When a self-managed committee works well
In a small building with no elevator, no pumps and no underground parking, maintenance is simple: cleaning, electricity for the stairwell, a small garden. If one organized resident is willing to manage the funds, there is no reason to pay a management fee. We manage properties of 60 residential units and up.
Where the math flips
Three things change the equation: systems (an elevator, pumps, a generator, each with mandatory maintenance and standards), collections (in a large building there is almost always someone who does not pay, and chasing them falls on the volunteer), and legal liability. An untreated leak or a faulty elevator is personal exposure for the committee members.
| Self-managed committee | Management company | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost per apartment | Actual costs only | Plus a management fee (in a typical building: hundreds of shekels per apartment) |
| Collecting from debtors | Neighbor chasing neighbor | A graduated process up to legal action, not personal |
| A fault on Saturday night | Whoever picks up the phone | A 24/7 service center with a human answer, and every call is logged |
| Preventive maintenance | Usually none; things get fixed when they break | An annual plan for every system |
| Financial transparency | Depends on the volunteer | A binding monthly report; with us, by the 10th of the month |
| Continuity | Ends when the volunteer gets tired | Does not depend on one person |
The middle path most people do not know about
You can buy only part of it: a company that handles only collections and finances while the committee keeps managing the suppliers. Or the other way around: maintenance only. It costs less, and it suits mid-sized buildings. Just make sure it is clear in writing who is responsible for what, or every fault will land exactly on the seam.