The lawyer called it illegal to turn off the water in the whole house because of the debts of the neighbors

Turning off the water in the entire apartment building due to debt for housing and communal services (housing and communal services) from individual tenants is illegal and violates the rights of bona fide owners. This was announced on April 12 by Stanislav Guzhov, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Management of the Presidential Academy.

"Turning off the water to the entire apartment building due to the debts of individual apartments is a serious violation of the law and infringement of the rights of bona fide owners," Guzhov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

He noted that, according to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, the obligation to pay for utilities is assigned exclusively to the owners or tenants of specific premises. For this reason, it is illegal to impose sanctions on residents who do not have debts.

If the water was turned off illegally, Guzhov advised first to send a written request for the resumption of the service to the management company. If this does not help, you should complain to the State Housing Inspectorate or the Prosecutor's Office.

The expert added that this practice not only violates the norms of law, but also undermines the foundations of social justice and trust between citizens and public utilities.

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Vladimir Koshelev, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services, said on April 8 that it was not legally required to obtain the written consent of neighbors for renting an apartment, but it was necessary to respect their rights and interests and remember the responsibility of the owner for the behavior of tenants. Among other conditions, water, electricity and gas meters must be installed in the apartment for the correct calculation of housing and communal services, the expert recalled.

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