, not much can be done about it other than merely documenting it.

Here’s why –

  • Security guards are, at the end of the day, humans. They are prone to error. At the gates, some days have a surge of guests. Entering the details, verifying their identities, allotting parking spots for them etc are time-consuming. This could overwhelm them and they will start speeding up everything increasing chances of sloppy records.
  • Manually entering each visitors details is not just time-consuming. It also creates a rather long queue at the gate which could extend well into the main road disrupting traffic there. And this is something that annoys the visitors easily. Nobody wants to spend several minutes waiting for their turn.
  • While CCTVs are vital in any security system, they also need someone to constantly analyse the visuals they are broadcasting. Until there is human intelligence to decipher the visuals and act upon them if needed, CCTVs will merely capture videos of crimes and hazards. They deter crime, but rarely ever stop or even intercept them.
  • Physical ledgers, books etc kept at the gates can be really bad materials to aid in any investigation if the occasion calls for it. Guards may not have legible handwriting, they could accidentally enter incorrect details, the visitor could provide them details that are false. And such records are easily destroyed within seconds. Water could spill on them, someone could intentionally steal them, burn them or even tear pages out to cover their tracks.
  • Maintaining staff attendance is another big part of running a society. But such attendance books are so easy to fool, Maid 1 could sign for maid 2 because they are friends. When someone goes back to the records to calculate pay based on days worked, this could be bad. Such records play a big role in identifying the culprits behind crimes. And if they are easy to manipulate, they will be of no help during an investigation.
  • If a worker was previously removed from the premises for bad conduct, physical measures will do nothing at preventing his return a few years later. The security guards present at the time of him being expelled could no longer be working in the compound. People may fail at identifying that he was the blacklisted employee from a few years back. We’re sure we don’t have to elaborate on what entails if such a person returns.
  • Visitors who checked in could stay hidden inside the premises and wreak havoc later. If physical ledgers are your only means of recording visitors, they could enter their sign in the timeout column as well while checking in. At the end of the day, when the guard checks the register, he’ll think that everyone has indeed checked out.

We could go on all day about why conventional systems are no longer strong enough to hold fort against anyone with a mind to sneak in and cause harm. Despite this, many apartment complexes continue to stick to outdated measures such as the ones mentioned above.

Associations often hire a band of guards from agencies that provide security personnel. The MCs expect them to have all the training required for the job and rarely provide any training related to their apartment specific needs. Needless to say, this leaves the guards on their own to use whatever limited training they have to guard an entire community with thousands of residents.

Why does this happen? Why do communities get lax about something as vital as security? Simple – it is convenient. It is convenient to pretend that you’ve done everything right until a mishap takes place. But the price you pay for convenience is quite high. Which is why those who are serious about security use a combination of human intelligence and software solutions to put up a near next to unbreachable security.

ADDA GateKeeper: Keeping Crime At Bay, One Apartment At A Time

Software solutions have numerous benefits over conventional manual security measures. They are less prone to error, they work round the clock, are easy to update/upgrade and are tougher to tamper with. Here are some of the features that the Gatekeeper app offers.

  • ADDA Gatekeeper subscription includes two tablets that the guards would be trained to use. Using this, visitor details, photo capture, attendance records etc can be digitally saved and stored for future use.
  • Gatekeeper alerts you when a visitor has checked in and has not exited premises even after a considerable length of time. Helps immensely in locating any visitor who is still lurking around.
  • Biometric parameters will be used to capture staff attendance. That would be very difficult to fake or impersonate. Fingerprints of staff and domestic helpers can be recorded so even if someone gets blacklisted, saved biometric parameters can help the security guards identify them should they try to enter the premises once again.
  • Digitally stored records are difficult to tamper with. Such records can be accessed by guards and MCs everyday to check for activity within the society.
  • The ADDA Gatekeeper app comes with an in-built panic alert button for medical and non-medical emergencies. The button can be used to alert personnel at the gates and a safety contact of your choice to come rushing to you. In your situation allows it, you can even enter nature of emergency so that first responders can come prepared to handle your emergency.
  • The Gatekeeper app can be used to keep track of move in/move out of tenants. Otherwise, you might be clueless about people who move out and still access amenities.
  • The app will also help you make sure that drinking water tankers are actually emptied by checking tank parameters.
  • Gatekeeper allows residents to create digital invites that can be shared with guests they are expecting. The guests can then show this at the gate to avoid long queues and procedures to check into the society.

Talk to our Product Specialist

The app packs a very powerful punch and is used by hundreds of apartment complexes within the nation. At ADDA, we understand the dangers of having an incompetent security system which is why we work around the clock to ensure that the Gatekeeper app does everything required to deter, prevent and stop crimes.

Remember, the price you pay for choosing what is convenient over what is effective is way too high. This is a matter that concerns the safety of hundreds of residents who pay you maintenance dues for security and other features. So be wise about your decisions.

Want to check us out? Click here to schedule a demo. We would love to help you out.

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For Management Committee

Rise High Stories: Waste Management

Aug 29,2018 / By / No Comment
RHA

We know that many of you have been looking forward to hear the stories of the outstanding initiatives that have been taken by our Winners. So, we have decided to publish the stories from all the categories starting with Waste Management as our first story. Hope you like them!

Category: Waste Management

Winners: Whispering Palms Xxclusive, Mumbai & Matoshree’s Pearl CHS Ltd, Mumbai

Whispering Palms Xxclusive is a 322 units community with around 1200 residents and 300+ staffs – around 470 kg of waste is generated per day. The residents were tired of the overflowing landfills, soil contamination and health hazards. Finally the community came together looking for solutions.

There are four important stages involved in the total waste management :

  1. Segregate waste
  2. Composting wet waste
  3. Dry waste management
  4. Reduction of waste generation

One major reason behind this success story is the involvement of the residents in the initiative. From creating segregation policies, spreading awareness, educating and most importantly monitoring, reinforcing the segregation, the whole community including the children played a part in it. They Adapted Bangalore’s 2bin1bag model to suit the apartment, each household were given 2 buckets and 1 reusable bag. They turned the initiative into fun activities among the community by painting the waste drums and assigning duties to the student volunteers.

E-waste, Medical waste and Broken glass (Sharps/Expired medicines) were deposited at an assigned place / handed over separately.

Steps involved in wet waste management were : Identifying types of compostable waste, estimating daily quantity, evaluating suitable composting methods and implementing the same. Cement tanks were constructed for composting, metal mesh cylinders for leaf collection and composting. Pots provided to dispose off Pooja flowers. Shredder machines to reduce size of waste (leaves, twigs,wet waste). Total investment was approximately Rs 3.6 lakhs (including building tanks, shed, shredders, tools and implements). Two additional housekeeping staff were hired to facilitate the waste management related work.

For the dry waste, firstly they categorised it, identified vendors and for some categories, they even partnered with neighboring communities to reduce the cost. And all the reject wastes are given to BMC for disposal.

And, the impacts of all these??

  • At 295 kg per day, the society generates almost 9,000 kg of wet waste every month. Since starting composting in January 2018, they have converted approximately 40,000 kg of wet waste into compost (the starting handling capacity was 200 kg/day which has been enhanced) – and saved this from getting dumped in landfills
  • Compost generated (approx. 900 kg per month) is used in the extensive gardens of the society, saving on the manure costs that were being incurred. It is also sold to residents and people in the neighbourhood at Rs 10-20/kg
  • Sale of approx. 1,200 kg of dry waste per month, generates an average of Rs 10,000. While half is retained by the society for the waste management project, half is distributed among the housekeeping staff as incentive
  • Over 10,000 Tetra Paks have been given to RUR for recycling. The society has received a certificate of appreciation from RUR, and also a collection bin and bench made of recycled Tetra Paks.
  • Two truck loads of plastic waste (bags and other plastic waste not accepted by raddiwalas) have been sent to Urja Foundation. In addition to our society’s plastic waste, waste from individuals of neighbouring societies has also been sent. This will be converted into fuel and road plastic.

And many more…

The community receives frequent calls for advice on waste management.

Also, societies in the neighbourhood are trying to replicate the system we have put in place.

 

At the same time, Matoshree’s Pearl CHS Ltd, Mumbai, a 65 units residential community is a living example of sustainable living in an urban setup.

With the decentralised waste management system, the society manages to divert 1-1.2 tonnes of waste from the landfills. The Project was flagged off on the auspicious occasion of Swachh Bharat Mission on October 2nd 2017.


The residents of Matoshree’s Pearl showed extensive support for installation of waste management project in their premise. Multiple workshops were conducted for housekeeping staff, domestic helps and residents to sensitize them to carry out segregation at source.

Segregation at source forms the base of waste management pyramid. An effective segregation at source ensures 50% of successful waste management. Through various modules, sessions and discussions, an effective strategy of 3 bin segregation at source was installed – the waste was segregated into Biodegradable kitchen waste which was collected in biodegradable bags, the dry recyclable waste was collected in crates without any bags, while the trash component was collected separately, which was the only component being disposed to the BMC trucks.

The biodegradable kitchen waste was managed using RURs GreenGold Aerobic bio composter which replicates the nature’s way of recycling and requires Zero electricity input incurring low maintenance costs.The optimal balance of Air-Temperature-Moisture ensures naturally accelerated and odourless composting process. Most importantly it is a fully enclosed system making it pest/rodent resistant.

 

Four medium sized composter units were installed on the terrace under the water tank. The secondary segregation and the composting process happen on the terrace and GreenGold compost is generated in a span of 45 days. Finally, the ready compost is mixed with equal quantity of soil and used as potting mix to grow organic vegetables like palak, methi, mint, bhindi, cucumber, bottle gourd, tomatoes, chillies etc. Fruits such as pomegranate, guava, banana are also grown on the terrace successfully using home grown organic compost.


Matoshree’s Pearl, has an excellent system to divert dry waste from the landfills. The dry recyclables are collectively accumulated from the households and then segregated at source into 7 bins viz paper, thick plastic, cardboard, metal, thin plastic, glass bottles, Tetra Pak cartons and electronic waste. Each category of waste is kept clean and flattened so as to minimize the space required for storage. The dry waste is then auctioned to the responsible recyclers who then collect it monthly as the segregated dry waste are of value. The empty Tetra Pak cartons including the straw and plastic caps are collected separately and deposited to nearest Sahakari Bhandar outlet which is then sent for recycling into garden benches and school desks. The revenue generated during the auction of the dry recyclables is used to support the waste management project, by incentivizing the staff dedicatedly working for greener tomorrow.

The residents carry cloth bags for their regular shopping. Additionally, they encourage members to practice responsible consumerism and consciously buy products with less packaging materials, and product with packaging materials of higher recyclability. Moreover, they are also motivated to slowly phase out bin liners to reduce plastic waste production. Some of them use newspaper liners while others have removed the liners altogether. They also divert the dry leaves from the neighboring societies into composting saving them from going to the landfills.

The society has made a conscious effort to educate their children to be responsible eco-citizen and understand the consequences of irresponsible waste dumping. The kids are involved in the terrace gardening and composting activity which keeps them connected to nature.

ADDA Neighborhoods of Tomorrow is a platform where extraordinary initiatives like these are going to be recognised and shared. Follow this space for more stories like these!

Be there at the event on 8th of September to hear the story from the creators themselves!!

Register yourself at adda.io/not

 

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