The Council has canceled utility charges for destroyed and damaged housing
25 March 17:04
The Verkhovna Rada has passed Bill No. 13155 in its entirety, which exempts owners of housing damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression from paying for housing and utility services. This was announced by Pavlo Frolov, a member of parliament and head of the special commission on the protection of internally displaced persons, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
The bill was supported by 308 lawmakers.
The law regulates the billing of housing and utility services in cases where housing has been damaged or destroyed as a result of hostilities, terrorist acts, or sabotage caused by Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.
Key changes:
- for destroyed housing, billing ceases as of the date of its destruction;
- for housing deemed unfit for habitation or posing a threat to life and health, charges are not assessed during the period of repair or restoration;
- in the case of a condominium association (OSBB), exemptions from payment for housing services are approved by a meeting of the co-owners;
- inspections are conducted by commissions of local authorities, which, within 30 business days of the date of destruction or damage, send a notification of the results to the owner, the HOA, the Pension Fund of Ukraine, and service providers;
- The law will remain in effect during martial law and for two years after its termination.
According to the law, the government must develop a mechanism for restructuring debts incurred after February 24, 2022, while the enforcement of debts for the period of temporary occupation is prohibited until they are separately verified.
“The law introduces effective social guarantees for affected Ukrainians: they no longer need to pay for services that are not actually provided and cannot be used,” Frolov noted.
It is also noted that the adoption of the law will eliminate cases of unjustified utility charges for destroyed or uninhabitable properties and streamline the mechanism for assessing damages, which will be a crucial element for future recovery and compensation programs.
