The key facts

  • LDPR deputy Kaplan Panesh proposed enshrining in the Housing Code free plumber calls from management companies for elderly citizens.
  • The right to a free call is proposed for single pensioners over 70 and disabled persons of groups I and II; others would get a reduced rate of up to 500 rubles.
  • Also proposed are a unified dispatch center at management companies and administrative liability for refusing services.

The Deputy's Initiative

State Duma deputy from the LDPR Kaplan Panesh, in a conversation with Life.ru, proposed enshrining pensioners' right to a free plumber call from the management company. According to him, elderly people are often left alone with everyday problems — leaks, clogs, a broken faucet — and do not know where to turn. Management companies, as he described, are responsible for the building's common property: risers, shutoff valves, basements and roofs, but everything inside the apartment after the first valve is the owner's responsibility.

Arguments: Prices and Scammers

Panesh noted that management companies often tell residents: 'This is your territory, call a private contractor.' Private plumbers, according to his data, charge from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles per call, and up to 10,000 for complex work. For a pensioner with an income of 20,000–25,000 rubles, a call costing 3,000–5,000 is a serious blow to the budget. In addition, in the deputy's opinion, services for finding contractors often fail to vet them, and people become victims of scammers who take the money and disappear.

What Is Proposed

We are talking about simple jobs: clearing clogs, replacing gaskets, repairing faucets, tightening connections, cleaning siphons. Panesh proposes enshrining in the Housing Code the obligation of management companies to provide elderly citizens with basic plumbing services free of charge using their staff plumber. The right to a free call is proposed to be granted to single pensioners over 70 years old, disabled persons of groups I and II, as well as elderly people living alone. For everyone else — a reduced rate of no more than 500 rubles per call.

Additional Measures

In addition, the deputy proposed creating a unified dispatch center at the management company, which an elderly person could call to request a plumber, as well as introducing administrative liability for management companies that refuse to provide basic plumbing services to elderly citizens. 'A management company that he pays every month is obliged to provide elementary assistance. This is not charity — this is normal housing and utilities work,' Panesh concluded.

Faucets, taps, toilets, pipes under the sink — the management company is not responsible for any of these. And when an 80-year-old grandmother has a burst flexible hose or a clogged sewer, she is left alone with the problem. Private plumbers charge from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles per call, and up to 10,000 for complex work. For an elderly person, that is an unaffordable amount of money. Moreover, services for finding handymen often fail to vet their contractors, and people fall victim to scammers. I propose enshrining in the Housing Code the obligation of management companies to provide elderly citizens with basic plumbing services free of charge.Faucets, taps, toilets, pipes under the sink — the management company is not responsible for any of these. And when an 80-year-old grandmother has a burst flexible hose or a clogged sewer, she is left alone with the problem. Private plumbers charge from 2,000 to 5,000 rubles per call, and up to 10,000 for complex work. For an elderly person, that is an unaffordable amount of money. Moreover, services for finding handymen often fail to vet their contractors, and people fall victim to scammers. I propose enshrining in the Housing Code the obligation of management companies to provide elderly citizens with basic plumbing services free of charge.Russians were explained how to claim compensation for damage caused by a flood from household appliances