Pgs Yarthe utility bill without mysteries: a resident's guide

An independent guide to housing and utility charges. It is not a management company, billing centre or public body and has no connection to the former website on this domain.

Guides

Practical guides

Most questions about a bill arise not from anyone's ill will but from small things: the readings did not get through, the number of residents is out of date, a recalculation was forgotten. Here you will find short guides that help you spot such details yourself and put your enquiry in proper form if one is needed.

Five minutes with your bill once a month saves you a long dispute six months later, after the same mistake has repeated several times.

— Editor's note

These guides describe the general procedure for residents of blocks of flats under Russian law. The specific deadlines for meter readings, contact methods and application forms are set by your contract and by the organisation that issues the bill. We do not accept enquiries or handle disputes on your behalf. Rules differ in other countries, so readers elsewhere should check their own rules.

Guides

Four tasks residents deal with most often.

Check the bill

Check the address, account number, floor area and number of residents, then the volume for each service and the line with past payments. The full procedure is in the steps further down this page.

Basics

Submit meter readings

Take readings on the same day each month, write them down with the date and submit them within the deadline shown on the bill or in the contract. Keep the confirmation that they were received.

Terms

Ask for a recalculation

If you were away for a long time or a service was of poor quality, submit a written request to the management company with supporting papers attached. Keep a copy marked as received.

Examples

Moving

Before you move out, take and record the readings, pay for the last period and ask for a final statement. At the new address, find out the account number and record the readings on the day you move in.

Documents

How to check a month's charges

  1. Check the header

    Make sure the bill shows your address, your account number and the right billing period. A mistake in the header makes checking everything else pointless.

  2. Check the basic data

    See what floor area and how many residents are listed. If someone in the household has moved out or in and the bill does not reflect it, the charges for some services will be wrong.

  3. Compare volumes with your records

    Take your readings for this month and last month, work out the difference and compare it with the volume on the bill. If a standard is shown even though you have a meter, make a separate note of it.

  4. Find your past payments

    Check that last month's payment has been credited. If the payment went through but the bill shows arrears, have the receipt or bank statement ready: without it you cannot start a dispute.

  5. Look at the recalculation lines

    Recalculations for past periods are often listed separately. Work out what they are for: it may be your own request being applied, or it may be a reason to ask a question.

  6. Ask in writing

    If the discrepancy remains, send a written enquiry to the management company or whoever issued the document, and keep a copy marked as received.

Warning signs on a bill

  • The volume for a service has shot up even though the household's habits have not changed and no new appliances have appeared.
  • Your meter works and you submitted readings on time, yet the charge is suddenly based on a consumption standard.
  • Last month's payment is not shown and the amount has turned into arrears.
  • An unfamiliar service or an unexplained line has appeared without anyone warning you.
  • Two different documents from two different organisations have arrived for the same service.
  • Basics

    The parts of a utility bill: payer and account number, billing period, services, volume, amount charged and total due, plus the legal payment deadline.

  • Examples

    Hypothetical examples: someone else's readings on your bill, a standard despite a meter, a long absence, double billing, old arrears, cold "hot" water.

  • FAQ

    Short answers to common questions about the utility bill, meters, disputed charges and arrears on housing and utility payments, based on Russian law.

Sources

  • Housing Code of the Russian Federation, Articles 155 and 157
  • Rules for the Provision of Utility Services (Russian Government Resolution No. 354 of 6 May 2011)

These materials are based on the Russian Housing Code and the Russian Rules for the Provision of Utility Services. Deadlines, billing methods and tariffs for a particular building also depend on the management contract, decisions of the general meeting and regional regulations, so check important questions against official sources and your own documents. Rules differ in other countries: if you live elsewhere, check the rules that apply to you.