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Preface: This post was originally published in 2024 and has been updated on August 05, 2025, to provide you with the most current and accurate information.
RWA stands for Resident Welfare Association (RWA); it is an association that is elected by a society’s residents. As the name implies, RWA works for the ‘welfare’ of society and protects its rights and interests. Every residential society has its very own RWA. Without RWA, where would the residents go for their concerns or complaints? It is really crucial for a society to have an RWA.
RWA has several rules, responsibilities, and roles to ensure the smooth functioning of a residential society. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about RW, from its definition and members to RWA registration and more.
Resident Welfare Association, or simply RWA, is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that takes care of the interests of a resident society or a colony in a city and also works for its welfare. All the RWAs are registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. RWAs are governed by certain constitutional documents, and their members cannot work as per their own will. The documents provide RWAs with special powers, which are also checked for a requirement. An RWA can sue as well as be sued. An RWA is a legal body and comes with certain powers to exercise all the rights granted to it for legal purposes.
The role of an RWA is to improve the amenities and shared facilities, look after the internal roads’ condition, make sure streetlights& drainage are working properly, maintain overall cleanliness, and ensure all the residents get access to civic amenities like electricity and water. In prominent societies, RWAs have to do much more work. For instance, in major societies, RWAs also need to look after and manage commercial activities within the residential society's boundaries, in shops, banks, bazaars, etc.
Each and every RWA has a president, general secretary, vice president, treasurer, secretary, finance advisor, and several executive members. We have mentioned the powers and functions of RWA functionaries below:
All the meetings of the general body and governing body are chaired by the president.
The president is granted the right to vote on a draw.
He supervises all the activities of various office bearers.
He may also operate the bank accounts of the society.
The vice president has to assist the president in all his duties.
In case of the absence of the president, the vice-president must serve as the president.
The general secretary is responsible for representing the society he’s a part of in private and public offices.
He has to maintain the records of the concerned society and its members.
He may also operate the bank accounts of the society.
In the absence of the general secretary, the secretary takes up his place.
The secretary assists the RWA’s general secretary whenever necessary.
He is responsible for collecting gifts, subscriptions, grants,, and donations from the members and the general public.
All the account records of the society’s funds are maintained by the treasurer.
All these funds are maintained by him in a specific bank account of RWA,, which can be operated by him.
The executive members of RWA assist in the society’s daily activities.
They are responsible for filing the list of office bearers with the Registrar of Societies, as per Section 4 of the Societies Registration Act, 1860, whenever necessary.
The subscription amount for all the residents in a society is solely decided by the RWA. All the residents can apply for membership under RWA, but the RWA has the right to refuse such memberships by providing a reason for the same. Upon a resident's death, failure to pay the subscription fee, or conducting something against the rules of the society, or in case the majority of the RWA members demand his/her termination on some valid ground, the RWA can terminate such a resident’s membership.
All the necessary initiatives and policies concerning the resident society are implemented by such society’s RWA. All the residents of the society may apply for RWA membership if they are interested.
RWA follows a financial year that starts from April 1 to March 31.
RWA’s funds are retained in a scheduled bank account. This bank account can be operated by the president, treasurer, or general secretary of the RWA. For auditing the RWA’s account, a qualified auditor is required to be appointed by the governing body.
To register as an RWA, it is necessary to apply for RWA Registration. RWA registration is a process of registering a Resident Welfare Association (RWA) under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
Name of the RWA
Area of Operations
RWA’s Aims and Objectives
Income sources
Rules and regulations that govern the RWA
Process of amendment of the MoA and rules
Rules and Regulations: The rules and regulations of RWA must include the following details:
Criteria for RWA’s membership
Rights and duties of all the members of RWA
All the powers and functions of the office-bearers under RWA
Procedure to be followed for conducting meetings and elections of RWA
Process to be followed for the dissolution of the RWA
Officer-bearers list: A minimum of three office-bearers, viz., the president,t, secretary & treasurer, should be a part of RWA. The list of the office-bearers must contain their names, contact details, and addresses.
Proof of Address: A copy of the address proof of the RWA’s registered office is required, such as an electricity bill and a telephone bill.
Proof of Identity: Identity proof of all the RWA’s office-bearers, like Aadhaar card, PAN card, voter ID card, passport, etc., is necessary.
Fee for Registration: The fee for registration for RWA differs from one state to another. You must pay the prescribed fee alongside the RWA registration application.
The governing body of the society is elected for a specific period of time while meeting the general body. The residents can raise their hands during the meeting to elect a person. The final list of RWA’s office bearers should not be less than 7. The list has to be attested by 3 outgoing bearers and then get filed with the society's registrar.
For the RWA membership, the following rules are applicable:
RWA can reject or deny membership to any person and provide in writing the reason for the same.
This writing application is given to the concerned person.
If a person works against RWA’s aims and objectives, they can get terminated by RWA.
Failure to attend three successive meetings will lead to the individual’s termination. This can be done with the need to provide a written notice.
The rules of RWA can be amended. The same can be done in RWA’s MoA, and such rules must be carried out following the procedure laid down in Sections 12 and 12A of the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
A resident’s welfare association (RWA), as mentioned in the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, must be established in a housing society within a period of 3 months from when most houses have been booked. If a developer fails to take the necessary steps to create an RWA in such a society, the residential society’s legal owners are granted the right to create an RWA.
No, a resident’s welfare association is a voluntary association that has considerable power and authority over decisions of a society. However, an RWA cannot impact your right to the property. Compared to RWA, cooperative housing societies have more power and control. RWA has no right to infringe on any homeowner's speech or privacy. The restraint or power exercised by RWA is for building or society maintenance, or workshops that are held on the society's premises.
An RWA holds power in the society’s maintenance, membership of residents, and record-keeping. However, RWA’s power has some limitations, which are mentioned below:
RWA is not authorized to have any commercial transactions or possess property.
Officially, RWA cannot be the owner of anything of society.
RWA cannot interfere with any resident’s ownership rights.
It is not allowed to file any legal proceedings before the Cooperative Societies' Deputy Direct Registrar (DDR).
The association is not allowed to take any measures that would result in curtailment of privacy, unwarranted damage or inconvenience to the resident, or the right to residents' free speech. This is irrespective of whether the society’s resident is a member of RWA or not.
The RWA’s main goal is to work towards the common welfare of all the residents of a society. However, many times disputes arise between the society’s residents and the RWA members. Some common complaints that are received by RWA members are mentioned below:
Keeping too many flowers and different plants on the balcony
Arguments related to the society’s parking space
Throwing garbage on the road
Misusing the WhatsApp group of the society for unprofessional messages
Intrusion into the common area
The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) is a crucial body for any society, as it looks after the interests and welfare of the society’s members. RWA plays a major role in improving the amenities and shared facilities, looking after the internal roads’ condition, making sure streetlights & drainage are working properly, maintaining overall cleanliness, and ensuring all the residents get access to civic amenities like electricity and water. In prominent societies, RWAs have to do much more work. For instance, in major societies, RWAs also need to look after and manage commercial activities within the residential society's boundaries, in shops, banks, bazaars, etc. If you need assistance in RWA registration, get in touch with Registrationwala now!
Q1. What is an RWA?
A. An RWA (Resident Welfare Association) is a group formed by residents of a housing society to manage common facilities and look after residents’ welfare.
Q2. Is RWA registration mandatory?
A. Yes, RWA must be registered under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, to function legally.
Q3. Who can become an RWA member?
A. Any resident of the society can apply for membership, subject to RWA rules.
Q4. What is the role of an RWA?
A. RWA manages maintenance, common facilities, amenities, cleanliness, and welfare activities for the society.
Q5. How is an RWA funded?
A. Through membership fees, subscriptions, and donations from residents.
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