ODS: deciphering abbreviations in different sectors of human life and activity

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The term “housing maintenance office” itself became outdated in the Russian Federation back in 2005, but is still relevant in some states of the post-Soviet space.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.

Responsibilities of housing and communal services

Everything related to social infrastructure falls within the competence of housing and communal services. This sector of the economy regulates the full functioning of residential buildings and provides comfortable living conditions.

The voiced service and its divisions have long been known to many, because a similar hierarchy developed back in the days when Belarus was part of the Soviet Union. Now the entire range of services and responsibilities is concentrated within the Housing Repair and Maintenance Associations.

Separate activities are carried out by the Housing Maintenance Service or the Housing Maintenance Section (several housing and communal services units combined into one division), and their responsibility is the maintenance of the housing stock and the maintenance of courtyard areas, which includes landscaping and cleaning.

The functions of ZhREO, ZhES and, in general, housing and communal services imply:

Ensuring uninterrupted supply of electricity and natural gas; supply of hot water and thermal energy; energy saving – control over electricity consumption.
Sewage work - wastewater disposal, laying and repairing water pipes; ensuring uninterrupted supply of water, including hot water.
Accounting for the consumption of utility resources and housing and communal services.
Ventilation and centralized air conditioning.
Control of elevator facilities.
Maintenance of low-current networks: television and telephone communications;
Regular garbage removal: monitoring the condition of garbage chutes; sorting, processing and disposal of household waste.
Installation of lightning rods and grounding.
Monitoring the fire protection system for buildings and structures and fire safety (fire escape, alarm, fire extinguishing equipment).
Monitoring the condition of building structures.
Major repairs and modernization of buildings.
Sanitary and epidemiological treatment of common areas (including deratization and disinfestation). Improvement of local areas

Exactly fifty-nine mandatory procedures are included in the list of maintaining engineering systems in working order and thirty-nine in the list of maintaining structural elements in good condition. They are performed at varying frequencies, most as needed. Such important ones as checking the technical condition of the heating system, sewerage system, electrical devices in public places, foundation and walls of the basement - twice a year. A complete list can be obtained by calling your local ZhREO.

About free housing office services

Many residents submit an application to the Housing Office in order for the building management to carry out a number of free utility works.

What exactly does this include? Federal legislation in the field of housing and communal services assigns the following responsibilities to management building structures, which are considered free of charge:

Maintenance, namely repair and maintenance of the external facade of residential buildings. This includes work on sealing various kinds of cracks, seams, damaged areas of the facade, etc. The housing office should not forget about insulating walls, replacing drains and strengthening canopies with railings.
Roof and drainage work. In more detail, this includes roof repair, attic insulation, replacement of old or damaged drainage elements, etc.
Work on doors and windows. Replacement of glass, handles, latches and other elements.
High-quality repair work on floors: insulation, waterproofing, painting and much more.
Sanitary cleaning work, namely sweeping, washing floors, stairs, walls, ceilings, elevators, etc.

Services

The number of services provided by organizations included in the housing and communal services system (housing office, etc.) varies from one to several dozen. Requirements for the timing and procedure of public utility services are constantly being improved and changed.

In our country, there are no free services provided by housing offices. After all, even if the residents of non-privatized apartments do not pay for any service from the building management company, the municipality does it for them.

In modern realities, relations between management companies and residents are built on a commercial basis. All citizens are obliged to pay utility bills on time, and housing departments are required to carry out the entire service list efficiently and on time.

List of paid utilities:

electricity;
hot and cold water supply;
sewerage and water disposal;
gas supply;
heating;
repairs (not only the facade, but also the roof, entrance canopies and balcony, etc.) and house maintenance (including cleaning entrances, fighting rodents and insects, the causes of mold on the walls, etc.);
other contract work.

All utilities are paid according to the agreement signed between the management company and the owner of the property.

All services and work provided by the housing office are divided into two categories: mandatory and optional. We pay monthly for mandatory services. They are included in the column “home repairs and maintenance” or “for housing maintenance and repairs.” Examples include roof repairs, flushing the heating system, or replacing light bulbs in a hallway. Optional is the installation of new heating elements, non-standard plumbing or plastic window units. Ordering such services and paying for them is a purely individual matter.

Mandatory services are provided at different frequencies:

during technical walkthroughs and inspections;
when preparing buildings for the autumn-winter period;
depending on contamination, need and frequency of use;
in preparation for operation in the spring and summer.

And yes, do not forget that if necessary, you can also obtain an extract from the house register from the management organization.

And now we will talk about what tariffs for housing and communal services depend on.

The following video describes ways to complain about the actions of utility companies:

About paid services of housing office

You should be especially careful here.

As a rule, it is precisely because of the presence of paid services in most building management bodies that conflicts arise with residents. Many citizens simply do not understand and do not want to accept the fact that the housing office is a structure that provides not only free services for the taxes paid by residents. What exactly can be highlighted here?

Carrying out glass and carpentry work. In particular, it is worth noting here the repair of fillings between windows and doors, replacement of door handles and locks, repair of floor coverings (namely coverings, i.e. linoleum, parquet, boards, etc.).
Carrying out electrical installation work. Repair and replacement of switches, wiring, panels and meters, cartridges, etc.
Any plumbing work.

Thus, the district housing office is able to provide some paid services. You can conclude an agreement for their provision in a special organization located at your place of residence.

On the replacement of technical equipment by the Housing Office

It is worth considering in particular detail those household items in common use that the housing office is obliged to replace free of charge.

Despite the fact that many are unlikely to ever use such a function, it is still worth recalling the free responsibilities of the housing office. So, according to the law, the building manager is obliged to replace:

stoves - gas or electric (over 20 years old);
entrance doors (over 40 years old);
flush cisterns and toilets (over 20 years old);
bathtubs - steel or cast iron (over 30 years old);
water taps (over 10 years old);
wooden frames (over 40 years old).

And some other things. Single elderly people living in extremely poor conditions should be aware of the list presented. According to the law, the housing office is an organization whose responsibilities include replacing all of the above elements.

About maintenance

The housing office is obliged to provide high-quality technical maintenance of residential buildings according to the following criteria:

Central heating. This may include turning off radiators in case of leakage, flushing the heating system, eliminating air pockets that form, and carrying out work on insulating pipelines in attics or basements.
Sewage and water supply systems. Here it is worth highlighting such types of work as eliminating leaks, replacing gaskets, sealing pipes, and completely cleaning cold or hot water supply pipes.
Electricity supply. The housing office is obliged to promptly change lamps, strengthen lampshades, and carry out all necessary work with wiring.

Thus, the housing office at the address of the persons served is obliged to carry out at least all of the above types of work.

About emergency maintenance: heating and sewerage

In addition to technical maintenance, the housing office is also required to provide special emergency maintenance. This includes all the same household areas as in technical maintenance; however, the functions of a house management organization are somewhat different. In particular, in the heating sector it is worth highlighting:

replacing obsolete or damaged fittings, as well as carrying out repair work on them;
eliminating leaks by sealing fittings, pipes and other devices;
replacement of water pipes;
welding work with water supply;
installation of air valves.

And so on. If we take into account sewerage and water supply, then the housing office is obliged to perform the following functions:

change individual taps, mixers, sinks and other fittings;
change and repair components of heating columns;
eliminate sewer blockages;
perform welding work on the pipeline.

Factors influencing the cost of communal meters and their installation

Installation of the control center is carried out by a specialized organization engaged by the management company or HOA. For example, the cost of installation work and the cold water meter itself depends on the following circumstances:

nominal diameter of water supply pipes;
expenditure indicators;
the total area of the apartment building and the number of consumers;
technical features of the installation project;
design of the selected device;
technical nuances of connecting the device.

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Most control centers are installed in basements, in places where communications are supplied. An exception applies to electricity meters located in special switchboards, if available.

About emergency services: power supply and emergency response

What is the housing office obliged to do in the water supply sector? This is what the special normative act prescribes:

work with faulty sections of electrical networks (with the exception of electrical networks in apartments);
work on replacing fuse links in panels;
replacement of shields;
repair or replacement of failed circuit breakers, switches and other energy control mechanisms;
replacement or repair of lamps, as well as burners, ovens, stationary stoves, etc.

It is especially worth highlighting the actions of housing and communal services in emergency situations. Thus, housing office workers at the address of the house where the accident occurred must immediately:

pump out water from the basement;
dig trenches if necessary;
open floors, make holes or grooves over pipes;
turn off risers, etc.

Decoding and types of OPU

OPU stands for common house metering devices. These meters are installed at the entrance to the house and calculate the total amount of energy resources spent on maintaining the apartment building.

Many residents have questions about the need for communal measuring equipment in the presence of individual meters. This is required for the following reasons:

Using all types of meters in each apartment is economically difficult for many owners. It is easier and cheaper to use one flow meter, followed by splitting payments.
Collective and individual devices complement each other. As a result, the management company gets the opportunity to control the consumption of resources, taking into account the difference between these meters, determining the volumes used for general house needs.

OPU can be used to measure:

heat received;
electrical energy;
cubic meters of cold and hot water;
gas fuel.

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The device that determines heat consumption readings is capable of additionally taking into account the temperature characteristics of the coolant, which allows significant savings on costs.

When metering electricity, such a meter allows you to save due to the difference in tariffs at night and during the day.

Procedure for contacting the Housing Office

Most citizens, unfortunately, have not learned how to fill out a competent application to the Housing Office. How exactly and in what cases is it necessary to submit an application to the structure in question? More on this later.

The easiest option today is a simple phone call. The house management manager will listen to all the requirements and give a clear answer when, where and how all the necessary actions will be carried out. It is also worth noting that the housing and communal services telephone number is always indicated in payment receipts from the same housing office. Here it is worth giving citizens one simple piece of advice: always find out the name and surname of the dispatcher by phone. Oddly enough, in many conflict situations this simple step can work in favor of the tenant.

How else can you submit an application to the Housing Office? Moscow, for example, like a number of other large cities, has housing estates with their own website. It is on the website that you can describe the problem in detail and send it to the address.

And finally, the simplest and most effective option is to go to the nearest housing office and submit a written application. As a rule, this method turns out to be the most effective. Especially when several residents fill out the necessary application at once.

Making a complaint

As mentioned above, often conflicts with the housing office cannot be avoided. The fact is that the housing sector is not a purely commercial structure, and therefore not particularly interested in the high-quality performance of its duties. Probably, every citizen should have a heightened legal culture, especially when it comes to house management. How can you competently resolve a conflict with the housing office?

If the applicants' claim remains unsatisfied within two days, it is worth filing a complaint. It is submitted in two copies, each of which briefly but comprehensively outlines the essence of the problem. Of course, if the complaint has not been responded to, you can contact more serious authorities - for example, the housing and communal services department. In the most extreme case, you can file a statement of claim in court.

Every citizen should know how to contact the housing office at the address of the house. Moscow, St. Petersburg and other large cities, as a rule, have a more literate and responsible population. However, all residents of the country should take the problem of housing services more seriously. The quality work of housing and communal services depends, oddly enough, only on the population, namely on the number of submitted applications, complaints, lawsuits, etc. All these papers will definitely force the housing office to work much more efficiently.

Maintenance agreement for an apartment building with a management company

The main document that establishes the relationship between utility companies and apartment owners is the agreement for the management of an apartment building. If the owners at the general meeting chose a house management company, then the agreement is concluded with each of them individually.

When the management company is chosen by the homeowners association, the agreement is signed by the HOA on behalf of all apartment owners. And finally, if the house belongs to the municipality, then an agreement on a competitive basis is signed between the housing department and local authorities.

Do I need to compile it?

We’ll answer right away: it’s definitely necessary. After all, it regulates the quantity and cost of utilities and the frequency of their implementation. Items that must be specified in the contract:

list of services and works for the maintenance and repair of common property;
composition of common property;
the procedure for making and amount of payment for utilities and housing maintenance;
the process of supervising the house management company and the management company’s performance of its duties.

And now you will learn about what to do if a maintenance agreement for an apartment building has not been concluded with the management company.

What happens if no contract is concluded?

So, I didn’t enter into an agreement with the management company, so what?

In accordance with the document concluded between the property owners and the management company, the owners have the right to demand from the utility organization reporting on the work done and check the quality and frequency of services provided. If violations are detected, it is necessary to demand immediate correction from the management of the housing department. In case of refusal, you must, referring to the contract, complain to the regulatory authorities. For example, to the State Housing Inspectorate and Rospotrebnadzor.

In your complaint, you must first appeal the agreement between you and the house management company. And if it is not concluded, then the “utility workers” will find many loopholes to evade fulfilling their direct duties, which are paid by you monthly.

We really hope that our short essay helped you understand why a management company is needed, what it is and how it differs from a housing office. Don’t forget to pay utility bills on time and demand quality work from utility companies. And be sure to see if you or your HOA have an agreement with the management company. If not, do so immediately. If public utility workers perform their duties in bad faith, do not hesitate to contact supervisory organizations or the court. By the way, if you want to organize parking in the courtyard of your house, then you should first discuss this issue with the management company.

The following video is devoted to the legal aspects of the most common questions regarding housing and communal services:

GU ZHEK-5 ZHKO KEU OF MOSCOW Extract of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities with the digital signature of the Federal Tax Service