Following threats of a blackout earlier this month, 200 proprietors in Jian Wai SOHO have raised nearly 3 million yuan to pay their electricity bill.

The group has set up a bank account to collect fees from the owners in the east block of the estate. The first payment of 2 million yuan will be paid to the power supplier tomorrow, bypassing the property management company.

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Zhang Mingwei, a resident in Jian Wai SOHO who helped organize the independent arrangement, said it would provide an alternative mode of payment for owners who did not trust the management company Pinnacle Realty Management International.

Zhang said: "We are not forcing Pinnacle to give up collecting money for the power bills. We just want to offer another option to those who don't trust the company."

Zhang said many residents were reluctant to trust Pinnacle: "It's only a temporary property management company for Jian Wai SOHO and it could run away with the money anytime it wants."

About 70 percent of the proprietors have signed an agreement that they will pay the electricity bill directly to the power company, Zhang said.

The east district of Jian Wai SOHO including 1,400 units owned by 1,100 people was threatened to be cut off power on last Wednesday, because Pinnacle failed to pay a bill totaling 6.2 million yuan and dating back to August.

Though Pinnacle paid 2.28 million yuan to the power supplier before the ultimatum, most of the proprietors are still unwilling to give their money to the company.

Jia Lu, vice-president of Pinnacle, believes that the owners are acting illegally.

"There are no laws, rules or policies in China saying it is okay for proprietors to pay their bills to the power supplier directly," Jia said.

Jia said the company did not have the funds to pay the electricity bill because the tenants had not paid their management fees.

Ma Hui, the spokesman of electricity supplier Huawei Electric Power Company, said: "We are not supporting proprietors paying their bill directly, but we will not refuse money if they are willing to pay."