The Verkhovna Rada made another step in the reform of housing and communal services.
The Verkhovna Rada on November 9 passed at repeated second reading the new bill on utilities and housing services (No. 1581-d) intended to settle legal relations between executors and consumers of the services in the utilities and housing sphere in Ukraine.
A total of 262 lawmakers backed the document.
"This is a first step to the possibility of residents of multi-apartment buildings to influence the provision of high-quality services at a fair price. The adopted bill along with the bill on the specifics of executing ownership rights in multi-apartment buildings (No. 417) is intended to strengthen the effective owner institution in Ukraine," Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Services Hennadiy Zubko said at the plenary session of the parliament.
He said that the document envisages the right of consumers to cut the utilities and housing fees if they are not provided, if they are provided not in full amount or their quality worsens.
According to the bill, consumers have the right not to pay for utility and housing services (apart from heating services) if they do not use them in the period when consumers are temporarily absent in the premises for over 30 calendar days.
"We have drawn up all bylaws allowing conducting a tender, signing a typical agreement and manage property. The bill sets the rules of signing agreements by consumers to obtain a full range of utilities and housing services for house maintenance, water supply, waste treatment, gas and electricity supply. The next step is designing of additional tools that would allow more controlling suppliers of services," Zubko said.
