Strata maintenance contributions are generally allocated in proportion to each lot’s share value. Reproduce the bill using the approved contribution total and the share-value denominator before disputing the amount.
This guide is written for a condo owner checking an mcst maintenance or sinking-fund levy. It resolves a specific job: reproduce the lot’s contribution from share value and identify what evidence is needed if the bill appears wrong. Start with the branch that matches the facts, then keep the supporting record until the transaction, visit, filing or safety task is complete.
Choose the branch before acting
| Your situation | Next move |
|---|---|
| The lot share value and denominator match the records | Recalculate the approved rate and billing period |
| The share value appears wrong | Check the strata title and approved schedule before challenging the levy |
| A special or additional contribution is billed | Find the authorising resolution and allocation basis |
| The calculation is right but payment is unaffordable | Contact the MCST early about the account; do not invent a lower amount |
Do not combine branches merely because two labels sound similar. The correct branch depends on the actual person, date, property, product, service or location involved. If one fact is unknown, pause at that row and verify it instead of carrying an assumption into the rest of the task.
Find the authoritative share value
The sale brochure or floor area is not a substitute for the value assigned to the strata lot. The current position is set out by BCA Strata Living in Singapore guide.
Use the strata title, approved schedule or MCST record and confirm that the lot number matches. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Find the total share-value denominator
A share value such as 6 is meaningful only against the total share value used for that fund and period. The supporting detail is available from BCA concept of strata living.
Request the budget or contribution schedule that shows the denominator. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Reproduce the allocation
The basic proportional calculation is lot share value divided by total share value, multiplied by the approved contribution pool.
Keep management and sinking funds on separate rows even if they are billed together. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Match the billing period
Quarterly, monthly and one-off bills can look inconsistent when compared without normalising time.
Convert each amount to the same period and account for GST only where the MCST’s treatment requires it. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Trace the authorising decision
The AGM or other valid resolution should support the approved contribution and any special levy.
Save the notice, agenda, minutes and resolution wording rather than relying on a summary email. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Distinguish allocation from arrears
A disagreement about the share-value basis does not by itself erase payment duties or late consequences.
Seek advice promptly and keep undisputed amounts separate from the disputed component. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Use floor area carefully
Share value may correlate with unit size but is not a fresh valuation of the unit or a direct square-metre charge.
Do not substitute a private floor-area estimate for the approved allocation record. Add the relevant date, document, amount, location or responsible person to the same record. That makes the choice reproducible and prevents a broad rule from being applied to the wrong facts.
Worked example
If a lot has share value 6 in a development with total share value 600, its proportional share is 1%. An approved S$900,000 annual management-fund pool produces S$9,000 for the year, or S$2,250 per quarter, before any separately authorised items. This is an illustrative calculation.
The example is a calculation or planning model, not a promise about an individual outcome. Replace every example input with the live figure, document, route condition or case fact. Keep intermediate workings, because rounding too early or skipping one stage can produce an answer that looks plausible but cannot be checked.
Build one usable decision file
Create a short record with four columns: fact, evidence, effect on the decision and next owner. Put the controlling rule beside the particular fact it governs. A page about the right subject is not enough if it does not contain the number, deadline, eligibility test or operational detail used in the decision.
Save a dated copy or acknowledgement when the task is time-sensitive. If another person needs to continue the work, they should be able to see what was checked, what remains uncertain and which official channel can resolve it. This is especially important where contracts, money, employment, safety or personal data are involved.
Final check
- Confirm lot and share value
- Obtain the total share value
- Separate management and sinking funds
- Normalise the billing period
- Read the authorising resolution
- Recalculate the amount
- Raise any discrepancy with evidence
The approved schedule, resolutions, tax treatment and case record control the actual bill. Obtain professional advice for a formal dispute.
Related LBRD guides
You may also need to separate recurring and long-term strata funds. For the next adjacent task, prepare to scrutinise the next contribution vote.
