The lawyer talked about ways to write off debts on housing and communal services

Russians can partially reduce their arrears in housing and communal services (HCS) by correcting calculation errors and applying a three-year limitation period. Dmitry Bondar, a public figure and housing and communal services expert, told about this on April 6.

"A common situation is related to the statute of limitations, which is three years in the housing and communal services sector. If the management company decides to claim debts in court for a period exceeding this period, the defendant has the right to declare the statute of limitations to the court," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Usually, when considering such applications, judges refuse the management company to collect debts received more than three years ago.

At the same time, you should not count on the fact that the statute of limitations can help to completely write off debts. This method will only help to stop their compulsory collection for the period after three years.

At the stage of enforcement proceedings, bailiffs will check the debtor for the presence of his property and income. If a person has neither one nor the other, a decision will be made to end the proceedings. In this case, the management company can write off the debt.

"Disputes about erroneous accrual are quite common. If you are sure that your debt is the result of incorrect tariffs, incorrect room size, or a database malfunction, you need to contact your service provider to verify the calculations, attaching receipts and other supporting documents," the expert advised.

If the debts amount to more than 500 thousand rubles, then a person can declare bankruptcy by contacting the arbitration court. After the procedure is completed, creditors will no longer be able to claim debts.

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On March 30, the Supreme Court ordered parents to pay utility bills for their children. The precedent for this was a dispute between the Tomsk Homeowners' Association (HOA) and a local resident who had accumulated a debt of almost 445,000 rubles for non-payment of utility bills and capital repair fees. The court partially satisfied the claim, collecting money from the debtor and his mother, who lives with him.