It's already warmer: fines from utilities have been proposed to be sent for major repairs

There may be more money for capital repairs due to fines from management companies and suppliers of energy and heat. The bill introducing such a mechanism was prepared by State Duma deputies from United Russia. This will speed up the overhaul of apartment buildings, according to parliamentarians. Today, almost 80 billion are missing for these purposes, as a result, the number of emergency homes is increasing. A similar practice is already in force in Russia with respect to penalties related to road funds, recycling fees, and environmental payments. The industry supports the initiative, but they consider it important to clearly define the mechanism for distributing this money so that it does not return to those management companies that have been fined.

Why is there not enough money to renovate houses?

Fines from management companies (CC), regional operators for the management of municipal solid waste (MSW) and resource supply organizations are proposed to be left in the housing and communal services system and sent for major repairs of apartment buildings. This provision is contained in a draft law prepared for submission to the State Duma by the head of the Committee on Construction and Housing from the United Russia faction, Sergei Pakhomov. Izvestia has reviewed the document.

The reason for the legislative initiative is the lack of funds from regional capital repair funds for these purposes: the deficit today is about 80 billion rubles, which is why the deadlines for completing critically necessary work are being shifted, the deputy explained to Izvestia.

The program of overhaul of common property in apartment buildings — roofs, basements, utilities, facades, replacement of elevators — has been operating in Russia since 2014. It provides for the extension of the life cycle by maintaining structural elements and engineering systems in proper technical condition.

In 2024, Capital Repair Funds spent 105.5 billion rubles — 11,920 houses were repaired. At the same time, there are 136,698 houses in the capital repair program today, and 60,486 in the short term (replacement of elevators in the next three years, repair of communications, roof, facade, etc.).

As practice shows, there is not enough money to overhaul all apartment buildings, including taking into account the prices of building materials. Buildings are rapidly becoming emergency buildings, and the main purpose of the overhaul mechanism to maintain technical condition is not being fulfilled, according to the State Duma. Therefore, in order to slow down the process of dilapidation of houses and prolong their life cycle, it is proposed to fix in the Budget Code of the Russian Federation the target orientation of incoming fines from organizations for major repairs of common property, including the replacement of elevators. Currently, this applies to penalties related to the road fund, recycling fees, and environmental payments, the explanatory note says.

They will come for revenue: part of the 4.5 trillion for modernization of the housing and utilities sector is to be found through foreign investment

Will it be possible to attract such a sum from foreign companies and what infrastructure is in particular need of repair?

In 2024, the amount of such fines to the Criminal Code, MSW management regulators and resource supply organizations amounted to 1.54 billion rubles. And in the first quarter of 2025, it increased by another 316 million rubles, according to the explanatory note. Thus, in total, an additional 1.85 billion rubles can be allocated for these purposes in 2024-2025, the document says.

At the moment, these fines go to the budgets of the regions, which distribute these funds at their discretion. The bill proposes to introduce their targeted spending, directing them to overhaul common property in residential buildings, including the replacement of elevators. The expediency of this is explained by the fact that in some regions the amount of fines paid is comparable to the amount of capital repairs or amounts to a significant percentage. So, in 2024, for example, in Tatarstan, according to the State Housing and Communal Services Information System, the volume of fines amounted to 14.48 million rubles, and the volume of overhaul contracts — 13.5 million.

— One of the real options that we are currently working on is to direct fines to finance the renovation of houses. Together with colleagues from the State Duma Committee on Budget and Taxes, we are working on an appropriate adjustment to the Budget Code," Sergei Pakhomov explained to Izvestia.

Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Construction with a request to assess the prospects for supporting the initiative.

What measures can help solve the problem of lack of funds?

Tatiana Gotsulenko, Director of the Association of Management and Maintenance Organizations in the Housing Sector, believes that the initiative is interesting and deserves to be studied.

— Indeed, there are not enough funds for major repairs. And fines, as their new source of replenishment, could play a positive role. However, it is necessary to understand how the mechanism of operation of this bill will be prescribed. It is important that the money does not return to the management company, which, for example, was fined for poor—quality overhaul," the expert explained.

The money from fines should be targeted, Vera Moskvina, executive director of the Moscow City Housing and Communal Services Control Association, also believes.

— It's good if they return to service the same house. In addition, each region has a different situation with the volume of major repairs. Perhaps, for example, this amount of fines will be relevant for some region and will solve the repair problem, but it is unlikely to be suitable for large cities," the expert explained.

They will collect on bricks: the residents will no longer be charged for acceleration of capital repairs

Regional operators will be required to carry out an inspection of the technical condition of the house every five years

There is a reasonable grain in the bill — to leave money in the housing and communal services system, but in Russia it is necessary to change the financing of the overhaul system as a whole, said Konstantin Krokhin, a member of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Committee on Housing and Communal Services, Chairman of the Board of the Union of Housing Organizations of Moscow.

"The lack of funds for capital repairs is very noticeable, but in principle it is wrong to finance the overhaul of old houses at the expense of new ones, as it is happening today," he told Izvestia.

It is more correct that the owners of a particular house, if they need to repair the roof, elevators, and so on, collect contributions for this and spend them only on their house, he added.

Now citizens' contributions for capital repairs often go to general regional funds.