Manthan Greens: How a 30-Bungalow Society in Ahmedabad Moved Off Excel and WhatsApp

The short version

Manthan Greens is a gated community of 30 bungalows in Ahmedabad. Like most bungalow societies, it is run by volunteers: a chairman, a secretary and a treasurer who all have day jobs. Maintenance is ₹2,000 per bungalow per month, which is ₹60,000 a month and ₹7.2 lakh a year flowing through one person’s Excel sheet.

Within three billing cycles on Associan, 28 of 30 bungalows were paying on time, every payment had a numbered receipt, and the committee stopped answering “did you get my payment?” on WhatsApp.

The problem: a small society with big-society paperwork

Thirty homes sounds easy to manage. It is not, when the same three volunteers do everything.

• The treasurer matched UPI screenshots from WhatsApp against a bank statement every month, then wrote paper receipts. About 10 hours a month.
• The secretary sent notices (water tank cleaning, security guard change, Navratri plans) into a group where they were buried under good-morning messages within an hour.
• The chairman heard about complaints (street light, garden, gate motor) in person, by phone and in the group, with no list of what was open or closed.
• On-time collection hovered around 19 of 30 bungalows (63%). The rest paid late, after two or three personal reminders.

“I didn’t mind collecting the money. I minded being the only person who knew who had paid.” — Treasurer, Manthan Greens

What we set up (in one day)

1. Imported the Excel sheet: owner name, bungalow number, phone and opening dues for all 30 homes. Residents log in with their phone number; there are no new passwords to remember.
2. Created one maintenance head (₹2,000/month) with a late-fee rule the committee agreed in its meeting.
3. Turned on UPI payments. Each bill has a pay link. When a resident pays, the receipt is generated with a number and the ledger updates. No screenshot needed.
4. Recorded cash and cheque for the few households who prefer it, so the register stays complete.
5. Moved notices to the notice board, with a short WhatsApp message pointing to it. The committee can now see who has read each notice.
6. Opened a complaints desk: residents raise a ticket with a photo; the chairman assigns it and closes it with a note.

What changed for each committee member

For the chairman

• One dashboard: collected this month, pending dues, open complaints.
• Complaints are tracked from “raised” to “closed”, so nobody has to rely on memory. Average closure is now 2.5 days; 22 complaints were logged in the first three months.
• At the annual meeting, 26 of 30 households marked attendance and the minutes were shared the same evening.

For the secretary

• Notices go out once and stay on the board. 27 of 30 homes read them within 24 hours.
• The resident directory (owner, tenant, vehicles, emergency contact) is always current, which helps with security and visitor checks.

For the treasurer

• Monthly reconciliation dropped from about 10 hours to under 2 hours.
• Defaulter list in one click; reminders go out automatically before and after the due date.
• Year-end report for the auditor is an export, not a weekend.

Results after three billing cycles

“The WhatsApp group is quieter now, in a good way. People open the app to pay, read the notice, and that’s it.” — Chairman, Manthan Greens

What other bungalow societies can copy

• Start with money. Bills, UPI and receipts first. Notices and complaints can follow in week two.
• Keep the WhatsApp group for conversation, but stop using it as the register. See why WhatsApp is not a membership system.
• Agree the late-fee rule in a meeting before you switch on reminders, so nobody feels singled out.
• Give the chairman a dashboard, not a spreadsheet. Decisions get faster when the numbers are on one screen.

For a step-by-step version, read the monthly checklist for society chairmen and secretaries or see how maintenance billing automation works.

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