Checking the correctness of rent calculations

Intentional or accidental errors and inaccuracies in utility receipts are not that uncommon in practice.

In order not to overpay for utilities, you should know the exact size of their tariffs .

how to check whether utility bills are calculated correctly and what to do if an error is detected .

Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues. If you want to find out how to solve your particular problem, call the free consultation numbers:

Legislative regulation

The formation of tariffs and the rules for calculating payments for housing and communal services are established by federal legislation .

The fundamental legislative act is the Housing Code of the Russian Federation , or more precisely section VII “Payment for residential premises and services” and, in particular, articles 156, 157 and 158 .

The specific interpretation of the provisions of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation is clarified by Federal Government Resolution No. 354 , briefly referred to as “Rules for the provision of public utility services ,” which establishes the procedure for calculating, recalculating and changing tariffs.

Legal acts of constituent entities of the Russian Federation regarding payment of utility services by residents must be based on federal legislation .

Nuances for calculating various utilities

Depending on the type of service, the types of checks differ:

• when calculating the payment for light, the meter data is taken as a basis and multiplied by the cost of one kilowatt
• for hot water and heating if there is a meter - according to the meter data multiplied by the approved tariff;
• in the absence of a meter - according to federal standards multiplied by the approved tariff;
• for cold water supply and sanitation - in a similar manner;
• for the consumption of liquefied or natural gas - according to metering devices, multiplied by the tariff.

Important! If you do not have metering devices installed, the fee will vary, since it is calculated based on the number of residents and the total area of ​​the apartment .

Who sets the rates?

The exact size of tariffs for housing and communal services is the responsibility of regional authorities .

According to Art. 157 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation , in some cases the authority to set tariffs may be transferred to the municipal level .

However, regional and municipal acts concerning the size of housing and communal services tariffs are limited by federal legislation, which introduces:

1. minimum and maximum tariffs established by regional authorities;
2. periods and procedure for increasing tariffs .

The size of some tariffs may be set by a meeting of residents , the board of a homeowners association or a cooperative .

This category includes payment for concierge services , security , video surveillance , etc.

find out the exact size of the current tariffs from the receipt , since the utility service provider must indicate the amounts in the payment documents.

You can also find out about the tariff rates on the Internet:

• on the official website of the Federal Antimonopoly Service;
• or on the website of the government of a specific constituent entity of the Russian Federation.

How to check housing and communal services

To clarify information about charges, you need to provide the full name and exact address of the consumer, at which the entire payment history will be found. Here you can find out the current tariffs and pay receipts for the current period.

How to check the activities of a management company?

It is worth noting that in each region, local government bodies determine the minimum payment for residential premises based on the minimum list of works approved by the Government of the Russian Federation, and if the owners of the premises of an apartment building have not made a decision on the amount of the tariff for housing maintenance, then exactly minimum approved tariff. If the owners of the premises of an apartment building approve at a general meeting a certain tariff for the maintenance of housing, then accordingly there must be a list of work that will be performed for this fee.

17. Disclosure of information can be carried out on the basis of a written request and a request in electronic form. If the requested information is disclosed to the required extent on the official website on the Internet and (or) in official printed publications, the management organization, partnership and cooperative have the right, without disclosing the requested information, to provide the address of the specified official website and (or) the names and details of the official printed publications containing information. GARANT system: base.garant.ru/12179104/#ixzz3hVEThKFh Is it possible to challenge the cost of these services if I consider them excessively inflated? Tatiana

How to check tariffs for services and the correctness of calculation of utility bills and rent? Incorrect amounts for payment for housing and communal services in the receipt. Recalculation. One of the responsibilities of residents to the housing and communal services sector is timely payment. Sometimes situations arise that can be resolved after payments have been reconciled.

How is the calculation carried out?

Payment for consumed resources (hot and cold water, electricity, gas) is carried out according to the readings of individual meters .

If the apartment is not equipped with metering devices , then the standard established by the regional authorities applies.

Federal Law No. 261-FZ “On Energy Saving and Increasing Energy Efficiency” states the following.

If it is technically possible to equip an apartment with meters, but the owners have not done so, increasing coefficients until the moment the apartment is equipped with metering devices.

The standard can be calculated:

1. per 1 m2 of area (heating);
2. by the number of citizens registered/living in the apartment (hot and cold water supply, sewerage, gas).

To determine the exact amount of the fee, you need to multiply the tariff:

• on meter readings (if any);
• on the standard and total area of ​​housing (heating);
• on the standard and number of residents (gas, water, sewerage).

If a common house metering device (UDPU) is installed in the apartment building, then the following formula is used for calculation:

The ODPU indicator is multiplied by the tariff and the area of ​​the apartment, divided by the total area of ​​​​the residential premises of the apartment building.

What else do you need to know?

To determine the exact amount of payment for utilities, the owner needs to know:

1. exact footage of the apartment (total and living area);
2. number of residents living;
3. the amount of tariffs established by state or municipal authorities;
4. the size of the standards if measuring instruments are not installed in the apartment;
5. benefits valid for certain categories of residents established by authorities.

Are payments for housing and communal services calculated for citizens registered or living in the apartment? Read here.

What do you need to know to make calculations?

To do this you need to have the following information:

To make sure that the tariffs are used correctly, you need to compare two or three payments for the current year.

In the column displaying the cost of one unit, there should be equal values ​​everywhere.

Tariffs change every year in July, so in the summer you will receive a receipt with the already increased cost of services.

If the apartment does not have meters installed, then payment is made according to the standards established by utility services at the regional level.

Existing tariffs

They are established by government agencies and change annually in July.

The management company does not have the right to independently adjust the cost of services.

She is obliged to use only real tariffs for rent calculations.

Debt for housing and communal services and how to find out about it?

According to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, providers of utility services must promptly inform owners or tenants about existing debts.

If this does not happen, then there are several ways to find out about the resulting debt yourself :

• Via payment receipt ;
• Contact the management company or resource supplying organization in person or by phone;
• At a cash settlement center , bank or terminal for paying for utilities;
• On the websites of resource supplying organizations, management companies, the Unified Settlement Center, a bank, and on the State Services portal.

How to check whether payments are calculated correctly?

A situation in which utility bills calculated incorrectly than expected is not that uncommon.

inaccuracies and errors in your utility provider's calculations .

You can calculate the exact amount of the fee according to current tariffs using online utility calculators . Links to such a calculator can be found on the website of the Federal Antimonopoly Service or the websites of regional governments .

If the data does not agree, then the payer can contact the utility service provider with a request to recalculate accrued payments .

Therefore, you need to check the payment receipt for compliance with the established tariffs, make sure that the exact size of the living space and the number of residents are indicated.

We recommend watching a video on how to check housing and communal services charges on your receipt:

Instructions on where and how to check payment of utility bills

• visit the housing office office;
• clarify housing and communal services debt through post offices;
• call the management company at the number indicated on the receipt;
• clarify data through the websites of service providers;
• clarify your personal account data online through portals;
• use online banking services.

Live

Housing and communal services - water supply, heating, electricity, gasification and others - are received by the consumer on the basis of an agreement under which he undertakes to pay for them within the time limits determined by municipal authorities at the established tariff.

The first thing the consumer should do is check the receipt itself, since everything is written down on it. The readings indicated in the receipt must be checked with the readings of metering devices located at the entrance of an apartment building or directly in the apartment. Reliable readings are not always provided there.

If it is technically possible to equip an apartment with meters, but the owners have not done so, increasing coefficients until the moment the apartment is equipped with metering devices.

Illegal issuance of receipts for housing and communal services payments - what is the responsibility

After it has been revealed that the receipt is filled out incorrectly and the rent is charged, the citizen has the right to receive explanations from the management organization and if they do not satisfy the consumer, then he has the right to appeal such an unreliable receipt.

To make it easier for the consumer to receive information about the services provided, on the websites of housing and communal inspections and management organizations it is possible to view the correctness of calculations and reconciliation of receipts.

We recommend reading: How to Calculate Academic and Social Scholarship If Expulsion is on the 18th

What to do if you find an error on your receipt?

Where to contact?

In most cases, the provider of housing and communal services is a management company , which carries out calculations and charges.

However, in some situations the contractor is the resource supplying organization .

This happens when:

1. are directly managed by apartment owners;
2. control method selected
3. in the period between the cessation of the previous control method and the choice of a new one.

You can find out the exact service provider from the payment receipt , which indicates the name of the organization and its legal address .

Application for transfer to the management company

In the application addressed to the director of the management company or RSO, you must indicate:

• name of the organization and its legal address;
• document's name;
• Full name of the applicant, exact residential address;
• grounds for living in residential premises (based on property rights, social tenancy agreement);
• the essence of the claim is the receipt data, the reasons for the incorrectness of the data and our own calculations;
• requirement for recalculation.

Sample application to the management company for recalculation.

The application can be made in written or electronic form.

The review period is 30 days from the date of delivery .

If there is no response or refusal to recalculate, you can file a complaint with the Housing Inspectorate or the prosecutor's office .

Sample statement of claim to the court for recalculation of utility bills.

Didn't find the answer to your question? Find out how to solve exactly your problem - call right now:

It's fast and free!

Practicing lawyer and author of 242 articles on the site

Publication date: 2018-09-29 Update date: 2019-05-03

The entire range of household services, which is aimed at ensuring comfortable living in homes, is provided by specialized housing and communal services organizations. The relationship between residents of Moscow Railways and utility companies is based on the fulfillment of the terms of contracts, which, according to the Housing Code, are mandatory for conclusion.

One of the obligations of residents, according to Article 153 of the Housing Code, to the housing and communal services service providers is timely payment. Payments are made by paying off receipts provided by utility companies. Sometimes situations and controversial issues arise between citizens and representatives of utility companies, the resolution of which can only be achieved after a reconciliation of utility payments has been made.

Hello, dear portal visitor! Unfortunately, the article reveals only a typical answer to the question you are interested in. To consider a specific problem, write it to us as an online consultant. One of our lawyers will advise you immediately and completely free of charge.

How to check the rent calculation?

Since 2012, utility bills began to describe in detail each service, its cost and the total amount to be paid.

Providing detailed information reduced the risk of abuse of power by employees and management companies.

If earlier accruals could be made with the inclusion of non-existent figures, now the payer sees and knows what he is giving his money for.

But even with new payment cards, it is possible that rent will be charged incorrectly. Errors occur due to the fault of both the equipment and the workers performing the calculations.

Therefore, before paying, it is recommended to check the data on the receipt to ensure that the charges made are correct.

If errors are found in the receipt, you must contact the management company with a request to recalculate.

This applies not only to unpaid bills, but also to receipts for which payment has already been made.

Any overpayment will be converted into an overpayment and used as part of the next month's payment.

Contacting the management company

If you have any doubts about the correctness of the rent calculation, you must contact the management company or the HOA.

An application is submitted with a request to ensure the correctness of calculations for utility services.

According to Article No. 10 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, every payer has the right to this.

Temporary registration affects rent, read the article: how temporary registration affects rent.

How to calculate your rent yourself in 2020, read here.

The management company is obliged to provide access to information about the calculations made.

The payer's request is considered within 10 days, after which the management company is obliged to respond.

If the results obtained do not satisfy the applicant, or the HOA is in no hurry to respond, it is necessary to contact the prosecutor’s office or the housing inspection.

Sample application

An application must be submitted to the management company in writing, in two copies.

It would be useful to duplicate the document in electronic form. This will prevent deception on the part of the management company, which may refuse to conduct an inspection due to the “absence” of an application.

It contains the following information:

In the application, it is advisable to indicate the reason why the calculations raised doubts.

If there are documents confirming incorrectly accrued rent, then it is worth attaching copies of them and indicating in the application that copies of such and such documents were attached.

On the second copy of the application, the employee who accepted the claim must put a mark indicating that the application was accepted and indicate the date.

With this paper, you can later contact the Housing Inspectorate with a complaint about the work of the management company.

How is information about payers generated?

Different regions of the country have their own rules for providing services to the population in the context of the isolation of service providers from each other. This division occurs according to the direction of provision of housing and communal services. Enterprises have their own current accounts and separate balance sheets.

Each resident has a separate personal account, which is opened in all housing and communal services organizations and has a unique set of numbers for their locality. The personal account is filled with information about the consumer. Such data includes:

1. Full name of the tenant.
2. The address to which the personal account is assigned.
3. The total and living area of ​​the home.
4. Number of persons registered in the apartment.
5. Tariffing of services.
6. Monthly accruals and payment dynamics.
7. Availability of preferential rights.

Methods for reconciling utility payments

For the convenience of residents in checking their balance status and obtaining information on their personal account, a unified database has been installed in many government agencies. Therefore, you can check the debt or the presence of overpayment in the following available ways:

• when visiting the accounting department of a municipal institution. It should be understood that each organization will be able to perform reconciliation only for its own service. That is, the rent is verified by the housing office, and electricity charges are checked by the power engineers. A nuance in this matter may be the presence of powers in the management company to work with individual utility bills; the availability of such rights can be found directly in the management company;
• through the official websites of utilities online. Such a service exists in many organizations. As a rule, this function works in the “Personal Account” section. Each consumer can register on the site and then keep track of their payments and the correctness of charges;
• Many leading banks in the country are also equipped with online payment verification services. If such a function is available on the official website of the financial institution, the citizen can only register in a special section of the portal - Internet banking, and carry out the necessary operations without visiting utility offices;
• Many settlements are equipped with MFCs. Usually these MFCs are located in the building of the executive committees of the Moscow Region. This is aimed at providing maximum convenience to citizens. The centers are provided with information about the status of personal accounts of all organizations providing housing and communal services. The convenience of reconciliation at the MFC is the absence of queues and speed of service;
• It is also possible to carry out reconciliation at post offices endowed with such functions. The inconvenience of choosing this method is the constant presence of queues, which does not make it possible to obtain the information of interest in full.

What to do if inconsistencies are identified in housing and communal services receipts

The need to perform a comparison on a personal account arises if payment receipts are lost or a discrepancy is found in settlements with service providers. Having received a receipt with incorrect data, you need to check it in any available way. If, after working on data comparison, your confidence in the untruthfulness of the information written on the receipt has only increased, you should perform the following steps:

1. Make a written statement addressed to the head of the housing and communal services office who made an error in the receipt. In your appeal you should clarify your disagreements.
2. Request the issuance of a reconciliation report for the period allowed for consideration in court. That is, over the past three years.
3. If you do not receive a written response and a reconciliation report within thirty days, you should contact the supervisory authorities with a statement of violation of civil rights.
4. If an act has been issued and, based on the information specified in it, there is a fact of inflated tariffs or unlawful additional charges, these violations can only be appealed in court.

The need to obtain a reconciliation report lies in the fact that the issued document is confirmation for the court of charges made by public utilities. And if they are truly unlawful, then the court will oblige them to be excluded from the personal account.

Also, if such a disputed amount arises, it will be problematic for utility companies to collect it through the court as a debt, since it is disputed and actions with it are frozen until the correctness of its occurrence is determined. But only if there is correspondence with the utility office.

Since methods of dealing with debtors have recently become more stringent, various methods have been introduced to obtain information about the state of one’s balance on utility bills. Therefore, in case of disagreement with the data specified in the receipt, you can always make an official comparison of the information without postponing this event for a long time.

The received utility amount in the utility bill is not always clear or even adequate. Incommensurable amounts are billed for payment. How to understand and check the accrual procedure, who and how to contact for recalculation, further in our article.

How to check whether utility bills are calculated correctly?

The calculation of the accrual of the amount for utilities and rent must be provided by the organization that issued the invoice.

Misunderstandings may arise:

• in case of unauthorized overestimation of the calculation tariff;
• incorrect initial data: number of registered citizens, housing area;
• a corresponding error to hide financial overexpenditures in the office;
• careless or mechanical error by an accountant;
• a citizen has the right to receive a scheme for calculating his account for personal information.

All communications with housing and communal services or HOAs should be conducted in writing and with registration of correspondence. Failure to respond within the established time frame regarding the correct calculation of utility bills is an administrative violation and entails fines that are imposed on the responsible persons and the head of the office.

You can read about the incorrect calculation of housing and communal services here.

Procedure for checking

If you need to find out the order of the amount accrued to you for utilities and rent, you need to take the following steps:

• Write an application to the housing and communal services department, demanding a transcript of the account. The request must be registered;
• If there is no response within 30 days and the deadline for its extension, contact the State Housing Supervision Inspectorate;
• Based on the results of the inspection of the Inspectorate, depending on the actions of the housing and communal services or HOA: they will send you a recalculation of the amount and respond in writing to your request; If you are not satisfied with the answer, you can go to court to resolve the current situation.

If an error is found in the receipts when calculating utility bills or the HOA is repeated, you should also contact the State Housing Supervision Inspectorate with a complaint.

>>>

How can I find out if my rent is calculated correctly?

The procedure for calculating the amount to be paid for housing and communal services is regulated by the Housing Code of the Russian Federation .

The amount of utility bills depends on the number of services used. This indicator is determined:

• the amount is calculated using an individual meter installed in the premises;
• according to established general standards for the consumption of services. This indicator is always overestimated, therefore, in order to save money, it is beneficial to install devices that take into account the amount of resources consumed.
• tariffs established at the legislative level. They can be established by federal and local governments. Their actions are strictly regulated by the legislation of the Russian Federation. Citizens must be notified two months in advance of changes in rent and service rates. Their increase must be economically justified.

The relationship between citizens and housing and communal services is a two-way relationship. Housing and communal services or HOAs do not have the right to: arbitrarily increase tariffs; hide the procedure for calculating amounts to be paid; issue invoices for services not provided.

We advise you to read:

• ✅ If you are registered in one place and live in another, should you pay for housing and communal services?
• ✅ Notification of debt on utility bills: sample
• ✅ Sample application for recalculation of utilities
• ✅ Can the lights be turned off for non-payment?

Citizens have the right:

• know the procedure for the amount accrued for payment;
• not to pay for services rendered improperly or provided with an interruption, in excess of the norm established by law;
• refuse to pay bills until the nature of the amount due is clarified. At the same time, if an error is detected in the calculation, the housing and communal services or HOA will delay the response and will not pay the penalty for late payment.

Another useful article is about how to find out rent arrears at an address via the Internet.

Correct calculation of fees for housing and communal services

To check the correctness of the utility amount accrued to you for the use of one of the utility services, you should apply for a transcript of the invoice to the office that issued it.

You are required to provide a written response within the period established by law - 30 days from the date of registration, which describes the invoice received. In exceptional cases this period may be extended.

Who can check?

You can check the accrual of utility bills with the relevant management company. If the invoice is incorrectly issued, there are gross errors in it, or there are questions about the amount of rent, you should submit a statement to the housing and communal services office that issued it.

According to the law, they are required to provide a response to the request, indicating the calculation procedure and articles of the laws of the Russian Federation. If there is no response within the deadlines established by law and its extension, you must contact the State Supervision Inspectorate.

Where can I check?

The correctness of the calculation of utility bills or other services must be confirmed to you by the office that issued the invoice . The request should be made in writing, officially with registration: when delivered in person; by registered mail with notification.

This is necessary so that if in the future there is a need to go to court, there is evidence of pre-trial communication with the housing and communal services office.