The procedure for carrying out major repairs in an apartment building

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Today, Russian citizens are increasingly interested in the question of what kind of work is included in the concept of “major repairs”.

This trend, with the growing interest in the overhaul of houses (and, accordingly, in the list of works that make up the overhaul), is quite predictable today, because according to the new legislative amendments introduced in 2014, all rights holders of housing in apartment buildings must regularly pay financial contributions for overhaul.

The introduction of mandatory payments to capital repair funds caused quite a noticeable public outcry, and, of course, most citizens have already paid attention to the new line of expenses in utility bills. But not all residents of apartment buildings have yet figured out what kind of house renovation work this is and why they should pay for it.

One of the ways to preserve (and restore) the housing stock is timely, high-quality overhaul of exploited residential buildings, which requires a considerable amount of funding.

Let us immediately note that property owners who make contributions for major repairs are not the only financial source for carrying out major repairs in apartment buildings. The legislation spells out entire financial mechanisms for the participation of both the owners of apartments themselves and government bodies at various levels. However, the primary responsibility to finance the renovation of your own home, of course, lies with homeowners.

At the same time, financial assistance from the state or regional government agencies, which is of an auxiliary nature, is added to the mandatory contributions of apartment owners accumulated for major repairs.

A different situation arises when an apartment building has non-privatized housing, that is, part of the apartments belongs to the state or municipality. In this case, the authorities of the municipality (state) bear the costs of financing future major repairs in proportion to their own share, as if they were ordinary homeowners.

Payments by property owners who are required to make contributions must be monthly, and their exact amounts are regulated by each Russian region separately.

To find out the latest information about the size and terms of payment of contributions to the regional capital repair fund, you can go to the website officially dedicated to the issues of capital repair work in the corresponding constituent entity of the Russian Federation. There you can also familiarize yourself with current legislative acts regulating the rights and obligations of homeowners in apartment buildings in the area under consideration.

How does a major overhaul differ from a current one?

Current and major repairs are two types of repairs that differ in the methods of financing and the list of types of work. Current repairs are carried out by the organization that maintains your home. It is paid from funds collected for the maintenance of the common property of the house. A fund will be formed over the course of several years for major repairs. The overhaul is financed from this fund. In addition, the house may receive subsidies from the federal or regional budget.

As for the work, current repairs are precautionary in nature. According to the Rules for the Maintenance of Common Property of Apartment Buildings, the management organization must conduct inspections of the premises and, on their basis, draw up a work plan for routine repairs. During the overhaul, in-house utility networks and elevators are comprehensively restored or replaced, and restoration work is carried out on the facade and roof of the building.

Legislative acts regulating the procedure for carrying out major repairs

The definition of major repairs is given in Article 166 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. The same article establishes the rules for carrying out major repairs. Article 154 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation describes what payments are included in the payment for residential premises. Contributions for major repairs are included in the structure of payment for residential premises. Article 158 of the RF Housing Code specifies that owners of non-residential premises are also required to pay contributions for major repairs.

An apartment building can receive financial support from the state corporation “Fund for Assistance to the Development of Housing and Communal Services.” To receive money, you need to contact the relevant regional authorities. Next, the Fund will receive an application on behalf of your region. If funds are allocated, they can be used to pay interest on the loan for major repairs, as well as to pay for work to improve the energy efficiency of the house (as part of the major repairs). The maximum amount of subsidies is 5 million rubles per apartment building. The rules for providing this type of subsidies are established by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated January 17, 2017 No. 18. Of course, this is a rather complicated procedure. In 2021, only 27 houses across Russia received this kind of support. Deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation have already proposed to simplify the procedure for obtaining financial support for major repairs. However, the corresponding bill has not yet been adopted.

Real reviews about the overhaul

As of last year, 737 thousand apartment buildings were included in the overhaul program throughout Russia. In 117 thousand of them, repairs have already been carried out. Accordingly, hundreds of thousands of Russians witnessed the major overhaul.

It will be impossible to take into account all opinions, but positive reviews are rarely published online. On social networks and forums you can find predominantly negative reactions to the quality of the work performed.

Among the advantages

note the following points:

• replacement of water supply and sewerage risers, coils, batteries and other networks with new ones;
• attempts to “ennoble” the entrance - new entrance doors, lighting, electrical wiring, painting; window replacement; replacement of heating radiators;
• all services are free (meaning that, in addition to fees for major repairs, you do not have to pay for a minimum set of works).

There are many times more negative reviews. The most common complaints are unprofessionalism and incompetence of workers

. The reason for this is that regional funds have limited funds and enter into a contract with the company that offers the lowest price for the work.

From here we can highlight the following complaints:

• pipe replacement: does not apply to apartment wiring; new pipes turn out to be smaller in diameter, and no one seals the cracks; sometimes they can accidentally damage tiles and other finishing elements;
• heating: not everyone likes which radiators are chosen for replacement; often the work is carried out poorly and at the first inspection all the pipes begin to leak;
• electrician: a lot of complaints, often you have to hire “normal” electricians to correct errors;
• facades: cheap materials and poor quality workmanship; there are cases when the entire layer of insulation was torn off by a gust of wind;
• entrances: sloppy repairs, errors with electrical wiring; incorrectly installed doors and non-functioning intercoms (even if an expensive video intercom is installed);
• roof: there are cases where the contractor removed the existing roof and disappeared for several months (including in winter);
• general level of work: constant outages of electricity, water and sewerage; damaged repairs; some work can take months.

As a result, many people remember major repairs as one continuous negative, and minor and not so minor shortcomings have to be eliminated for a long time.

Method for forming a capital repair fund

Residents of apartment buildings cannot refuse to pay contributions for major repairs, since this is their responsibility by virtue of the direct instructions of the law. However, they can decide how funds will be accumulated for major repairs. There are two options here: a special account for an apartment building in a bank or the formation of a capital repair fund in the account of a regional capital repair operator. By default, contributions are transferred to the account of the regional operator. The special account is owned by the organization servicing the apartment building (UO, HOA or housing cooperative). And collection of funds, if there is a special account, is also carried out by the management organization, HOA or housing cooperative that services the apartment building; major repairs in this case are included as a separate line in the receipt for the management and maintenance of the general property of the apartment building. The regional overhaul operator is a third-party organization that issues a separate receipt.

Please note that management companies, homeowners' associations or housing cooperatives cannot place contributions for major repairs on their bank accounts. This is a violation of housing legislation and is fraught with fines. For a special account, you must select a bank that meets the conditions described in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 24, 2018 No. 497. Today there are five banks in the Russian Federation that fully satisfy these conditions: PJSC Sberbank, Bank GPB (JSC), VTB Bank (PJSC), JSC Rosselkhozbank, JSC ALFA-BANK. If the owner of a special account has opened it in another bank, it is necessary to urgently convene an OCC, which will decide which of the five banks the special account should be transferred to.

The advantage of a special account is that the residents of the house, through the OSS, can decide on the timing of major repairs. When the regional operator manages the capital repair fund for an apartment building, he sets the time frame for the major repairs, and also selects the contractor.

Overhaul program: what does it include?

In the initial part of the article, we found out what the concept of “major repairs” is and why homeowners of apartment buildings are required to pay for its implementation by contributing personal money to a trust fund. Now we propose to understand what obligations related to carrying out major repair work the state bears to citizens, and what is being done under the major repair program.

The list of works can be found in the text of Art. No. 166, part 1 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation. Here is a list of mandatory work carried out during major repairs:

1. In-house engineering systems must be repaired, such as: electricity, heating, hot/cold water supply, gas supply, water drainage.
2. Elevator equipment must be repaired or replaced.
3. Roofing work must be carried out.
4. Basements (common property) must be repaired.
5. Façade and foundation repairs must be carried out.
6. Repairs to the underlying foundation must be made.

In addition to the above list of capital works, each constituent entity of Russia can supplement the work list at its discretion by including the following items:

1. Measures to insulate the façade of a building.
2. Activities aimed at converting a non-ventilated roof into a ventilated roof.
3. Work on organizing passages to the roof surface of multi-family houses, etc.

In addition to the above, other types of work may be included. To expand the list of capital works, residential property owners must vote at a general meeting to ensure that the amount of the monthly contribution exceeds the minimum value. Then, based on the voting results, the owners will be able to spend the money paid “excessively” on repair work at their discretion.

Overhaul program in important nuances

The types and timing of work are approved for each specific apartment building: not only the “physical” condition of the residential building is taken into account, but also its age. To find out the types and timing of planned capital works of apartment buildings, you must contact:

• or to the information on the website of the overhaul program approved at the regional level;
• or go to the “territory” of the “Our City” portal: enter your residential address and house number in the search column; then select the “Apartment buildings” section on the right; then select the section “Regional capital repair programs”;
• or go to the “territory” of the Moscow City Hall website (mos.ru).

Important note! According to the plan, the regional-level overhaul program will last until 2044. This program is updated annually. A complete list of capital works in relation to apartment buildings that need repairs between now and 2021 can be found on the “territory” of the website called “Modern Apartment Overhaul Fund”.

What work can be performed during both major repairs and current repairs?

If you approach selectively and thoughtfully the list of works that are required during a major overhaul, and compare with a similar list of routine repair works, you can easily notice that there are similarities between them.

We suggest you figure out what kind of work is both a major overhaul and a current one. For ease of understanding, here is a table of general work:

The range of work carried out during major repairs and current repairs in apartment buildings must be formed individually, taking into account the needs of each specific building, through the adoption of a house-wide joint decision between the apartment owners and the contractor organization that has passed selection competitions for carrying out repair actions.

Each region of the country has a regional program for the overhaul of apartment buildings, both in cities and in populated areas.

Activities for capital repairs of apartment buildings

During the overhaul, the intra-house communications, which make up the UI of the MKD, are restored or completely changed. Namely: water supply and sewerage systems, electrical wiring, gas equipment, heat supply system. A complete list of overhaul works is indicated in Art. 166 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation.

Elevators must be replaced if they have been in use for more than 25 years. If the elevator was installed less than 25 years ago, the cabin and lifting equipment are repaired. If necessary, elevator shafts are also repaired.

Roof overhaul involves replacing the roof covering, repairing or replacing the supporting structure of the roof, restoring the thermal insulation and water resistance of the roof, and painting the roof if necessary.

The foundation is being repaired taking into account the location of the supporting structures of the first floor and the diagram of utility networks. During a major overhaul of the façade of an apartment building, the tightness of the seams, plaster and facing tiles are restored, and the flashings and drainpipes are changed.

The order of the Ministry of Construction of the Russian Federation dated February 15, 2017 No. 98/pr lists the types of major repair work that can increase the energy efficiency of apartment buildings. This list includes work on sealing interpanel seams, cracks and additional thermal insulation of the walls of the house. In addition, the order recommends installing communal meters for the consumption of utility resources, modernizing heating units by installing heating points. Regarding electrical energy, the Order proposes to install LED lamps and ODPU in the entrances to prevent unmetered electricity consumption.

Who controls the overhaul?

If in your home money for major repairs is accumulated in a special account of the regional operator, then the regional operator should control all the work. Indeed, according to Article 180 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, in this case the reoperator must become the customer for major repairs. In a situation where your home has a special account to which funds for major repairs are transferred, then all complaints about quality should be addressed to the management company, HOA or housing cooperative. That is, the organization that services your home.

conclusions

1. Major repairs are a separate type of activity for the maintenance of apartment buildings, which is financed from the funds of the house capital repair fund.
2. The MKD overhaul fund is formed by one of the methods chosen by the owners: accumulation of funds in a special MKD account or in the account of a regional overhaul operator.
3. The types of work that are carried out as part of the overhaul are determined by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation and a number of legislative acts.
4. The quality of work during major repairs is controlled by the regional capital repair fund or the management company, depending on the chosen method of accumulating funds for major repairs.

Who is eligible for benefits

A number of preferential categories of citizens have the right to compensation for contributions for major repairs.

Compensation 50%

Citizens over 70 years of age:

• non-working owners of residential premises living alone;
• the owners are from a family consisting of non-working pensioners living together.

Compensation 100%

Citizens who have reached the age of 80:

• non-working owners of residential premises living alone;
• the owners are from a family consisting of non-working pensioners living together.

And:

• WWII veterans;
• disabled war veterans;
• parents of disabled children.

How to get compensation

The following documents must be submitted to the territorial social protection authorities:

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• insurance certificate (SNILS);
• document confirming ownership of residential premises;
• certificate of jointly registered family members;
• receipt for payment of the contribution for major repairs for the previous month;
• statement.

The following may not pay fees:

• residents of a house recognized as unsafe;
• residents of a house located on a plot that is being withdrawn for state or municipal needs.

Useful documents for owners

OSS protocol on choosing a method for forming a capital repair fund

OSS protocol on major repairs

https://fkr-mosreg.ru/documents/