Russians break records for debts for housing and communal services: how to save on a communal apartment

Experts proposed to expand the list of possible recipients of subsidies

Non-payments in the housing sector have risen again – and to record heights. According to Rosstat, in the first quarter of 2022, debts for housing and communal services soared to 804.5 billion rubles. This is 7.6% or 56.6 billion rubles more than in the same period of 2021. The main reason for the “record” is clear even to non-specialists – the financial problems of the population. And since the incomes of Russians continue to fall, we can conclude that the trend towards an increase in non-payments will continue. According to experts’ forecasts, if the state does not act, the amount of debt will grow by 10-15% per year and there are significant risks that these debts can be farmed out to collectors.

The debts of Russians to resource-supplying organizations increased by 11%, to management companies – by 3%, Rosstat reported. In general, debt growth has become a record for the quarter, and the main problem is that people’s incomes are constantly decreasing, while utility bills are just as regularly growing.

The record jump in public debts was a reaction of people to the raging inflation. Recall that in the first quarter of 2022, prices grew quite noticeably: according to opinion polls, the Russians estimated the rise in prices in the range of 30-50%, which is much higher than the official inflation of Rosstat (17.9% – this year’s maximum, recorded at the end of April). The population began to actively save, as a result, there was such a significant increase in debt for housing and communal services.

Non-paying citizens first receive a warning from the resource supplying organization, and only later, after three months of non-payment, they may face a shutdown of gas, water, heat, warns B&C Agency Managing Partner Ivan Samoylenko.

“It’s definitely not worth bringing to this point – you can pay for housing and communal services in installments, there is an opportunity to agree on debt restructuring. And then the disconnection of resources will not happen, – the interlocutor of “MK” notes. – It is better to pay utility bills on time, without delay. It is much more profitable and cheaper than paying fines and penalties later or reconnecting gas, water and electricity.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Development predicts an increase in the unemployed in the fall of 2022, so the situation is likely to worsen, says Natalia Chernysheva, a specialist in the field of housing and communal services, director of the People’s Control Organization. It is not surprising that at a time when Russians are losing jobs and earnings, rising utility bills are becoming a serious problem on a national scale and hit hard on the pockets of the country’s citizens.

“In order to prevent an increase in debt by the end of the year, it is imperative to expand the circle of persons eligible for subsidies and increase the size of the preferential payments themselves. It is not clear why subsidies are given in some regions when the share of expenditures on housing and communal services in total family income exceeds 10%, while in other, sometimes neighboring, regions it is 22%. It would be right to fix 10% for everyone at the federal level, and not give the determination of the share to the regions, ”Chernysheva emphasizes.

From year to year, against the backdrop of a weak ruble and noticeable inflation, housing and communal services continue to rise in price and citizens’ incomes do not keep pace with new utility rates, says Andrey Loboda, economist, director of external relations at BitRiver. For example, the owners of a small apartment in a large Russian city spend an average of 5,000 to 8,000 rubles a month on utility bills. The amount is rather big, taking into account the median salary in the country of 35 thousand rubles.

“It is necessary to actively implement cashback programs for conscientious payers, and encourage the most responsible categories of citizens with discounts. It is also worth launching incentive programs. For example, paying an invoice within a week after it was issued can give a savings (discount) of 5%, and conscientious financial discipline for, for example, 10 years will allow you to receive discounts on invoices in the amount of 10-15%. In this case, the flow of funds to the public utilities from citizens will grow,” Loboda is convinced.

Meanwhile, with the inaction of the authorities, the volume of debts will grow by 10-15% annually and there are significant risks that this segment may be given to debt collectors, experts warn. Citizens who went through the “dashing 90s” can not be told about the consequences of such a scenario once again.