New Delhi, Aug. 27 -- Homeowners in Mumbai may have a reason to challenge maintenance bills that vary based on the size or use of their property. The Maharashtra co-operative court held in a recent ruling that housing societies cannot arbitrarily charge higher maintenance fees from owners of larger flats or commercial units unless there is a solid legal reason for doing so.

The judgement came after a case was filed by unhappy residents of a housing society in Worli, Mumbai, who argued that the society should split the common maintenance charges equally among all members. According to the complaint, the housing society has been calculating these charges based on the size of each flat or shop, with commercial units facing higher fees,

The...