300 homeowners' associations operate in the Vitebsk region
300 owners' associations are operating in the Vitebsk region, as reported to a BELTA correspondent by Yuri Dyadelo, head of the housing and communal services department of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee.
The housing stock of the Vitebsk region amounts to 30.9 million sq.m, of which 14.2 million sq.m is under the technical maintenance of 29 housing and communal services enterprises. A part of the housing stock is maintained by enterprises and organizations based on departmental affiliation.
As of September 1, 300 owners' associations were registered in the region. Of these, 86 use the services of housing and communal services enterprises for technical maintenance. The remaining 214 perform housing technical maintenance independently. For this purpose, they have hired staff, including a janitor, a plumber, an electrician, etc. If necessary, other specialists are involved on a contractual basis.
In addition, two associations of owners' associations, "Vitebskaya Alternativa" and "Yunost-Orsha," which include several adjacent residential buildings, are registered in the region. Their owners' associations have united into associations for the collegial resolution of issues affecting the adjacent interests of neighboring houses. For example, the improvement of the adjacent territory, etc.
"No complaints or appeals with grievances from the public regarding the activities of their owners' associations have been received by the department. Nor have there been any proposals from citizens who are members of owners' associations to switch back to technical maintenance by housing and communal services enterprises. This indicates that this form of work is proving its worth," noted Yuri Dyadelo, emphasizing that current issues, of course, exist, but they are all resolved in a working manner.
There are no private companies operating in the sphere of housing stock technical maintenance in the Vitebsk region.
The Head of the Housing and Communal Services Department noted that all homeowners' associations in the region are being formed in newly built houses. Residents of older buildings also have this opportunity, as the choice of the method for managing joint property, in accordance with current legislation, depends solely on the decision made by the owners. In this regard, housing and communal services enterprises, when carrying out or immediately before the start of major repairs of older residential buildings, usually offer their residents to determine the further method of managing joint property. "However, no decisions on creating homeowners' associations for such houses have been made yet," the interlocutor stated.
"To date, all conditions have been created for the development of alternative forms of private property management, as well as control over the management process; however, citizens in most cases behave passively, showing no activity in managing and servicing the housing they own," concluded the Head of the Housing and Communal Services Department. He also added that in order to improve the management of joint property, and to create a system for special training and professional development, advanced training courses for managers of apartment buildings in the specialty "Organization and Management of Joint Property" have been organized at the Vitebsk State Technological University.