Legitimate request
This refers to the petition from many residents living in apartment buildings in the Vinh urban area. They wish to participate in discussions and reach a consensus on raising the price of apartment building management and operation services, instead of allowing developers or apartment management boards to make decisions arbitrarily.
Nhat Lan |Design:Huu QuanAugust 23, 2026
This refers to the petition from many residents living in apartment buildings in the Vinh urban area. They wish to participate in discussions and reach a consensus on raising the price of apartment building management and operation services, instead of allowing developers or apartment management boards to make decisions arbitrarily.
According to the television report "Urban residents' concerns about rising apartment service fees" by Nghe An Newspaper and Radio and Television, in recent times, the price of apartment management and operation services in Thanh Vinh and Truong Vinh wards... has increased dramatically by 20 to 40%.
In the news report, residents of the apartment complex, when interviewed, clearly expressed their dissatisfaction with the developer (or the Management Board) for disregarding resident consultation and unilaterally deciding to increase service fees. As Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen, who has lived in the apartment for 15 years, said: "For now, the price should remain at 4,000 VND/m²."2Instead, it increased to 5,000 VND/m2"This will raise many questions. If they want to increase prices, they need to hold a meeting of the apartment residents, consult with many people, and come up with a reasonable price range that everyone accepts. Leaving the Management Board to decide on the service price increase on its own is unacceptable..."
The television report "Urban residents' concerns about rising apartment service fees," after being broadcast, attracted considerable attention and was shared by many Facebook accounts. They found this information strange, believing that the developer was "playing both sides," and that "transparency in collecting and disbursing service fees in apartment buildings is necessary."
I don't live in an apartment building, but I know that there are many community facilities such as: cultural centers, sports fields, escalators, walking paths, green spaces, street lighting, security... Obviously, to manage and operate these facilities smoothly, funding is always needed, and households and individuals living in apartment buildings have a responsibility to contribute.
However, in my opinion, increasing the contribution for apartment building management and operation services must comply with several points:The first,It must be within the framework of state regulations;Monday,There needs to be exchange and agreement between the relevant parties, including the residents of the apartment building and the developer (or the Management Board);Tuesday,Annually, the collection of service fees and expenditures must be transparent and publicly disclosed, ensuring that spending is for the intended purpose, without misuse or loss.
In fact, the collection of service fees for apartment buildings in Nghe An province has been clearly regulated by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 44/2024/QD-UBND dated October 31, 2024. Specifically, the framework for apartment building management and operation service fees is regulated as follows:
"For apartment buildings with no more than 7 floors and without elevators, the minimum price is calculated at 700 VND/m²."2usable floor area/month and a maximum price of 2,500 VND/m².2usable floor area/month.
For apartment buildings with no more than 7 floors and equipped with elevators, the minimum price is calculated at 1,000 VND/m².2usable floor area/month and a maximum price of 3,700 VND/m².2usable area/month.
For apartment buildings with more than 7 floors, the minimum price for apartment building management and operation services is calculated at 1,300 VND/m².2usable floor area/month and a maximum price of 6,000 VND/m².2usable area/month".
It is important to note that Decision No. 44/2024/QD-UBND dated October 31, 2024, issued by the Provincial People's Committee, also stipulates: “The investor is responsible for determining the price of apartment building management and operation services and proposing it to the first apartment building residents' meeting for approval. If the first apartment building residents' meeting cannot be held, the investor is responsible for negotiating the price of apartment building management and operation services and clearly stating it in the apartment purchase, lease, or purchase contract.”
According to this regulation, it can be understood that determining the service fees for apartment buildings is the responsibility of the developer, but implementation requires the consensus of the households and individuals using the apartment building through a residents' meeting. Alternatively, the developer must reach an agreement with the apartment users from the moment they have a need to buy or rent an apartment.
And from this, it can be affirmed that adjusting and increasing the service fees for managing and operating apartment buildings should be done in a similar manner.
In the context of rising prices, the cost of managing and operating apartment buildings will naturally increase. Therefore, raising service fees for households and individuals using apartment buildings is understandable. However, determining an appropriate fee increase is a matter that cannot be arbitrarily decided by one party alone.
