What is a housing office, what is the abbreviation, what are the responsibilities, how to write a complaint?

About free housing office services

ZhEK is a decoding, which in practice is used more out of habit than to designate a specific body. And it was replaced by households and management companies. Each resident (regardless of whether he or she has property rights to real estate) can submit an application to the Housing Office to receive free services. These include:

• external repairs of building facades, including cosmetic;
• insulation of walls and protection of the roof from leaks;
• replacement of drain pipes;
• strengthening handrails at entrances;
• repairing glass in shared spaces, equipping them with handles and insulating them;
• cosmetic repairs inside the premises (painting, changing the covering, insulation);
• cleaning;
• elimination of mold and leaks caused by violation of the integrity of the facade, roof, and joint balconies.

If free services are not provided in a timely manner, then there is a need to write a complaint to the head of the management company or to a higher authority. As for cockroaches, they cannot be poisoned. Because it involves the use of poisons in public places, which may harm children or pets.

What is a housing office, and why is this concept outdated?

The abbreviation ZhEK itself appeared in the USSR. It was created as a local executive organization of housing and communal services. It was this farm that was called the Housing Office.

But this name changed in different cities. The following names were found:

• REP – repair and maintenance service;
• REU - repair and maintenance department.

They were located in local areas and did not go beyond the boundaries of microdistricts. The task of all these organizations was to provide apartment buildings with everything necessary for normal life, namely:

1. Timely and complete provision of all necessary and available resources in a particular area - water, electricity, gas and heat;
2. Maintaining the required sanitary level in accordance with the law;
3. Carrying out current and major repairs of multi-apartment buildings (MCD);
4. Charging fees for resources used and services received, control over their timely payment.

After the collapse of the USSR, the process of transferring the housing stock from state to private ownership began. The privatization process has been introduced everywhere. Housing offices were transferred under the control of municipal authorities, and corresponding departments were created for them.

In the mid-2000s of the 21st century, a new Housing Code of the Russian Federation came into force. He consolidated the reform in the housing sector. Housing offices were abolished, their tasks were assigned to the following organizations:

1. Housing department is a housing maintenance department;
2. MC – management companies;
3. TSN - real estate owners' partnership (until 2014, TSZH - homeowners' partnership).

That is, management of the municipal services of the apartment complex has been transferred to private hands. At the same time, the owners were given a choice - to directly deal with all issues, create a TSN, or outsource all concerns to the management company.

About paid services of housing office

Paid services are also provided, each of which has an individual price. If residents refuse to pay, the Housing Office has the right to refuse to perform the entrusted functions. Thus, the paid responsibilities of the housing office include:

• changing flooring from one type to another;
• carpentry work;
• changing windows;
• replacement and installation of electrical equipment (wiring, panels, switches);
• scope of activity of a plumber and locksmith (replacement of water taps, replacement of batteries, cutting in locks).

On the replacement of technical equipment by the Housing Office

Housing Office (UK) is an organization that not only controls the cleanliness and comfort of using a house, but also guarantees the safety of using the structure. Therefore, the inspection’s responsibilities include free replacement of some fixtures located inside the apartments. Costs are reimbursed from paid rent and from previously withheld taxes. Thus, citizens can apply for the following assistance:

• 10 years is the period of use of a water tap, therefore, after this period, it must be replaced free of charge;
• 20 years - this period of operation allows you to change the kitchen stove (gas or electric), as well as toilet plumbing (toilet, flush barrel);
• 30 years – the right to replace the bathroom;
• 40 years is the maximum period for using wooden window frames.

Determination of eligibility for such services does not depend on the resident's age, financial status or length of ownership of the apartment. The main thing is to confirm the service life of a particular item and write a letter to the Housing Office to replace it.

In accordance with the Concept for the Development of Housing and Communal Services until 2015, it is planned that the entire housing stock will be serviced mainly through the owners' partnership. In less than five years we will see whether these plans will come true. In the meantime, for many families who are ready to get housing (or those who already have their own apartment), the question becomes which form of management to give preference to - the housing department (housing maintenance area, formerly the housing unit) or the owners' partnership (AP).

Although it is expected that only TS will soon manage apartment buildings, many experts believe that such an idea has neither theory nor practice. One of them, the chief engineer of the Ochag TS, Gennady Kalenov, expressed his opinion in an interview with the journalist [deleted].BY that there should be several forms of urban housing management, there should be competition and the right to choose. He also explained the difference between housing departments and TS.

Today, 85% of apartments in Belarus are privatized. And almost all multi-storey buildings in our country are joint homeownership. This means that in addition to the apartment, which has an owner, there is also property common to the whole house, which is not individual property - these are walls, roofs, elevators, basements... Someone must manage this property, explains the specialist. Our legislation provides for three management options.

— For houses with no more than five apartments, direct management without organizing a legal entity is suitable. A high-rise building or a complex of residential buildings (houses of approximately the same year of construction, having a common plot of land) can be managed by a housing department or an association of owners, says Gennady Kalenov.

The difference between housing departments and vehicles is management

The main difference between the housing department and the owners' partnership is in the management of joint home ownership (walls, roofs, elevators, etc.). If in the first case it is external, then in the TS it is internal control, in other words, self-government.

Both the housing department and the TS are an organization, an enterprise. The only difference is that housing department is a state enterprise, while TS is a non-state enterprise. An owners' partnership is a legal entity with its own current account and a leader (director, chairman). It is subject to the legislation on the enterprise: it must have a seal, maintain documentation, and provide reporting. At the same time, the TS is a non-profit organization, therefore it does not have the right to distribute profits among its members, who are the owners. Housing and communal services is a state organization, which, on the one hand, is subordinate to the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services, on the other hand, to the administration of the district in whose territory it is located. And the TS, like all other organizations, is accountable to the district administration.

And if the district administration holds any meetings (on the heating season, on landscaping), then all the heads of enterprises in the area are called to this meeting, including the heads of housing departments and owner’s associations.

The owners' association provides for reporting, election, and auditing of accounting departments. For example, any member of the TC at any time, by law, can contact the accounting department of the partnership and get acquainted with the accounting data - for example, payroll for the chairman, etc. In the housing department this is not provided for by law. Here you need to write a written appeal and, in accordance with the Law “On Appeals,” receive a response or a reasoned refusal after a certain period of time. This form of management does not provide for annual reporting, holding general meetings and reporting on the implementation of decisions of the general meeting.

It turns out that the degree of activity in decision-making by residents is higher in those buildings where the owner’s association is the chosen form of management. The housing department does not submit its decisions for discussion. And, perhaps, those who do not want to “go to general meetings, make decisions and vote”, “instead of relaxing, raise children”, etc. will find advantages in this.

How is it that in some houses an association of owners is created, while others are managed by housing departments?

According to our legislation, in those joint households where the residents have NOT chosen the form of management of the vehicle, the local administration appoints an authorized person - for example, the housing department of the corresponding district.

If the form of management of joint home ownership is chosen, then a general meeting is held at which the board and manager (chairman) are elected.

And vice versa - if a vehicle is liquidated in an apartment building, then the local administration appoints an authorized person (as a rule, the housing department of the corresponding district, since there are no private management companies and, accordingly, there is no competition).

Regardless of who manages the joint home ownership - the housing department or the housing unit, the rights of apartment owners in relation to the apartments themselves are absolutely the same.

The amount of “fat” does not depend on whether the housing department or the vehicle manages the house. But…

Housing departments have the right and rent out basement premises without the consent of the house owners. TS cannot rent out premises without the 100% consent of all apartment owners. “Everything related to the alienation or rental of common property requires the 100% consent of all apartment owners. As for reconstruction, for example, adding an attic, according to the presidential decree, 50% of the votes are enough,” the interlocutor reports.

The question of the difference in “fat” may arise. Gennady Kalenov claims that the rent is not affected by the fact whether the house is managed by an association of owners or a housing department. In one vehicle, payments may be less than in a house managed by the housing department, and vice versa - the “fat” of the housing department may turn out to be more modest than that of the vehicle.

All houses managed through housing departments pay the same tariff. Today (according to departmental instructions for state-owned enterprises), regardless of the type of house and its location, operating deductions (for maintenance and major repairs) are approximately the same, and they are established by resolution of the Council of Ministers for the entire country.

— The Concept for Housing Development until 2015 precisely describes that this principle contradicts the laws of economics. Because all houses are different in type of construction, utilities, construction period and operating costs are different,” says G. Kalenov.

In an owners' association, the general meeting can decide to collect additional payments, for example, to create working capital, to carry out repairs, for anything - as long as it is justified and adopted by a general decision of the meeting.

As for the TS meeting, it can be held either through a written survey or personal appearance of residents. The legislation provides that CU members can delegate the right to attend a meeting for themselves to anyone - a brother or a neighbor: you just need to draw up a power of attorney in advance and have it certified by your own CU.

How is money raised for renovations?

In houses managed by housing departments, there are monthly deductions for “maintenance” and major repairs. When, for example, the time comes for major repairs (and if the district budget has the necessary money for it), the house is repaired without charging additional funds from the residents. Although recently, housing departments have begun to offer apartment owners various repair options for routine repairs: either standard, or taking into account the wishes of residents and with the transfer of additional funds. But they cannot include additional payments in the housing department notice. By the way, the draft of the new Housing Code provides for an additional type of service (routine repairs) and mandatory contributions for its implementation.

TS has much more opportunities, says Gennady Kalenov, because a particular house has a current account. It’s easier to raise money for parking, for example, in a vehicle.

As for current repairs, based on the autumn inspection of the building, a house inspection report and a financial plan for the next year are drawn up, which are submitted to the general meeting for approval, and also, as a rule, 2-3 weeks for an answer “for” or “against”. When conducting a written vote, a quorum is required: 2/3 of the list. If this is a meeting, then at the first meeting 2/3 of those present are needed, including by proxy, at the second meeting - 50%. There is no difference between a written vote and a meeting in person in the CU.

If the plan is approved, deductions for current repairs begin in January of the following year. By the summer, only half of the required amount is collected, so they collect, as a rule, with a reserve of 30-40%, “so that there is a carryover balance for the next year or insurance in case of unforeseen work.” But the money that accumulates for routine repairs cannot be used for other purposes. And after the work is completed, reports must be drawn up with the participation of the residents of the house.

Operating costs in housing departments:

- approximately 30% - contributions from citizens;

- another third - subsidies from the district budget;

- and a third - organizations must find themselves (by leasing premises or income from business activities).

The TS can act in the same way. They also have the right to receive subsidies from the budget, for which documents are drawn up and justifications are written down.

It is important to know that subsidies are provided only to cover losses, and the maximum amount of assistance is also limited. Also, the money must be spent strictly for its intended purpose in order to avoid penalties: subsidies are strictly controlled by the state. And if the district budget is empty, then there are no subsidies.

However, the expert notes, there are a lot of vehicles where they do not apply for subsidies. These are new houses in which expenses are not so high and losses are not generated.

Compared to the housing department, the vehicle is more mobile, G. Kalenov convinces us:

— The owners’ association can either save on everything or provide additional services for residents. It all depends on the wishes of the owners. Ideally. And to manage it you need a trained specialist.

The expert believes that it is necessary to change people's attitude towards their property.

“You need to understand that the door at the entrance is their property, and it needs to be treated with the utmost care, and pay attention to those who damage it. The type of house and its cost depend on the organizations that manage the property. Such people must be trained and supported in society.

And today, the owners of apartments in any high-rise building can hold a general meeting on any day and decide to choose the form of management of the vehicle or decide to liquidate it. But in the latter case, the decision on the management of private property (which is all joint households) will be made by the state (local administrations). That is, it will be managed by an organization appointed by the local administration as an “authorized person.” However, many people like it, the main thing is to know that there is a choice.

[deleted].by

About maintenance

The application to the housing office is drawn up according to the sample, but for their part, the office specialists must independently take the initiative to check the operating status of technical equipment and utilities. Thus, the administration of the body must monitor the following checks:

• heating operation (central heating only), starting from the serviceability and quality of the pipes and ending with heat transfer (interruptions in the water supply through the pipes must be eliminated);
• serviceability of the sewer system;
• checking the supply of cold and hot water (the serviceability of the heated towel rail and independently replaced pipes in the apartment does not count);
• monitoring the health of lighting.

Before calling a plumber from the housing office or another specialist to your home, you need to clarify whether the assistance is paid and how payment for the services will be made.

ZhAKT, ZHEU, ZhKO - reviving the Soviet past

State management of private housing is now a reality. Look at Moscow: Zhilischnik has been ruling the roost there for a long time. It remains to secure the state monopoly on housing management legally. However, this outcome, in my opinion, was already programmed when the privatization of apartments, and then the rooms in them, began. Of course, a gift that was made once, and for some is given right now (privatization is free), in itself does not represent anything bad. But he did not take into account how the housing would be managed.

Apartment buildings are different. In some places it is possible to organize the management of a small house, the apartments in which belong to socially close people, in other places the possibility of harmonious management is fundamentally unattainable. In fact, the problem of separating management from property, which is what happens in our case of housing stock, was studied almost 100 years ago in the USA. And even then it became clear that such a separation is extremely harmful, since it deprives all participants in the relevant relationships of the necessary incentives. However, few people in the USSR knew about this...

Therefore, privatization was carried out as if the problem of separating management from property did not exist. This is why employees of large companies have long lost their participation rights (corporate rights) in them; I wrote about such risks back in 1991. The situation with residential premises, however, dragged on, which was due to strict regulation of utility bills and benefits for them. Managers did not have mechanisms that would allow them to “take” ownership of housing into their own hands, as they did in commercial organizations. Therefore, the housing stock was very poorly managed for almost 30 years.

For those who doubt, we have all the signs of separating management from ownership. On the one hand, the owners of apartments in multi-apartment buildings do not actually take part in their management (they do not go to meetings, do not sign any documents, etc.). Why would they need this if housing costs are strictly rationed. On the other hand, managers could improve the service situation, but their fees are also imperatively regulated. And besides, they have no rights to the apartments themselves. There is a real deadlock, which I wrote about in relation to another situation.

And there are no ways to resolve this deadlock. Therefore, it is proposed to transfer the housing stock to the management of state organizations. And there, perhaps, there will be a solution. But it can only be found in the combination of ownership and management. Public administration is a palliative that can only reduce the number of complaints and unreasonable expenses during the period of “dying” of apartment property. I think that without buying out individual apartments and creating apartment buildings managed by private companies, the problem of effective housing maintenance cannot be solved.

I'm afraid the state will have to partially subsidize the purchase of apartments in the most problematic buildings in order to improve their management. The resettlement of Khrushchev houses is partly similar to this process (due to subsidies), but it only aggravates the problem of separating management from ownership, because the old problems remain. The state should subsidize the purchase of apartments because it itself has made mistakes that led to the deplorable state of the housing stock. In addition, the creation of apartment buildings frees you from the need to even think about housing maintenance.

Of course, in order for apartment buildings to function on market conditions, it will be necessary to cancel all benefits for housing and utilities, introduce rental payments for state and municipal apartments, etc. Newly constructed housing should not use the old management system, which replicates problems. Only relatively small houses should remain under the management of residents, on the condition that all expenses are covered. These are strict rules, residents will have to pay more, I am sure that they will not agree to them now, especially since they will completely remove the housing sector from the influence of the state. But I don’t see any other way out. Well, if only we nationalize housing again... which we have already gone through.

About maintenance: heating and sewerage

You can call a specialist to your home to perform free and paid functions. Thus, the housing office cannot refuse to call an employee if there is a risk of harm to property or the health of residents due to the possibility of an accident (for example, the risk of flooding of neighbors).

Thus, when installing water and heating pipes, a specialist is authorized to carry out the following activities:

• dismantling of mixers and taps, as well as installation of new equipment;
• repair of heating columns;
• removing blockages;
• carrying out welding work with pipes.

When repairing heating, the following nuances must be taken into account:

• correct elimination of leakage;
• guarantee of no blockages;
• repair of air valves.

The specialist bears appropriate responsibility for the quality of work performed. If the work is performed poorly, then you need to complain to the housing office administration.

About emergency services: power supply and emergency response

An application for a call from the housing department of the foreman is made in writing or orally by telephone. There is another way to call an electrician to your house from the housing office, ask for the specialist’s phone number in order to negotiate with him personally. The electrician carries out the following work:

• troubleshooting wiring, but only in common areas;
• replacing the shield or only part of the faulty parts;
• changing devices that control electricity consumption and fluctuations;
• changing light bulbs and damaged lampshades in entrances.

Emergency situations in the housing and communal services sector may include:

• flooding of basements;
• basement collapse;
• pipe break;
• riser failure.

If a breakdown is identified that requires surgical intervention, specialists are called urgently and immediately begin to repair the breakdown.

Procedure for contacting the Housing Office

As practice shows, citizens are not always able to complain to the office about detected violations and breakdowns. This is due to ignorance of the procedure for filing applications and the rules for their execution. Currently, the following methods of contact are provided:

1. By phone. Each department has a contact telephone number designated for receiving requests from residents. You can view it on housing and communal services payment receipts. When calling, it is important to find out the name and position of the person with whom the applicant is speaking. After a detailed description of the problem, the dispatcher will inform you when a specialist will arrive at the specified address and how his services should be paid.
2. Personal appeal. If the office is located close to home (usually in a densely populated residential area), then you can go there yourself and report your problem. The appeal is recorded in the journal without drawing up an accompanying statement. Here you also need to clarify the details of the employee accepting the application.
3. Online. Almost every department’s website has a feedback form where you can outline the essence of the problem. This option has a number of disadvantages. The applicant cannot be sure whether anyone reads such communications and, if so, what the frequency of viewing the correspondence is. If there is no response to the appeal, it is difficult to identify the responsible employee who ignored the petition.

In addition to a personal letter, you can prepare a collective appeal. As a rule, on the basis of each house there is a self-government acting on behalf of all residents.

What is a housing office?

The term “housing maintenance office” itself became outdated in the Russian Federation back in 2005, but is still relevant in some states of the post-Soviet space. Having appeared in 1959, the organization in question was mainly engaged in the improvement of local areas. Today, housing office is the unofficial name of household authorities. In principle, any management companies that carry out their labor functions in the field of housing and communal services can be called a housing office.

Today, the housing office is a place of daily heated disputes between residents and managers. There is probably no more controversial and problematic organization than the one presented in this article. What is this connected with? Mostly due to the incompetence of the building manager’s workers. However, residents located in the serviced area should also have a little more legal culture in dealing with the housing office. It is about what can and should not be demanded from housing and communal services that will be discussed further.

Making a complaint

There are several authorities where to complain about the actions of the housing office. Thus, statements can be written:

1. To the management of a specific inspection. The head of the institution carries out supervisory functions, so you should immediately turn to him to protect your personal interests. There are two days to respond to the complaint, after which the injured party appeals to a higher authority.
2. District office. The complaint can be sent in person, by mail, or by email (the address is on the official website and is individual for each region).
3. Consumer Protection Service. Submitting an application to this authority is possible only in cooperation with commercial organizations. As for state-owned companies, the only form of influence on them is a fine.
4. The court is the last resort. Appeal to the courts is advisable if material damage has been caused by the actions or inaction of the housing office.

Recently, there has been an increase in the popularity of management companies - private management companies. For residents, the advantage is that these are commercial organizations, and therefore the requirements for them are more stringent. Management companies, unlike housing offices, must fully perform their functions and do this on a paid basis.

For their part, apartment owners can protect their rights in the prosecutor's office and law enforcement agencies, and the Consumer Rights Protection Service is authorized to liquidate companies against which complaints are received.

Other designations for utilities

Management companies on the market initially performed poorly. In fact, the same managers of housing offices and their employees remained, only the name and legal form of the enterprise changed, as well as the cost of services in bills. However, their quality remained at the same level.

The management company was still commonly called the housing office. Therefore, some of them began to be called as follows:

1. ZHEUK is a housing maintenance management company;
2. Housing and communal services is a housing and communal service.

For this reason, citizens often continue to confuse the Criminal Code with the Housing Office, leaning toward the latter terminology. But this is not true. In general, they deal specifically with private management companies. In the future, for the sake of simplicity, all these companies will be called ZhES - this is a housing maintenance service.