How not to pay for utilities that you do not use? What services can you not pay for utilities

Tariffs and Regulations

We all know that it is the tenant's responsibility to pay for utility bills. For non-payment or late payment threatens sanctions up to subpoena, seizure of property and prohibition of travel abroad. But there are exceptions when the tenant has the full legal right not to pay utility bills. There are few of them, but you should know and use about them.

First you need to clearly understand what services and in what quality all tenants should receive. And already on the basis of whether they have been provided or not, and if they have been provided, then in what capacity, to challenge charging for them.

Uninterrupted round-the-clock supply

All types of utilities (cold and hot water, sanitation, electricity, gas) must be supplied without fail and around the clock throughout the year. Heating, in turn, must be supplied uninterruptedly and around the clock during the heating season. At the same time, interruptions in the provision of utilities are permissible by law.

Cold and hot water supply can be interrupted, but not more than 8 hours a month in total and not more than 4 hours in a row, and in case of an accident - 24 hours. For hot water there is an additional exception - this is the notorious scheduled shutdown once a year (usually in the summer), which can last up to two weeks. There are fewer exceptions for wastewater disposal: no more than 8 hours per month (total), no more than 4 consecutive hours, even in the event of an accident.
Power supply can be interrupted for no more than two hours in a row, if there are two independent, mutually redundant power sources, if there is only one source, electricity can be turned off for up to a day. About how many power sources are available at home, you need to find out from the contractor.
Gas supply can be interrupted for no more than 4 hours per month.
For heating, there are such standards: total no more than a day per month and no more than 16 consecutive hours - at air temperature in residential premises above 12 ° C; no more than 8 hours in a row - at an air temperature of 10-12 ° C; no more than 4 hours in a row - at an air temperature of 8-10 ° C.

Water quality

An important point is not only the fact of the provision of services, but also their quality. The main thing - cold and hot water in its composition and properties (color, taste, smell, transparency, etc.) must comply with SanPiN 2.1.4.1074-01. Deviation from the norms is not allowed under any circumstances!

The water pressure in the tap should be at least 0.03 MPa. This parameter is easy to check: a three-liter jar should fill in 8.5 seconds. If this requires more time, you can call a specialist with a pressure gauge. But first, check - did you open the tap to the end?

As for the water temperature, if hot water is taken directly from the heating network, its temperature should be at least 60 degrees Celsius. If where the heating and water supply systems have a common water heater, but different pipe systems, the minimum temperature threshold is 50 degrees. The upper threshold for any system is 75 degrees. At night, the deviation from the norm is allowed no more than 5 degrees, in the daytime - no more than 3 degrees.

Power Quality

Under no circumstances should the voltage and frequency of electricity deviate from the standards GOST 13109-97 and GOST 29322-92.

Gas supply quality

Deviation of gas properties from the requirements of the legislation of Russia (GOST 5542-87) is not allowed. The pressure in the gas supply network should be at least 0.0012 MPa. Deviation is permissible by no more than 0.0005 MPa.

Heating quality

The most important indicator is the air temperature in residential premises. It should be at least +18 degrees, and in corner rooms - not lower than +20. In cold regions, where the temperature of the coldest five days of the year is -31 ° C and lower, the temperature of residential premises should not be less than +20 degrees. But at the same time, the room should be well insulated, and the temperature is measured in the center of the largest room of the apartment at a height of 1 m. Deviation cannot exceed 3 degrees at night, while the permissible excess is not more than 4 degrees. In the daytime, temperature deviation is unacceptable.

The pressure in cast-iron pipes should be no more than 0.6 MPa, and in convection and panel heating systems, heaters - no more than 1 MPa. Deviations are not allowed.

The Contractor may temporarily disable utilities, but only in strictly specified cases:

it is necessary to carry out scheduled repairs and preventive maintenance;
accident, emergency or natural disaster;
house communications in emergency condition;
the consumer violates the rules: connected to networks bypassing the meter or uses too powerful devices;
the consumer is indebted for three months or more.

Moreover, in the event of an accident or natural disaster, the contractor is not obliged to warn about the disconnection of the service. He can also do this without warning if the tenant has connected to the house systems, that is, for example, he brought the socket into the entrance. Also, if it turns out that the consumer is using equipment with unacceptable power, or if he received an order to turn off the service due to an emergency or threatening condition of intra-house engineering systems.

The service provider must warn about the disconnection of the service in the event that the consumer has accumulated debt for services. In this case, a warning should follow 30 days in advance. If planned preventive maintenance is carried out, then the contractor must notify about this within 10 working days. Moreover, the disconnection of services should not damage the common property or make the dwelling unsuitable for permanent residence.

That is, non-compliance with any of these requirements may serve as a basis for recalculation or cancellation of utility bills. When providing a service of inadequate quality, for example, if the composition of the water did not meet the standards, then for each day of the provision of such a service you can not pay. If interruptions in the supply of utilities exceed the permissible ones, its cost should decrease by 0.15% for each extra hour of an interruption.

If the pressure in the hot or cold water supply system was lower than expected by 25%, then the monthly payment should be reduced by 0.1% for every hour of such a decrease in pressure. And if the pressure in the heating system does not comply with the normative and differs from the set by more than 25%, then payment for the day on which the water lashed is not paid at all.

For deviation of the temperature of hot water, payment is reduced for each hour of violation. And if it fell below 40 degrees, then it can already be paid for as cold. For every hour during which the voltage and frequency in the power supply did not meet the standard, the fee decreases by 0.15%, and if the room temperature deviates above or below the permissible norm, then the monthly payment decreases by 0.15% for each degree of deviation.

It’s difficult to remember all the requirements for quality - so keep a link to this material. And then, in fact, the answer to the question indicated in the heading: "When can you not pay for utilities?"

1. Failure to provide or the provision of low-quality housing and communal services.

If the tenant receives housing and utilities of inadequate quality or does not receive them at all, he has the right to achieve a recalculation of the payment. But for this it is necessary to prove the very fact of non-provision of the service or the provision of low-quality services. Only a proven fact can serve as a basis for recalculation.

In order to prove it, the first thing you need to contact the emergency dispatch service. It must be indicated by the management organization. The appeal can be either oral, including by telephone, or in writing. The resident must indicate his name, surname, patronymic, address of residence and describe the problem. In turn, the employee of the service is also obliged to provide his last name, first name, middle name, registration number of the application and the time of its receipt.

A written statement is likely to be more effective. It would be nice to attach photographs to him proving the failure to provide services, for example, unloaded garbage or burst pipes. If the emergency dispatch officer knows the reason for not providing the service, he must notify the applicant. Thus, the managing organization recognizes the fact of the failure to provide the service or its inadequate quality. This should be recorded in the logbook. This mark serves as the basis for recalculation.

If he is not aware of the problem, then he must agree with the applicant the exact time to establish the fact of failure to provide services. This should happen within three business days. Then, an audit should be carried out with the participation of the public service representative and the applicant. Based on its results, an act is drawn up, which they must sign. This act also serves as a document according to which the tenant has the right to request recalculation.

But management organizations often do not plead guilty and do not agree with the claims of the applicant. In this case, a secondary check should be carried out. Representatives of the State Housing Inspectorate and the public consumer association are already invited to it. And based on its results, an act is also drawn up for the signatures of the consumer, performer, inspector and public representative.

Instead of checking with a representative of the state housing inspection, an independent examination is allowed, the costs of which are borne by the managing organization. An appropriate act must also be signed here. Having this act in hand, the consumer already has the full right to demand recalculation. The act must indicate a violation of the quality parameters, the time and date of the start of non-provision of utility services.

In the future, the managing organization, HOA, ZhSK, or the resource supplying organization with direct control of the house should carry out a recalculation. To do this, draw up a written claim in the name of the head of the organization in two copies, and hand it either to the head or official of the managing organization. If the managing organization refuses to receive this claim or refuses to put a mark on the second copy, you can send it to the organization by registered mail with a notification of delivery. This notice will serve as proof that the organization has received a claim. If even after that they refuse to satisfy the claim, they should turn to the regulatory authorities and to the court, where compensation for non-pecuniary damage can already be requested.

2. Going on vacation or business trip

In the event that individual meters are not installed in the apartment, a recalculation for housing and communal services can be requested in the event of a temporary absence of tenants in the apartment. The procedure for recalculation for the period of temporary absence of the consumer in the occupied residential premises is established by the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 23, 2006 No. 307. It should be noted immediately that only cold and hot water supply, sewerage and gas supply are subject to recalculation. Other types of services are not subject to him. The consumer may require a recalculation if he has been absent from the apartment for more than five days, moreover, the day of departure and the day of arrival are not counted. In addition, the maximum period of absence for which recalculation can be requested is six months. Then you should re-write the application and submit the documents.

Now, in fact, what documents are needed. Ideally, you should write a statement to the management organization before departure. But you can do this even after returning, but the main thing is to submit an application and documents within 30 calendar days after arrival. The application must indicate the period for which recalculation should be made. The application must be accompanied by documents proving the absence of a tenant in the apartment in the specified period. Such documents can be a certificate of business trip, a certificate of medical treatment, travel tickets, hotel bills, a certificate of the internal affairs body about the temporary registration of the consumer at the place of temporary stay, and so on. The certificates or their copies must be sealed with the signatures of officials, seals and certified. The same algorithm should be followed if there are no relatives. For example, a son is studying at a university in another city. In order not to pay for it, you should receive a certificate every six months from the place of his studies and submit it with the application.

Soon, Russians will have another opportunity not to legally pay for housing and communal services. A unified state information system GIS housing and communal services is launched in the country. All management and resource-supplying organizations will be required to post information on charges to consumers on the GIS Housing and Utilities Portal with appropriate calculations. If the consumer does not find this information on the site, he has the right not to pay on payments until then, it is time this information does not appear. Fines and penalties for this will not be charged.

That the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in one of the cases related to the collection of housing and communal services charges from tenants decided that such a fee might not be paid by the consumer if the service bill was not calculated by the management company at agreed rates. Is it possible to legally not pay for housing and communal services, said Andrey Lebedev, general director of GK Krikunov & Partners, in his column.

Pay by invoice

In reality, the situation with the fact that the court allowed not to pay for housing services at inconsistent tariffs seems to me different. On March 3, 2015, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation issued a ruling in case No. 5-KG14-163. The repair and maintenance department appealed to the Presnensky District Court of Moscow with a lawsuit against the consumer of housing and communal services to collect debts for payment for maintenance and utilities and penalties. By a decision of the Presnensky District Court of Moscow dated December 2, 2013, the stated requirements were satisfied. Appeal ruling said court decision upheld. However, the Judicial Collegium for Civil Cases of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation determined the decision of the court of first instance and the appeal decision to cancel, to forward the case for a new trial to the court of first instance.

I believe that it is incorrect to conclude from the determination of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation in the case under consideration that it is possible not to pay the disputed fee for housing and communal services. The fact is that this determination of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation only cancels the decisions of the lower courts in the case and sends it for a new trial to the court of first instance for a decision on the merits.

The Supreme Court of the Russian Federation indicated a number of important issues that were not investigated by the courts, and this could affect the adoption of the right decision in the case. Moreover, on May 29, 2015, the trial court issued a new decision, which partially satisfied the plaintiff’s claims for the recovery of utility bills from the defendant. So, the plaintiff's claims amounted to: 286 thousand 080 RUB. 90 kopecks - debt for housing and communal services in the apartment, 25 thousand. 754 rubles. 61 kopecks - debt for housing and communal services for a parking place, 13 thousand 003 rubles. 74 cop. - penalties for late payment of payments. The court decided to recover from the defendant in favor of the plaintiff 151 thousand 961 rubles 22 kopecks, fines - 13 thousand 003 rubles, costs of paying the state fee in the amount of 4 thousand 499 rubles 28 kopecks. That is, the court calculated the amount of the fee based on the tariffs established by the Moscow Government.

Thus, it is quite obvious that the determination of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation under consideration does not create a precedent, does not give residents a “green light” for non-payment of disputed utility bills.

Pay for what

Speaking of payment for housing services, it is worth noting that in accordance with Part 2 of Art. 154 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, the fee for a dwelling and utilities for the owner of the premises in an apartment building includes:

1. payment for the maintenance of the premises,

2. installment for overhaul,

3. Utility charges.

If the HOA, housing cooperative or other specialized consumer cooperative society are not created in the apartment building, in this case, in accordance with Part 7 of Art. 156 LC RF, the fee for the maintenance of a dwelling is determined at a general meeting of the owners of premises in such a house. The size of the fee is formed taking into account the proposals of the managing organization and is set for a period of not less than one year.

In accordance with Part 4 of Art. 158 of the LC RF, if the owners of the premises in an apartment building at a general meeting have not decided to establish a fee for the maintenance of a residential building, this amount is set by the local government (in the cities of federal significance Moscow, St. Petersburg and Sevastopol - by the state authority of the corresponding constituent entity of the Russian Federation if the law of the relevant constituent entity of the Russian Federation does not establish that these powers are exercised by local authorities of intracity municipalities).

If the HOA or housing cooperative is created in the house, in this case the amount of obligatory payments and (or) contributions of members of the HOA or the cooperative is determined by the governing bodies of these persons.

In accordance with Art. 157 LCD of the Russian Federation the fee for hot water supply, cold water supply, sanitation, electricity, gas, heating is calculated according to the tariffs established by state authorities of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Local government bodies may be vested with separate state powers in the field of tariff setting.

If accrued more

What to do to the consumer who received receipts with excessively accrued amount on housing and communal services?

First you need to contact the utility contractor (in particular, to the managing organization) to verify the amounts and recalculate them.

In accordance with clause 31 of Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated 06.05.2011 N 354 “On the provision of utilities to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, the contractor (the person providing utilities to the consumer) is obliged, in particular, to make directly upon the consumer’s appeal verification of the correctness of the calculation presented to the consumer for payment of the amount of utility bills, debts or overpayments of the consumer for utility services, the correctness of charging the consumer with racks (fines, penalties) and immediately, based on the results of the audit, issue to the consumer documents containing correctly charged payments. The contractor is obliged, within 3 working days from the date of receipt of the complaint, to send the consumer a response on its satisfaction or on the refusal of satisfaction, indicating the reasons for the refusal.

In case of unreasonable refusal of the management company to recalculate the payment for housing and communal services or disagreement of the tenant with the arguments given in the answer, the consumer can apply to the State Housing Inspectorate of the subject of the Russian Federation, the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor, and also to the prosecutor's office. Moreover, you can sue the management company in court.

Residents who have decided not to pay the wrongly accrued amounts for housing services should remember that in accordance with paragraph 14 of Art. 155 LC RF, persons who did not timely and (or) did not fully pay fees for housing and utilities (debtors) are required to pay a lender a fine in the amount of one three hundredth refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, valid at the time of payment, from the sums not paid on time for each day of delay starting from the day after the due date for payment on the day of actual payment inclusive. An increase in the established size of interest is not allowed.

There is only one conclusion: it is worth paying for housing services, and in case of dissatisfaction, deal with the management company and / or resource-supplying organizations upon the provision of services and their cost with the assistance of a housing inspection, prosecutor's office and court.

Editorial: About how to save on utility bills, read the following articles this week.

Residents living in an apartment building in any case must pay a number of utilities. What do we pay for utilities? The invoice usually includes payment for the following services:

Without an agreement with the Criminal Code

Now consider the features of payment of housing and communal services without an agreement with the Criminal Code.

If tenants do not conclude an agreement with the Criminal Code, this does not exempt them from paying utility bills..

If an agreement with such an organization was concluded by a person by an elected meeting of tenants, then the absence of this agreement from an individual citizen living here does not exempt him from payment.

If the contract with the Criminal Code has not been concluded, in general, then it is necessary to immediately find another contractor with whom to sign such an agreement. If this is not done, then the house will simply be left without utilities.

The Housing Code of the Russian Federation, namely, article 153 clearly states that a citizen living in a house and consuming communal services is required to pay for them.

About whether residents are required to pay for the maintenance of housing, we will tell you in the next paragraph of the article.

Maintenance and repair bills

Housing and communal services payment for maintenance and repair is charged taking into account the distinctive qualities of the house itself, as well as its technical characteristics. Another significant role in this is played by the LCD of the Russian Federation. If we are talking about the maintenance of housing, then the citizen pays for the following services:

The services that are listed above are basic. Depending on the management company, a couple more names may be included in this list or some of them will be removed.

Moreover, all work that will be provided to a residential building must be agreed upon at the general house meeting. When it comes to current home repairs, the amount of payment for it includes:

Overhaul

Today, among Russians, dissatisfaction with the payment for the overhaul of an apartment building is growing. The fact is that this the amount supposedly should be paid regardless of whether it is necessary to carry out such work or not.

And even today, many have a logical question: are all residents obliged to pay contributions for major repairs. Those who asked a similar question can be pleased, since it is not necessary to pay for this. And the reasons for this are as follows:

Thus, if a fee for a major overhaul is collected from the residents of an individual house, then it is necessary to go to court with a class-type lawsuit.

Is the area of \u200b\u200bthe loggia included in the total area of \u200b\u200bthe apartment to pay for utilities?

The concept of the total living area of \u200b\u200ban individual apartment is clearly spelled out in article 15 of the RF LC. Taking into account the latest changes in legislation, we can confidently say that the total area of \u200b\u200bhousing includes any part of it that serves residents to meet their household needs. Based on the aforementioned article, terraces, verandas, and loggias do not fall into this category.

To calculate the living space, you must resort to the help of other acts.

Here, the Instruction on Housing Accounting is useful.

According to this document, not only balconies and terraces are included in the general quadrature. All non-residential premises fall into this category. The calculation is made taking into account the coefficients of the lowering type.

If it comes to loggias, then it is 0.5, when it comes to the balcony - 0.3, in cases with a veranda - 1. For the calculation, you need to add all the areas of the rooms.

What utilities can you not pay if you do not live in an apartment?

What affects the number of registered people when paying for utilities? The total amount of the rent directly depends not only on the number of citizens with a residence permit. Also taken into account is the availability of counters in the apartment, tariffs, and the total area of \u200b\u200bhousing.

There are, of course, indicators that depend only on meters, for example, electricity charges. But there are those that are impossible to calculate without taking into account the number of registered people.

When calculating the rent for an apartment, depending on the number of residents, the calculation is made according to the average standards for one citizen, which are set individually in each subject.

When a new tenant is registered, there is an increase in rent, but not for all indicators. Those that are calculated depending on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room or the availability of counters remain unchanged.

Now consider the features of payment of housing and communal services by the owner without registration. Owning an apartment without registration is not prohibited by law. But if no one is registered in the apartment, payment of housing and communal services will be charged as if one citizen is registered there.

Conclusion

Based on all that was written above, we can conclude that the payment for housing and communal services has its own nuances and features. To avoid incomprehensible expenses, it is better to carefully study each receipt and understand what and where it came from.

Filling out receipts every month, many property owners have a question: what do we pay money for and is it possible to somehow reduce our expenses. Sometimes it’s enough to study the utility bill more carefully so that in the column “Total” it will be 10, or even 20% less.

If you ask the average Russian citizen about what the utility bill consists of, he will hardly name two or three points. However, in addition to light, hot and cold water supply, heating, there is also a payment for residential wastewater, electricity (including common areas of the house). Having studied the payment in detail, you can find an invoice for the payment of the “radio point”, which was last listened to by grandparents 20-30 years ago. And how long have you last talked not on a cell phone, but on a home phone?

What we pay for and why such prices

The payment for a dwelling includes services for the management of a dwelling house, its maintenance and overhaul, as well as payments of tenants under a social employment contract. The owners of premises at a general meeting, based on the legislative framework, determine tariff rates. In other words, the owners of the apartment themselves control the level of payment.

As mentioned above, utilities include heat, water, gas, electricity, and sanitation. The final amount is calculated at the established rate based on the amount of resources consumed, which are determined either using metering devices or standards. Also do not forget about subsidies.

Tariffs of communal complexes are regulated by special bodies whose task is to justify prices in terms of economic profitability at the time of setting prices. “Climate features, infrastructure development, fuel prices, staff salaries, etc. have a direct impact on the cost of utilities. It also includes the costs necessary to provide goods and services to consumers, ”says Alexey Shmonov, general director of the real estate portal Move.su.

How to save on payments

First, you need to determine what services you never use and what you can refuse. We are talking, for example, about the same radio channel that was previously installed in every house. But interestingly, the “outlet” is not always working, units have a radio, and almost everyone pays for it. The tariff rate is actually small, but, as they say, a penny saves the ruble.

To refuse this service, the owner of the apartment must independently apply for the removal of the radio point. Documents proving ownership, a passport and the latest receipt for payment for services may be required. The shutdown is paid, it occurs after the receipt of payment for the services of an electrician is provided by the applicant. Be sure to take a certificate in which it will be indicated that you no longer need to pay for the radio broadcast from the next month.

Among the "unnecessary" services you can find a collective television antenna, the cost of which can be up to 70 rubles per month. This must be done if the apartment has a satellite dish, cable, or everyone watches TV through the Internet. With a statement, you need to contact the television broadcast network that serves your home. It is necessary to provide papers on the right of ownership, a passport, as well as receipts, which confirm that the applicant has no arrears in payment. In this case, again, you will need to pay for the shutdown (electrician services). Upon completion of work, a certificate is issued, it must be provided to the organization through which utility bills are paid.

The second thing to do in the near future is to install water and gas meters in your apartment. Especially if you think you pay more than you consume. Most of those who decided on individual meters, as a result, save up to 30% on payments. They pay off in a couple of years. And the point is not that homeowners and tenants begin to save water, constantly turn off taps and prevent them from using the extra liter at home. It’s just that the number of people that is registered does not always live in the apartment. The fee in this case is charged not on the number of registered persons, but on cubes of consumed water and gas.

As for light, you can save on double tariff meters. So, for "night kilowatts" the fee will be lower than for those spent during the day. It is convenient for those who work from morning until evening and at home appears after 18.00.

Peak power consumption occurs in the morning (from 6.00 to 10.00) and evening (from 19.00 to 23.00). Old single-rate meters are considered at the same rate, regardless of the time of day. Their big drawback is that they do not always correctly show the energy consumption. Two-tariff at the indicated time switch and consider at a tariff that is advantageous for most residents of Russia. Plus, they are more accurate. It is advantageous to install them both in apartments with gas stoves, and with electric ones. Saving per month is more than 100-150 rubles. It pays off on average in two to three years.

Thirdly, if you travel frequently or have recently returned from a long trip, ask for a recalculation. According to the law, in the absence of an apartment for more than five consecutive days, you can apply for a recount of the communal fee. If there are no meters for water and gas, for the specified period no fee will be charged for these services. The same applies to sewer fees, trash and elevator. This does not apply to maintenance and heating. If the apartment is not privatized, then in any case you will have to pay for the rent.

Of course, one "honest word" will not be enough. It is necessary to provide documents confirming the absence, namely: a certificate stating that you were on a business trip from a certain date, a hospital, a certificate from a travel agency, etc. official papers about staying elsewhere. You may also need tickets, certificates of temporary registration at another address.

Fourth, you can try to get a subsidy. It is issued if the family’s income is less than the state minimum subsistence level or if most of the family budget is spent on housing and communal services. For example, in St. Petersburg the maximum allowable share is about 14%.

You must confirm your right to a subsidy twice a year, otherwise it will cease to be valid and you will need to pay the full amount. Please note: tariffs do not change, just compensation for expenses is paid. In this case, you need to make payments regularly, without delays of more than two months.

Benefits are provided to certain categories of Russian citizens, including people with disabilities, military personnel and large families. Rural health workers and teachers also receive benefits.

Compensation for repairs: who owes whom

For unrepresented services or services of inadequate quality, no one is required to pay. This also applies to utility bills. If for a month there were problems with water supply for more than 8 hours (not necessarily in a row), with electricity - two, gas supply - four, more than a day with heating (we are talking about the heating period) or the voltage in the network was below normal, compensation can be requested.

To prove their case, violations must be recorded. As soon as one of the services is not provided, you need to call the emergency service and leave a request. Require the reference number, name of the dispatcher or the position of the person who answered the call. He is obliged to write about the problem in a special journal, indicate the reason. You can apply for a certificate with which you need to go to the utility provider and ask for a recalculation.

“Please note: if maintenance work is carried out and the water is turned off even for two weeks, you should not hope for a refund. The fact is that these works are already included in the tariff plan and compensation was initially included in monthly payments, ”recalls Alexey Shmonov, general director of the real estate portal Move.su.

What is not included in the "communal"? We must distinguish between utility bills and the maintenance of the common property of an apartment building. ” If in the first case, roughly speaking, you need to pay for what you use in the apartment and the house, then in the second case we are talking about lighting the local area and common areas, export sewage.

Car parking or central heating

At one time, many decided to switch to autonomous heating of apartments. However, heat supply companies have long opposed autonomy in high-rise buildings. According to them, it is unsafe for the life of people living in the house. On the other hand, if the system is installed correctly, there will be no heating problems. Plus, the apartment will be much warmer, since you can independently set the desired temperature in the room. Pleasure is not the cheapest (more than 100 thousand rubles), but it is more likely a benefit in convenience. Further payments will be made on gas meters.

If there is no free money yet, you can install heat meters on the batteries. But you will have to spend a lot of time before they give permission for such work in the housing and communal services. Plus, the purchase of equipment and the services of a specialist who will supply meters will cost a lot. Please note: you will have to pay for central heating, as before. But if the room temperature is below normal, you can claim compensation.

Payment Rules

Before each payment is made, you need to calculate everything yourself. There are frequent cases when housing companies make mistakes. It's not that they want to trick consumers. It’s just that sometimes the program malfunctions, and the human factor has not been canceled. In this case, an application for a refund or recalculation is written in the name of the head of the organization.

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This includes public services, repairs, and other obligatory payments. Is it possible in 2019 not to pay for an apartment in Russia, and what does it threaten with?

Citizens are required to pay for the services that are provided to them as part of housing services. The payment procedure is simple - a receipt arrives at the address of the apartment and the person pays the payment.

But some individuals ignore the duty of payments. In their opinion, at the most than it threatens, the disconnection of services. What is the real risk of failure to pay for an apartment in Russia in 2019?

Highlights

Utility and resource supply organizations in Russia periodically increase the cost of their services. Tariffs for payment of water, electricity, gas and heating are regularly growing.

Due to this, many citizens periodically have difficulties with payment. This is especially noticeable against the backdrop of the economic crisis.

Often, many apartment owners find a solution not to pay for the apartment. The decision to terminate payment for the apartment is supported by the opinion that there will be no special problems.

Like, you think, well, the debt will accumulate, a fine will be charged. When there is money, then I’ll pay. Anyway, my apartment, no one will take it away. But the consequences of non-payment are much more serious than can be assumed.

Service providers can use different methods to deal with debtors. The most harmless is the accrual of interest on debt.

An extreme measure is to evict the deadbeat from the occupied space. What will happen if you do not pay for the apartment?

General concepts

What is meant by payment for an apartment? A person living in a certain living space is required to pay for the associated housing and communal services.

By such is meant the provision of a citizen with the basic goods necessary for a comfortable stay.

According to the legislation of the Russian Federation, any dwelling should be provided with certain benefits.

And if any of the prescribed benefits is missing, you can contact the state authorities with a statement on improving housing conditions.

In particular, housing should have:

bathtub and sink;
heating and electricity system;
sewage system;
water supply system.

The listed objects are precisely the means for representing communal services. Paid:

supply of electricity and heat;
water supply;
drainage of sewage.

In addition to personal property in the form of an apartment, the house also has common property in the form of stairwells, porches, attics and basements.

Their service is also paid by residents. Household territory also requires care, periodically garbage should be removed, etc.

The apartment fee is the full payment for the maintenance of a particular apartment and a partial payment (proportionate) for the maintenance of common property.

List of Mandatory Payments

All payments for the apartment can be divided into basic and additional. The main ones are those that are provided in any apartment.

cold and hot water supply;
electricity and gas supply;
heat supply;
garbage removal / cleaning of the local area.

Tariffs for these services are fixed. They are usually installed once a year and are not reviewed until next year.

Additional services include payment:

television antenna;
radio points;
intercom and other things, without which you can do.

The price of additional services may vary, depending on the service provider and other influencing factors.

Obligatory payment subject to:

power supply;
heating;
water supply;
sewage system.

Normative base

The obligation to pay for housing services appears from the moment of gaining housing.

Even when no one lives in the apartment and no one is registered, this does not save the owner from paying for services.

The ownership of an apartment means that the services are provided and, therefore, payment is charged for them.

Particularly payable:

If we are talking about tenants of housing, then, accordingly, the obligation to pay utility bills appears from the moment of conclusion of the contract of employment.

Payment for utility services is charged on the basis of approved standards based on registered tenants or based on the testimony of installed metering devices (electricity, water, gas).

Until 01.01.2017, fees for certain services were not charged if there were no citizens registered or living in the apartment. So there was no charge for water, electricity, gas.

Based on the application and the evidence presented, recalculation is carried out. In case of refusal, you should contact the court.

What are the consequences

How much can you not pay for an apartment? The legislation regulates that in case of non-payment of communal services for more than three months, the Criminal Code notifies the owner of the impending disconnection.

Within thirty days after notification, the services are disconnected. Debts can be collected in court, including after a trip.

In case of late payment of communal services, it is considered to be legal to charge interest on the amount of debt.

The maximum interest is limited to 1/300 at the daily refinancing rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. In the presence of debt, the supply of communal services may be limited.

The basis becomes the debt in the amount equal to two minimum wages. In this case, the debt is calculated according to the standards of the organization, and not by counters.

An impact measure involves a reduction in the supply of resources or the introduction of a daily limit. Limitation is possible three days after notification of the debtor.

If restricting the provision of services does not help, a complete shutdown is applied. The costs of connection after payment of the debt are borne entirely by the debtor.

Eviction from an apartment is only possible when living in a municipal apartment. At the same time, the deadline for nonpayment is more than six months. Eviction is carried out through the court.

The defendant is the owner (municipality, state bodies). Upon eviction, the debtor is provided with a different living space with minimum living space standards.

For non-payment of a communal apartment from a privatized apartment it is impossible to evict even by court. Important! Heating and cold water can not be turned off, since such a measure will harm other residents.

How to pay less for an apartment

Payment for an apartment can be reduced if you take advantage of benefits, subsidies or compensation.

Benefits for housing and communal services at the federal level are provided:

Heroes (USSR, RF, Social Labor);
invalids and participants of the Second World War;
war veterans;
citizens affected by the Chernobyl accident;
disabled people and families with disabled children;
some other categories.

Most federal beneficiaries pay utility bills at a discount. Compensation must be at least 50%. Benefits are provided only for one apartment.

Take advantage of state subsidies when paying utilities can Russians, whose utility costs exceed 22% of average family income.

Video: what will happen if you do not pay for the apartment

With a higher amount, you need to contact the social protection authorities with a statement on the provision of subsidies laid down by law.

Disabled persons, veterans and similar beneficiaries confirm their status once. To receive any benefits, you need to contact the social security authorities at the place of residence.

What bailiffs can do

Appeal to the court for debt collection becomes an extreme measure, if other methods have not worked on the debtor.

After the court decision comes into force, the debtor has the opportunity to pay off the debt at one time or enter into an agreement with the plaintiff on debt restructuring (about 6 months, but the period can be agreed upon) and pay the debt in installments.

If voluntary repayment by the debtor is ignored, then a compulsory procedure is applied involving the bailiffs.