Only professional workers should be involved into the maintenance organization in multifamily houses

The second planned International Workshop was held on the “Atameken” site from 9th to 13th April with the participation of international experts from Germany, the Republic of Belarus, Latvia and Uzbekistan, representatives of management companies, cooperatives of apartment owners, service companies, and industry associations from Astana, Karaganda, Petropavlovsk and Atyrau.

As it is known, the MID RK is now amending the Law "On Housing Relations" within the framework of which it is proposed to introduce the Association of Property Owners (APO) as a mandatory single form of property owners’ management, excluding other management alternatives in houses with more than 10 owners.

It is assumed that the APO will attract business managers and service companies, which do not change the essence of the CAO. Thus, more than 78 thousand APO will be created (by the number of multifamily houses in Kazakhstan). On the part of business, it was repeatedly pointed out that the simultaneous creation of 78,000 legal entities - associations of property owners, would entail a change in existing forms of management and, as a consequence, will cause chaos and lack of control in the common property management system of multifamily houses.

"This approach raises questions for the business; therefore, using the partnership of the NCE with the "Housing in Eastern Europe" (IWO), the seminar will voice the opinions of international experts. Today we invited representatives of the authorized body, as active work is being done to reform the housing and utilities sector and this issue is of interest not only to business but also to ordinary citizens," - Yeldos Ramazanov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Atameken noted.

At the same time, the law does not comtain the main issue - attraction of professionals to management.

"The happening facts in violation of the rules of operation and maintenance of elevator equipment, fire systems indicate that the problems need to be solved in a comprehensive manner. To organize the operation of dangerous technical devices, to ensure the safe functioning of systems in multifamily houses, persons who meet certain qualifying requirements, bear an increased level of responsibility, including the introduction of liability insurance," - Yeldos Ramazanov noted.

German colleagues commented on the idea of introducing an APO. Noting that this mechanism will not work fully without introducing mandatory implementation mechanisms and tools. Such as in Germany, where the responsibility of owners is established for non-payment of services of management companies, for non-payment of utility bills, disconnection of heating and water supply to the defaulter, payment for services of management companies on a prepayment system (reconciliation at the end of the year) and in case of debt formation at a rate of 3% from the cost of an apartment, an auction for the sale of an apartment will be held, as well as the obligation to pay for major repairs.

Whereas Latvia, as the expert Juris Vigis, the head of the company "Jelgavas nekustamā īpašuma pārvalde" - the management of the houses in Jelgava" notes, has a public Register of managers (individuals and legal entities), which facilitates the search for a potential manager; and if the manager is not in the Register, he does not have the right to carry out his activities.

A form of governance of the new institution contains norms that are on the verge of balancing the interests of all participants. It affects the issue of the disappearance of the CAO institution as an established layer of managers and is in the financial interests of each apartment owner and non-residential premises in multifamily houses, "Atameken"initiated the holding of public hearings on the bill on the NCE site. A corresponding letter was sent.

"This measure is necessary. As the practice of adoption of laws with a public resonance shows, gaining negative feedback is possible after their submission to the Parliament," - Yeldos Ramazanov believes.

It is necessary to take the best practices of housing management in Kazakhstan as a basis, because we can trace the a positive experience both in the activities of the CAO and in the activities of management companies that install 24-hour telephone lines for receiving complaints from residents and KPI for their employees; eliminate emergency situations at their own expense by purchasing equipment and materials, pay wages in a non-cash form, etc.

Today, acting conscientious CAOs, management companies do not have the necessary levers of influence on non-payers and cannot receive adequate payment for their services.

It is necessary to realize that attracting professionals in order to maintain the life support systems of a house in good condition is always the costs that the owner of an apartment/non-residential premises bears. Thus, the articles of operating costs increase many times, that is also subject to discussion with payers.

"We can emulate the experience of German, Belarusian, Latvian colleagues, but we have our own national specifics. We should take the best out of this," - Yeldos Ramazanov concluded, adding that the business landed on its feet and should determine in which direction it should be developed.

From 14 to 18 May Atameken will continue a series of seminars on housing management in the framework of cooperation between the NCE and the IWO-Initiative "Housing in Eastern Europe" (Berlin, Germany).

Reference:

The seminar is another stage in the implementation of the three-year cooperation between the NCE and the IWO - Initiative "Housing in Eastern Europe" (Berlin, Germany), whose goal is to improve the qualification level of professional associations, to analyze their structure and to provide qualified trainings for managers and service companies.

It should be noted that in March of the present year, Kazakhstan delegation, including representatives of the authorized body, the NCE, the LAB, management companies and associations visited Berlin. During the meeting, the Kazakhstani people adopted the experience of their colleagues, looked at the work of German communal services, management companies, government agencies and industry associations