By Lu Xuejiao
Recently, the property management fee of Phase I Expo Garden, located in Ouyang Road Sub-district, which remained unchanged in the past fourteen years, has risen. However, most owners are willing to pay for it, and the collection rate of property management fee of over 95% shows the residents' satisfaction of the property services.
Walking into the Expo Garden, we can see that vehicles enter and exit orderly under the newly installed road gate. The community is surrounded by plants, the lawn is in green, and the small-sized bridge and footpath is brand-new. No one can imagine that the residents of the community complained about the environment more than a year ago.
Enjoy Service before Paying for it
Phase I Expo Garden was built in 2004, with 681 households and a permanent population of more than 1,300. As time goes by, the once new living area has become an old community. It has been 17 years since the property began to provide services. But the property fee standard is low, and the actual operating cost of the property company is much higher than the actual revenue, which cannot offset the expenditure. As a result, the property management level of the community plunged. Old houses and property management have exposed more and more problems, and residents are dissatisfied with the poor environment inside and outside the building.
Facing the lack of services, residents are reluctant to pay more property fees. How to break the vicious circle?Under the leadership of the sub-district, the property company invested in advance to improve the community environment. Based on the principles of "consistent quality with price, first quality and then price", the property company first rectified the cleaning and security with high residents' feeling. Each unit is equipped with 2 cleaning personnel, and the security guards are on duty 24 hours a day. The property companyactively invested 200,000 yuan to update the greening and public facilities of the community. The reconstruction of barrier-free ramps in 14 corridors and the adjustment to parking spaces in the community were completed. The reconstruction of community access control system was also promoted.
"Only by improving the appearance of the residence area and getting the approval of the residents can we make everyone willing to pay the property fee", said Zhou Di, head of Ouyang Road Sub-district Housing Office.
During the transition period of first experience and then buying, the residents saw real changes and gradually improved their sense of belonging and identity to the community. "We don’t worry about the high property fee but the inadequate service. Now, we live more comfortably". Uncle Wang, a resident, really felt the recent changes in the community.
Building a Heartwarming Bridge under Guidance of the Party Construction
Concerning the problems of inadequate property service and low service quality, the advantages of the Party Construction of Ouyang Road Sub-District are highlighted. By giving full play to the leading role of party-construction organizations, the Sub-district carried out joint learning in the form of "double lowering" monthly, and coordinated the power consisting of "two sets of carriages" which one is composed of neighborhood committee, owner committee and property company and the other one is composed of area police, urban management and property management, so as to actively solve the troubles, difficulties and worries of residents.
The team members of the Sub-district participated in the activity of organization life of the General Party Branch in residential area every month and the joint office meeting of "two sets of carriages" once a month."Only by converging all the relevant parties at this platform of consultation and co-governance can we jointly solve practical problems", Zhou Di said.
Since the community service has been acknowledged, what makes the adjustment to the price difficult? If the price were high, residents could not afford. If the price were low, the cost of community operation would hardly keep both ends meet. In this regard, the party organization in the community has held party member symposiums for many times and launched the community discussion platform to publicize the consumption concept of matching the quality and price of property service charges through democratic consultation and regular door-to-door publicity. Finally, a price adjustment scheme approved by all parties was formed in the communication with sincerity.
Through the joint efforts of all parties, the collection rate of property fees has reached more than 95%, and the community property management has entered a benign development track.
Next, Ouyang Road Sub-district will also actively innovate and constantly explore the "Ouyang Practice" of the transformation and upgrading of property services in old communities.