Payment of utilities is the payment received by the consumer for water, gas, electricity, heating and other housing and communal services. Every month, citizens receive accrued receipts, but most do not even understand them, shifting responsibility to one family member. And since tariffs for services are constantly growing and payments are becoming more and more, quite naturally questions arise about which system accrues and how to check the calculation of utility bills. Understanding all of this is not as difficult as it seems, because the state carries out charging according to certain schemes and established tariffs.
Housing and communal services
Article 154 of the Housing Code of Russia lists all utilities for which the consumer must pay. They include:
- Payment for the maintenance of premises.
- Payment for rental housing.
- Payment for housing and communal services.
For the tenant of the apartment, all payments are written in the contract of employment. It can be in the form of social hiring or in the form of an agreement with a municipal or state fund. They have a list of required payments:
- Payment for the rental of premises.
- Payment for maintenance.
- Payment for utilities.
The owner of the housing must pay utility bills, pay a fee for the maintenance of housing, as well as a fee for the overhaul of the premises.
In order to calculate the utility bills, the tenant must take into account utility tariffs, the number of services consumed, as well as the area of the apartment.
According to the law of the Housing and Utilities Commission of Russia, the control of setting tariffs and payments for the rental of premises (in cases of social hiring) is carried out by local authorities.
Utility Indicators
In different cities, rates and rates may vary significantly. After the analysis, the highest rent was established, about 3 thousand 050 rubles. in Moscow, and the lowest communal payment was 1 thousand 810 rubles. in the city of Ufa. For example, in Moscow, a cubic meter of cold water costs 23.31 rubles, in the city of Vladivostok residents pay 9.78 rubles for it. According to studies, it was found that in Vladivostok and Ufa the lowest payment for light.
Heating apartments is the most expensive rate. In different areas, cities, residents pay differently.
The difference in tariffs in each city depends on the company that provides the services and the tariffs approved by local officials. Payment also affects remoteness from energy resources. Also, the amount of payment depends on the norm of use. They are approved by the city center for calculating utility bills. For example, for the capital, the water standard is eleven tons per month, when in Vladivostok this rate is much lower.
Payment calculator
An online calculator is a utility calculation method introduced by the Federal Tariff Service. Such a calculator provides access to information on utility bills, and is also a way of calculating tariffs for rents. With it, everyone has the opportunity to familiarize themselves with service standards.
Online calculator allows you to quickly make calculations for utilities. It is very convenient and does not require a lot of time. During the calculations, it should be borne in mind that the calculator calculates utility bills without discounts, subsidies and benefits.
Payment of housing and communal services through subsidies
On the basis of the provisions of the Law on the Provision of Subsidies for the Payment of Housing and Utilities, adopted in 2005, a certain group of citizens has the right to receive subsidies for the payment of housing and communal services. According to the law, according to Art. 159 LCD RF, social assistance can get low-income families. The subsidy is given to citizens who pay more than the norm. Norms are calculated using family income.
Payment of housing and communal services through subsidies is possible for certain individuals. List of people who can qualify for subsidies:
- Homeowners.
- Members of cooperative organizations.
- Residents who rent housing under the contract.
- People who live in an apartment of state or local government.
Denial of subsidies is possible if citizens did not submit documents on time or incorrect data were provided. In addition, the state does not give it to people who do not pass the norms and requirements for receiving such assistance.
The law on the payment of subsidies indicates a special category of people whose material assistance differs from general conditions. Such groups include military pensioners and residents of military facilities.
Requirements for citizens who want to receive a subsidy
To be able to receive a subsidy, a citizen must meet certain requirements. The main ones are:
- It must be a subject of Russia or the state with which the Russian Federation has concluded a certain agreement.
- Documents are required that will confirm ownership of the property.
- It is necessary to live permanently in the apartment for which the subsidy is issued.
- There should be no debts to pay utilities.
- The amount of income is minimal, and the family cannot pay the rent on its own.
Subsidy Processing
To apply for subsidies, you need to collect a certain package of documents. It includes:
- data about the family in need of help;
- certificate of income of residents for the last six months;
- receipts for payment for water, gas, electricity and heating.
During the preparation of subsidies, additional documents may be required. It all depends on the specific case. The amount of this type of material assistance is regulated by local officials.
The formula by which you can independently calculate the subsidy
Everyone can calculate the subsidy. To do this, you need to summarize the total profit of the whole family for twelve months and compare it with the established cost of living in a particular city. The general formula can be of this kind:
Subsidy amount = Minimum price set for utilities - total profit for 12 months * 0.22; where 0.22 is the maximum allowable share of the cost of paying for a communal apartment.
If the income of citizens is below the established subsistence minimum, a correction factor is added to this formula. The calculation formula will change, and will look like this:
Subsidy amount = Minimum price set for utilities - total profit for 12 months * 0.22 * K; where K is the correction factor that can be calculated by dividing the income for 12 months by the established cost of living.
Paying subsidies to low-income citizens
Thanks to the federal subsidy and the regional budget, subsidies are paid. Who issues payment? To receive material assistance, you must contact the district office of housing subsidies. You can also issue it via the Internet, on the portal of public services. After receiving financial assistance, citizens can independently dispose of it, but subject to full payment of housing and communal services.
The duration of state assistance is 6 months. After the deadline, you must again submit a package of documents for re-registration.
Who can count on help in the regions of Russia? Examples of cities:
- if citizens of the capital pay housing and communal services exceeds 10% of income;
- if residents of St. Petersburg spend on communal services more than 14% of family profit;
- in Nizhny Novgorod, if the consumption exceeds 22%.
Benefits for housing and communal services: who is entitled to them
Every year, prices for utilities are increasing. If these changes are not critical for families with high or medium incomes, it is becoming increasingly difficult for the poor every year to pay for housing and communal services. Such people need the authorities to calculate the benefits of utility bills.
According to the law of the Russian Federation, a certain category of people is entitled to benefits. Who can calculate utility payments for benefits? People who can use the help:
- a large family with 4 or more minor children;
- participants and disabled WWII;
- labor and war veterans;
- disabled people of besieged Leningrad;
- disabled people;
- donors of Russia and the USSR;
- victims of the Chernobyl disaster;
- relatives of WWII participants who died of war invalids.
Calculation of utility bills on preferential terms is made for all low-income families and for those who need state care.
Benefits for large families, for the disabled and pensioners
A special procedure for calculating utility bills applies to families with three or more minor children, and housing and communal services pay more than 22% of the total family income. Benefits for pensioners are granted only if they do not work and have at their disposal one housing. For pensioners, preferential calculation of utility bills for heating, water, gas, electricity and drainage, as well as for the use of the premises, maintenance and repair.
Disabled people on benefits for services are paid at a 50% discount. There is a system that makes it possible to not pay property taxes to disabled people of category 1, 2 and disabled children. For disabled people of the third group, real estate tax payment is reduced by 50%.
Benefits for the overhaul of the building
According to the law, which entered into force on January 1, 2017, benefits are provided for a certain category of people to overhaul a multi-storey building. Pensioners over 80 receive “state immunity” and may not pay money for major repairs. Payment was reduced by 50% for 1.2 groups of people with disabilities, as well as for families with disabled children, and for single pensioners from 70 years old.
In 2017, benefits are received not only by participants in hostilities, but also by their relatives. They are entitled to:
- people who live in municipal or state housing;
- citizens living in the house on the basis of a contract of employment;
- tenants with their own apartment or house.
Calculation of interest on utility bills
According to the law of the Russian Federation, payment for services must be paid every month before the 10th day, as already from the 11th day a penalty will be charged for non-payment. It is accrued only during arrears of payment for housing or services. Penalty is not charged on payment for the intercom, antenna, telephone. If a resident has made payment, but not in full, then interest is charged on the missing amount. For each month, unpaid penalties are summed up and monthly added to the amount of payments for utilities. When crediting money, the debt for utilities is paid off first, and then the penalty is paid off.
On November 3, 2015, Law No. 307-FZ amended the article of the LC in which the procedure for calculating the amount of penalties was regulated. From January 1, 2016, the changes entered into force. Now the penalty is charged in size:
- from the first to the thirtieth day no penalty is charged;
- from the thirty-first to the ninetieth day the penalty is equal to 1/300 of the refinancing rate;
- starting from the ninety-first day, a fine of 1/130 refinancing rate will be charged.
Everyone will be able to calculate their fines with the help of the "Online calculator for calculating penalties for utility services."
What is water disposal and why is it included in the receipt for payment of housing and communal services
Drainage is the total amount of cold and hot water that has been used. How much water came into the apartment per month, so much of it left. You must also pay for the drainage. Calculation of water disposal in utility bills:
Water disposal = (Hot water supply + Cold water supply) * Tariff;
In a multi-storey residential building, a drainage meter is usually installed on a common house. It captures data for the total discharge of water throughout the house. If a resident of a high-rise building wants to install such a meter in his apartment, then he needs to write a statement.
Unified billing system
Starting next year, citizens of the Russian Federation will pay bills for services to the providers of these services. A unified settlement system is already operating in several regions of the Russian Federation. Utility payments are transferred directly from the tenant to the supplier, and not to the mediation company.
Direct payment is much more efficient and reliable, since the management company could transfer money late, not in full, or in general the money could disappear in an unknown direction.
Housing and Utilities Rates for 2017
Since July 2017, tariffs in Russia will increase by five percent. The increase in prices for gas, electricity, water occurs every year. The authorities say that over the course of 2 years the coefficient for housing services will decrease: in 2018 - 4.4%, 2019 - 4.1%. But this is such a meager decrease that citizens are starting to ask why the prices of services have risen, and the quality of services has remained at the same level as before. And this will be lucky if the quality of services does not fall due to dishonesty in housing and communal services.
At that moment, when the government decides at what level the tariff coefficient will remain, Russian citizens were questioned about assessing the quality of housing services. The survey from February 1 to May 2 of this year involved three thousand two hundred citizens of the Russian Federation from different cities. About half of the respondents were dissatisfied with the housing and communal services.
