“Communal Awareness”
In this issue of the rubric “Communal Awareness” journalists of “Komsomolskaya Pravda” (hereinafter “KP”) together with experts of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services will dwell upon the routine repairs (renovation) of the entrance.
Renovation of the entrance on request of tenants or on demand of the Housing Maintenance and Communal Service
- I remember the times when the routine repairs were free for the tenants. When did everything change?
- Before the Housing Code came into force, i.e. until 2013, routine repairs had been included in maintenance service. But later on these lines were divided, - the Head of the Housing Management Department of the Ministry of Communal Services Andrei ROMASHKO told “KP”. It was decided to gradually increase the participation of citizens to cover the costs of routine repairs and maintenance of common property. And the first thing they did was to impose upon citizens the duty of paying for routine repairs.
Today the renovation of the entrance is carried out at the request of residents or mandatory – when there is need for it from the point of view of the standards of its maintenance. In the first case, residents themselves apply to the Housing Maintenance Service with a request to renovate the entrance. In the second case, if there are some defects and damages in the entrance (exfoliation of plaster, paint, cracks, inscriptions on its walls, etc.) repairs will be mandatory. And in both cases, repairs are carried out at the expense of residents.
The commissions appointed by the administrations of the districts determine the minimum volume of work to be done in the entrance. Any extra work is to be approved by more than half of the residents of the entrance.
- Is it somehow possible to influence the decision of the Housing Maintenance Service? - For instance, to choose the color of the walls?
- The color of the façade is approved by the departments of architecture of the districts. Inside, the walls of the entrance can be painted in any color. But the walls on all floors should be of the same color. It is utterly impossible that, let us say, the residents of the third floor would like to have red walls, the residents of the fourth floor - green walls, and those living on the fifth floor would prefer to have blue walls.
The cost of repairs is divided among all the residents of the entrance
The entrances of a multi-unit residential building may look different – somewhere it is necessary to renovate the ceilings, and somewhere the stair rails must be replaced,” says Andrei Romashko. “Therefore, it was decided to bill for the repairs of the entrance to all residents of this particular entrance”.
- If, for instance, the ceilings on the 7th and 8th floors are in need of whitewashing, but I live on the 2nd floor, shall I have to pay for the whitewashing too?
- When repairs are associated with operational reliability, safety, aesthetic appearance, the report is drawn up for all defects in the entrance. Well, some floors may be in a worse state whereas the state of others may be better. But the costs will be distributed among all owners in proportion to the area of the apartments. But if the tenants of one or two floors of a multi-unit residential building decide to carry out some redecoration just to simply refresh the space, then the costs will be distributed only between the residents of these apartments.
Even if you do not sign the contract, the repairs will be done
Before the routine repairs, no matter whether they are to be done at the initiative of citizens, or at the initiative of the housing organization, residents are invited to conclude a contract for the provision of these services. They need to know when the repairs will begin, what will be done and how much it will cost.
- This all is registered in the contract which is concluded with the owner(s). The contract is compulsory because routine repairs are an obligatory housing and communal service. But if you refuse to conclude a contract, the repairs will be done all the same, and you will be billed.
- Are there many residents who do not want to sign a contract?
"- Nobody has ever been taken to court. Residents are explained that the contract is first of all a means of protection of their interests and rights. If the state of the entrance doesn’t meet the necessary requirements, the repairs will be done by all means. But with a contract in your hand you can uphold your rights for the quality of the work done.
- Do residents have to pay for the repairs immediately?
- Each case is individual. Today, the market for repair services is very large. And everyone tries to tempt clients by offering their advantageous terms. Someone may offer a lower price, someone may agree to installments. Housing Maintenance Services may also offer favorable terms and conditions.
BE AWARE OF!
What sorts of repair work in the house you live in are carried out
… at the expense of tenants:
- the stairs and railings;
- the front entry: the canopy, staircase, landing, stairs-foot, lobby, etc;
- the tambours.
... at the expense of the state:
- engineering systems of heat-, water- and electricity supply, air ducts, etc .;
- the roof;
- the facades;
- the cellars.
IT’S WORTH MAKING A NOTE OF!
How can the routine repairs of the entrance be carried out?
- On the initiative of:
... the residents
If you want to refresh the renovation in the entrance, change the color of the walls, etc., put in an application to the Housing Maintenance Service. Renovation of the entrance can be done if consent to this work is done by not less than half of its residents
… the Housing Maintenance Service/the Housing Maintennace and Communal Service – if the state of the entrance doesn’t meet the necessary requirements.
During the scheduled inspection of the entrance (in autumn and spring, or when experts check up the work of lighting appliances, the cleanliness of the entrance, etc.), experts draw up a report in which they indicate what repairs should be carried out in the entrance.
- Calculation of the costs of the repairs is made
On the basis of the inspection report, the maintenance organization estimates the costs of the repairs, prepares a contract for the repair of the entrance and invites the tenants to familiarize themselves with its main points.
- Amendments and corrections in the text of the contact are made
If residents want the repairs to be carried out by another organization, they must obtain a written consent to this from at least half of the residents of the entrance. In the same way, they agree the additional work to be done in the entrance or choose the color of the walls.
- Be sure of the quality of the repairs
After the end of the routine repairs, a two-year guarantee is given for the quality of work carried out in the entrance. If, for instance, in a year the plaster falls off, the contractor will be obliged to eliminate the defect at its own expenses. But the guarantee will have no effect if, let us say, the walls or the ceiling was spoilt deliberately. In this case, repairs are carried out at the expense of the residents or at the expense of the guilty person, if found.
IT IS IMPORTANT!
The cost of the repairs of the entrance is distributed among residents in proportion to the total area of their apartments. It does not matter how many people are registered in the apartment or how often the residents of the apartment receive guests. The rent for the total area of the apartment is fixed legislatively - having an apartment in your property, you own all the common property of the house in proportion to the total area of your housing.
The cost of the repairs of the entrance is included in the rent to be paid to the Housing Maintenance Service, and in case the residents refuse to pay, the money is recovered in legal form.
NO QUESTIONS REMAIN WITHOUT ANSWERS
The questions of the readers are answered by experts of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services.
- With the onset of frosts, a cold wind blows from under the plinth in the room. In the basement I noticed a large number of small cracks and various technological holes in the slabs. Part of the wall adjoining the basement is damp and cold. Who should seal all the holes and conduct a thermal rehabilitation of the floor and walls adjoining the basement?
- The work connected with the repair of windows in basements, slabs and walls of basements are carried out by the Housing Maintenance Service at the expense of budgetary funds.
- Housing Maintenance Service No. 31 has hung an announcement about inclusion of the payment for the refuse bin in the rent bill. Does the Housing Maintenance Service have the right to do it? Can the tenants refuse to pay it?
- Work on the maintenance, replacement and installation of refuse bins in the adjacent areas (if they are provided for in the project documentation for the construction of a dwelling house) is carried out at the expense of budgetary funds. Installation of refuse bins can also be carried out at the expense of the residents, but only if there is a contract for the provision of such services. If there is no contract, inclusion of the cost for refuse bins maintenance in the rent bill is illegal and shouldn’t be paid.
Send your questions on the communal subject to the address dom@phkp.by
