How not to pay for utilities?
Everyone must pay for utilitiesconsumer. This is stipulated by the legislation and the contract with the management company, housing department, HOA, EEZ or EIRTS. There are a number of reasons that allow you not to pay for utilities in full for quite some time. About what these reasons are, and how to use them correctly, and we will go further.
How not to pay for utility services by law
Legal reasons why you can not pay for utilities are:
- not residence of the tenant at the place of residence (for example, in case of a long-term departure);
- lack of funds for payment (for example, in case of job loss or other loss of income);
- claims of the tenant to the quality or price of the communal services provided to him.
It is worthwhile to consider each of the reasons in more detail.
When the tenant is away
If the owner does not live in the apartment for a long timetime (for example, because of serving on a business trip, on vacation or on inpatient treatment), then in order not to pay utility bills during his absence, he must do the following:
- before leaving anywhere, write an application to your management company. In the application indicate the period (no more than six months), for which it is necessary to recalculate utility payments.
- if there is a planned absence from the place of residence for more than six months, you must write a re-application for recalculation (it can be sent by mail);
- if the application for the recalculation of utility billsservices before leaving for another city did not work, then you can do this even after your return, but not less than a month. In addition to the application, you will need to provide documents that can prove that the tenant is not living at his place of residence. Such documents can be: travel certificate, hospital discharge, sick leave, sanatorium voucher, travel tickets, etc.
If you contact the Housing Department before departure, recalculatePayments will be as they accrue, and if later - in the current billing period. In the absence of a tenant, no recalculation is made only for heating and common house needs.
When there is not enough money
If there is no possibility to pay utility billsservices due to financial difficulties, it is best, without waiting for the appearance of debt, to formalize the receipt of a subsidy. About the extent to which they are provided and what documents for registration are required for this, it is necessary to find out from the lawyers of a particular housing department, as the rules for granting subsidies are established by regional legislation. If the state subsidy was not obtained, and the arrears arose, then it is necessary to apply to the housing maintenance department with an application for permission to defer or install payment for utility services. In the law, the rules for obtaining installments are not prescribed, so in each case, it is calculated individually. If the agreement is concluded and executed on a regular basis, it will subsequently help in the future to receive installments without problems.
Claims to the quality of services
If the tenant is not satisfied with the quality of communalservices, then, first of all, he should complain to the emergency dispatch service, having tracked that the fact of treatment was recorded in a special magazine. Employees of the "emergency vehicle" should check and confirm that the service is not really being performed in full, having made a report on this verification and signing the act. From now on, the communal service will be obliged to recalculate previously charged payments. In case of claims to the cost of services, it should be noted that when the prices for the delivered services of each consumer change, they must notify about this no later than one month. Otherwise, the price increase can be considered illegal.
What is the danger of non-payment of utilities
In case of non-payment of utility services, more than threemonths of the municipal services the right to suspend their provision by notifying the consumer in writing in one month. After this period, the utility can file a claim with the court (the term of its consideration is 2 months). Further, there will follow an executive proceeding, entailing inventory and seizure of property to repay the debt.
Summing up, it can be noted that there is no legal way how not to pay utilities at all. However, to reduce the cost of their payment is quite realistic.
