The State Duma called for turning the rental income from the common property of the house into its budget

Income from the commercial use of the common property of an apartment building — facades, roofs, basements and other premises — must go to the budget of the house and be used for its maintenance, improvement or reduction of fees for housing and communal services. This was announced on July 17 by State Duma Deputy Dmitry Svishchev.

"We used to think that the wall of our house is just a wall. But in fact, it is an asset that can make money. Banners, billboards, coffee machines in the entrance, rent of a basement for a workshop — all this is possible only with the consent of the owners. And all the income from such a lease is not the money of the Criminal Code, but the money of the tenants. They should go for home repairs, landscaping or a reduction in utility bills," the deputy explained in an interview with TASS.

According to him, according to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, facades, roofs, basements, stairwells and other common property of an apartment building belong to apartment owners on the right of common shared ownership. These facilities can only be used for commercial purposes by resolution of the general meeting of residents.

If the management company, without the consent of the owners, placed advertisements on the facade, installed a vending machine in the entrance or rented out the basement, residents have the right to request a report on such contracts and information on the distribution of funds received, concluded Svishchev.

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Alexey Yatsenko, the founder and CEO of COMFORT Group Management Company, said on July 10 that the rising cost of materials, services and housing maintenance creates an imbalance between the costs of management companies and the current tariffs for the maintenance of apartment buildings. According to the expert, costs in the housing and communal services sector have increased significantly in recent years, but fees for the maintenance of common property in many homes remain unchanged.