Apartment Aidat Dues Risk Review Before Property Purchase
Aidat should not be treated as a single monthly number copied from a listing or repeated by the seller. It arises from the management plan, the building or site budget, owners’ decisions, allocation rules and the individual unit ledger. A buyer may face ordinary operating charges, late-payment or collection items, and extraordinary assessments for major works. A proper review therefore asks two different questions: what does this unit currently pay, and what obligation has already been approved or incurred that may surface after title transfer?
Start with the unit ledger, not a general fee quotation
Obtain a dated statement or management confirmation for the exact independent unit. It should show the balance, unpaid periods, any late or collection amount and any extraordinary assessment that has been approved but not fully collected. A seller saying “the aidat is paid” is not equivalent to a current statement, and the latest monthly receipt does not rule out an older balance. Match block, unit number and account holder to the property being purchased so that a zero-balance statement for another unit is not mistakenly accepted.
Separate recurring operations from extraordinary capital work
Monthly dues may fund cleaning, security, common electricity, routine maintenance and staffing. Separately, owners may approve a façade repair, roof replacement, lift work, mechanical-system renewal, structural strengthening or site-infrastructure project. A low monthly fee can therefore coexist with a large future cash call. Request recent owners’ assembly or management decisions and the current operating budget. For each major project, identify the approved total, allocation method, amount already collected and remaining amount attributable to the unit.
Understand the legal allocation basis
Article 20 of Condominium Ownership Law No. 634 regulates participation in common expenses and advances and distinguishes categories of expense, subject to valid arrangements. Do not assume every charge is divided equally or merely according to visible floor area. Review the management plan, the land share where relevant and the decision that created the cost. If the seller disputes an item, do not treat the dispute as cancellation of the balance; ask for the written basis, collection status and any court or enforcement development.
The 2026 aidat amendment must be reflected in current reviews
On 22 May 2026 the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change announced publication of amendments to the Condominium Ownership Law concerning aidat-setting procedures. According to the official announcement, managers may prepare a temporary operating project for mandatory expenses with an increase up to the revaluation rate, while increases above that level must be brought to the owners’ assembly under the new meeting and approval rules. This does not make every lower increase automatically valid; the budget, authority and supporting decision still need to be examined.
Distinguish building-account status from the buyer-seller settlement
Before closing, create a written cut-off rule stating which month, ordinary charge, approved assessment and late amount belong economically to the seller and which belong to the buyer. If a major assessment was approved before sale but is payable in later instalments, address it expressly in the sale contract or closing statement. The management’s accounting position and the private allocation agreed between buyer and seller may not be identical, so the contract must state how reimbursement or deduction will work.
Use three decision scenarios
- Clean ledger and traceable decisions: proceed while retaining the dated statement and material decisions.
- Known arrears or assessment: quantify it, name the responsible party, set the payment or deduction mechanism and require proof.
- Unclear amount or authority: keep the transaction conditional until the competent management record resolves the uncertainty.
Red flags
Important warnings include refusal to provide a unit statement, a different unit number on the document, major work without a transparent budget, substantial increases without a traceable decision, old arrears, collection or enforcement action, requests for payment to a personal account without proper support, or reliance on an old receipt instead of a current ledger. A management change or owners’ decision adopted immediately before closing is also a reason to recheck the file.
Evidence package
Keep the relevant management plan, current operating budget, owners’ decisions affecting charges, dated unit ledger, settlement receipts and the sale-contract clause dealing with arrears or extraordinary assessments. Record when each document was obtained and who issued it. This makes aidat review a reproducible due-diligence step rather than a verbal question asked during the viewing.
Conclusion: the quoted monthly aidat matters, but the material risk lies in accumulated balances, approved capital works, allocation rules, validity of increases and the contractual cut-off at transfer. A reliable purchase decision is based on a current unit statement, traceable decisions and a written settlement before money is released.