Attention!
New residents still continue to be exposed to risks associated with utility bills! Inattention at the stage of re-registration of documents can lead to quite unpleasant consequences that plunge even an inveterate optimist into despondency. Experts recommend that after registering property rights, you should continue your journey through the authorities without delay in order to re-issue agreements on utility payments as soon as possible.
We decided to figure out what could result from ignoring this important issue, and also offer the reader an optimal algorithm of action.
Buying a home is, of course, an important event, and many newly minted property owners, having completed the official registration process, go to celebrate the housewarming and explore the new space, putting aside the rest of the paperwork.
When can I change my personal account?
It will not be possible to deal with paperwork at the same time: first – registering property, then – registering a personal account. A payment document must be issued for each individual apartment. It is by the account number that information about payment for utility services is tracked down to each date and amount.
The document must indicate:
• exact address of the apartment;
• housing area;
• information about the account owner and the number of registered citizens;
• details related to landscaping.
As a rule, one invoice is issued for the entire apartment, although the owners, if desired and agreed, can split the invoices, which will be discussed below. The main owner is determined by agreement of the owners, for which it is necessary to write an application at the passport office, which will issue the necessary certificate.
It is important to remember that, regardless of any circumstances related to the apartment and its owner, utilities continue to make charges, and if the apartment has already been purchased, financial responsibility falls on the new owner. Therefore, it is important not to delay this issue and not create confusion in receipts.
Where and how do they open?
The question of creating props is the main one, because... associated with the practical side of the problem. We have already said: which point you should contact depends on the number of companies servicing the house.
If payments for all types of services are received in a single check
, everything is simple here: you need to visit the management company and submit an application along with the required documents to open a personal account in your person.
Note 3.
When buying an apartment, be sure to ask the seller how things are going with paying for housing and communal services. Otherwise, you may have problems in the future in connection with the existing debt, which was left “as a gift” from the previous owners. Don't be satisfied with verbal assurances - ask for documentary evidence.
Algorithm for opening a personal account:
- collect all available receipts received in connection with payment for housing and communal services;
- in the payment documents, look at the addresses of services and companies that are responsible for accepting payments (here you can find addresses and phone numbers);
- prepare documents (read about this below);
- contact the authority that accepts payments from the public.
Once copies of the documentation have been submitted, the process is completed.
Note 4.
In most cases, from next month you will begin to receive payment receipts with the indicated personal account, full name of the apartment owner and the number of registered household members.
Important! Contacting utility services to create details is only appropriate if all family members have registered at the place of residence. This is because most services are charged per person.
Now let's move on to studying the issue of required papers and the nuances associated with them.
Opening an account: where to go?
If the apartment was purchased in a new building
, you just need to open a personal account. To do this, you need to write a statement in any form and bring it to the management company. In order for a set of numbers to pay for utilities to be provided in the near future, a passport and a transfer deed are sufficient.
When an apartment was purchased on the secondary market
or received by new owners, for example, under a gift or exchange agreement
, in order to receive a financial account, you will have to apply to the HOA or management organization, also presenting a passport and a document that confirms ownership. When receiving housing under a social tenancy agreement, an appropriate agreement will be required.
If the property is shared
, it is required to collect statements from all owners. Many people find it convenient to re-issue a financial document through the Unified Settlement Center. It happens that a new account has already been opened, but receipts continue to come to the previous owner. In this case, it is necessary, without delay, to call or contact the suppliers in writing and resolve the issue related to updating the information.
What kind of prop is this?
Facial
an account is a digital combination - a designation of an account required by residents of a particular house to make payments for the use of housing and communal services.
What is considered housing and communal services? This:
- water supply;
- drainage;
- gas supply;
- maintenance of the house itself and the surrounding area;
- heating (during the cold season);
- energy supply.
Note 1.
Water supply refers to the organization of access to hot and cold water.
In cities and other settlements, housekeeping is provided by a variety of public services. In this case, most often gas is organized by one company, water by another, electricity by a third.
Important! All of these services are combined in one receipt, according to which residents pay for them.
Cash collections are handled either by settlement centers or management companies.
Where to go to open a personal account? To understand this, you need to find out how many companies are engaged in servicing the house in which you now live. The further course of action depends on this.
Note 2.
Regardless of the number of owners and actual residents, the details are opened for one person. This is usually one of the home owners. Who will handle the paperwork is decided independently - this is not regulated by law.
Updating your personal account: an effective algorithm
In order not to run in circles through authorities, you can use an effective algorithm
, allowing you to resolve the utility and financial issue as quickly as possible. You need to take your passport and documents for the apartment and go to the Unified Settlement Center, where you need to leave an application with a request to transfer the account to another owner. From the moment the document is received and processed, accruals should already be made to the new owner.
Next you need to go to the management company
, with which you need to conclude a new service agreement, or renew contracts with suppliers of electricity, gas, heat, water, if agreements were concluded directly. If this was not done at the stage of purchasing the apartment, you need to find out when the meters were last verified. If the three-year period has already expired, it is worth initiating this process. Many people save on metering devices, but, as experience shows, this ultimately results in additional expenses.
If necessary, leave a landline phone number
, refuse it or connect to the network, you must write a corresponding application to the Rostelecom division. At the same time, it’s worth understanding the Internet, choosing a provider that suits you and concluding an agreement with him. Since the exact list of all documents for registering an account changes periodically, it is important to clarify it before going through the authorities.
It is also worth knowing that it is better for a responsible tenant to be registered in the new apartment. Otherwise, it is possible that you will have to pay higher rates for most services. In any case, you will need an extract with information about everyone “registered” in the living space.
If your re-registration is refused
If all debts are repaid, management organizations rarely refuse to open a new personal account.
Most often, problems arise if the previous owner left behind exorbitant debts.
It is worth remembering that the new owner is not responsible for the financial obligations of the previous owner of the property. There is a possibility that utility companies will try to force the new owner to pay “in full” - both for debts for electricity and water, and for major repairs of the house, if the payments have not been paid in full.
To avoid any misunderstandings, it is better to make sure that there are no debts at the stage of purchasing a home. Their presence, by the way, may be a reason to talk about reducing the price. But if the account statement is not considered an important document to study, it must be remembered that no matter what the debts of the previous owners were, the utility company is obliged to issue a new account to the owners, and he will pay for it.
If it is not possible to reach an agreement with organizations on re-registration, their decision must be appealed. However, as practice shows, more often than not, simply warning about such an intention is enough to resolve the issue. If the utility workers insist that they are right, they must send a statement to the prosecutor, attaching their refusal and documents on ownership.
It happens that this does not help, then you will have to file a claim in court. It is recommended to indicate in the application that the new owner is not able to make utility payments, since he does not have a utility account, and he receives refusals to open one. In addition to the requirement to open an account, you must definitely express a desire to exclude the debts of the previous owners from the payment documentation.
The chances of winning such a case are very high, which is confirmed by domestic judicial practice. As a rule, claims of new property owners against utility companies or management organizations that refuse to provide a new account and demand payment of debts of previous owners are satisfied without problems.
There are certain nuances in cases where utility services have already applied some kind of sanctions. For example, if the electricity in an apartment is turned off for non-payment, the account may be reissued, but the light will be connected only after the previous owner pays off the debt.
How do I change my invoice mailing address?
You can change the address for sending monthly invoices in one of the ways convenient for you:
- Independently in the client’s Personal Account in the “Personal Data” – “My Services” tab;
- Use the video communication terminal (Automated system “Video Consultant”) with the Contact Center operator installed in the MFC. Opening hours: Mon-Fri from 09:00 to 20:00.
- Contact any branch of Mosenergosbyt JSC.
If you specify an alternative address for sending documents - documents will not be sent to the personal account address.
Splitting the bill in an apartment: everyone pays for themselves
If the housing is registered to several owners, financial utility bills can be divided, if necessary, after which each of the owners will receive a personal receipt and, accordingly, will be able to pay for their part of the services. True, debts that arose before such a division will remain with the person who was previously identified as the responsible person. Of course, it is better to immediately separate bills after purchasing living space, if there is such a need.
However, it cannot be said that the division of accounts is possible in absolutely all cases. An important condition is the availability of isolated rooms that are exactly suitable for living. It is necessary that the area of such premises corresponds to the share of the owner initiating the division. In addition, it is worth remembering that only a legally capable person who has reached the age of majority can receive a separate account, and it must be registered in this living space.
How many accounts can be opened?
Most often, a utility consumer has one account number, which is provided to him by the management company. However, each locality has its own rules. Since services are provided by different organizations, each of them can open their own personal account. Of course, the consumer is responsible to each of these structures for timely payment for services. If new owners install meters in apartments, these devices must be registered with resource suppliers.
It happens that companies are reorganized, change structure and subordination, or even liquidate. In these cases, consumers receive new personal accounts along with appropriate notification. In these cases, the re-conclusion of the contract is initiated by the organization itself.
When does a new home owner make utility payments for himself?
All utility documents should be reissued as soon as possible, this is in the interests of the new owners. Let us repeat once again that the basis for re-registration are the following documents:
- A deed signed upon acceptance and transfer of property.
- Extract from the Unified State Register.
- Contract for the sale of housing.
The calculation of utility payments on the personal account of the newly-minted owner begins only after they are signed. You need to contact the Criminal Code from the moment you receive at least one of them.
Debts “by agreement”
Often, the buyer and seller decide among themselves at the stage of agreeing on the transaction about how to deal with utility debts. In many cases, the future owner agrees to pay off the debts of his predecessor. According to the rules, the approval for the transfer of debts must be given by the creditors themselves, who must be notified about this, even if a clause on the procedure for paying overdue utility bills is included in the purchase and sale agreement. This is important for people who are selling an apartment with debts. They can be sure that the amounts will not be forcibly collected from them only if they have the written consent of the creditors that the debt will be paid by the new owner.
