The Russians were told how the tariffs for housing and communal services will change this year

Rising energy resources, inflationary processes, an increase in excise taxes and not always transparent schemes for the provision of services in the field of housing and communal services (HCS) determine a constant increase in tariffs in this area. Honored Lawyer of Russia Ivan Soloviev told PRIME agency about this.

At the same time, according to him, the Housing Code establishes that the state is obliged to limit the growth of the size of payments for utilities paid by citizens through the approval of maximum indexes of change. The government does this annually, setting acceptable limits for the growth of rents, which traditionally include payments for gas, electricity, heating, hot and cold water supply and garbage collection.

Since 2013, tariffs in the housing and utilities sector have been recalculated once a year, from July 1, and the maximum indices of the rise in the cost of utilities are determined for each region separately. So, in 2022, payments will grow by an average of 3.5-5%. At the same time, in particular, in the Russian capital, the growth will be 6%, and, for example, in the Sverdlovsk region it is half as much – 2.9%. St. Petersburg, Crimea, Sevastopol, Chechnya and Tatarstan will become record-holders, where tariffs will be increased by more than 6%.

“Since the provision of public services is not much different from any production, then a certain tariff, as a rule, grows more dynamically than others, and the final calculation in one settlement may turn out to be higher than in a neighboring one, even within the same region. There is no violation of the law in this, the main thing is that the average value of the index established for the region is observed, ”the lawyer notes.

However, he pointed out that in the regions, after analyzing the current situation, local authorities themselves determine how much to increase payments – they have an upper bar approved by the federal government, but whether to use this maximum value or not depends on the specific economic situation. There are cases when the regional executive power decides to increase tariffs below the index approved by the government of the Russian Federation, Soloviev emphasizes.

The amount of contributions for major repairs for citizens is likely to remain the same – and this despite the rapid rise in prices for building materials. Therefore, the overhaul work itself may rise in price (25% on the basis of government decree No. 1667 of 2021).

“The main condition is that the final payment should not exceed the limit value of the cost of overhaul in the region,” says Solovyov.

The expert also predicts that the number of beneficiaries for utility bills will also gradually increase, as it is planned to gradually reduce the maximum share of utility bills: now it is 22% of revenues, in 2023 – 18%, and in 2025 – 15% …

At the same time, according to the expert, one should not forget about the methods available to everyone to optimize payments for housing and communal services: install meters for cold water, for hot water – a meter with a temperature sensor and a multi-tariff meter for electricity.

In addition, the installation of temperature controllers in the apartment or house, the replacement of incandescent bulbs with energy-saving ones: fluorescent or LED, will lead to a decrease in payments. Do not forget to turn off the lights in empty rooms, turn off the tap, and also fully load the washing machine and dishwasher – these simple tips will help you save money and pay only for what you have consumed, summed up Solovyov.