Law provides variety of options related to or affecting holding real-estate
Easy come, easy go – a Klondike city for water public utility
Another generosity of social state is low tariffs of public utility services for population. Government partly subsidies cost of public utility services to households. These services are more expensive for business, therefore the Law obliges businesses to register their venues as “non-dwelling”.
“low tariffs of public utility services for population”
“low tariffs lead to expensive service “
Yet low tariffs lead to quite expensive service for those households that decided to pay. Turned out, public water utility manages to double charge for the same item and service provided. A water meter, its installation and annual maintenance are included in tariff, and may be collected additionally in cash from household directly by visiting utility worker; administrative expenses for water billing are included in tariff, as well as they are derived from personal tax allocated to local budget.
“ water public utility may bill up for 14 cubic meters of water – entire
water-pool per one person a month from a household!”
So 25% of capital city households refused to install meters on water. In turn water public utility lobbied regulation under which households without water meters are to pay for all water supply above volume metered, including all water leaks in the outside building’ water grid.
It may discourage public utility providers from keeping their grids in order: as water outside building pipes leak and households bear expenses, it is possible to charge a single person from downtown household for consuming 14 cubic meters of water per person a month – it is entire water-pool! Surely, home owners prefer paying for water they did not use, as it is cheaper option anyway.
“Sail-garage propelled by water- leak in downtown of capital city”
But poor quality of public utility services bears more risks and expenses for households. Constant hidden water leaks from outside-buildings utility pipes may erode soil near the building. As happened with particular downtown building (mentioned earlier) in August 2016.
The private garage, which was located in 25 meters distance in front of this building, crashed down together with the hill and all trees on top of it (please see the picture). 
Sail-garage propelled by water-leak, August 2016
The same place, the same garage, October 2016
Before it local water emergency periodically cut water to buildings nearby because massive water leaks. They resorted to fixing holes in obsolete pipe and indicating garage area with warning signs printed on paper. Incidentally, the municipality service provider is located in the same very building.
You may see the construction cite from another side of the place where hill with garage used to be. Surely, construction may be the part of the reason of land-slide, but the hill with garages stood there more than 30 years, the hill being reinforced with mature trees and engineering constructions. Water – soaked hill due to constantly leaking pipes could not resist impact of large – scale construction nearby.
Sail-garage located behind the fence in front of municipality service provider’ venue in downtown of capital city
…While pensioners (careless about tariffs) might be heating the universe with open windows by winters; their neighbor household might be desperately trying to warm up by burning wood and to share bathroom water, because this family income and their age do not allow for government’ benefits and they can barely afford paying full utility rates.
Law provides variety of options related to or effecting real-estate holding
Pay and rule, family brigade
Generous social state and free resources are available for specific groups of population, lax law enforcement, may help when it comes to holding down-town home in given post – Soviet country.
Yet mostly solutions for urban dwellers to home’ holding are based on home ownership and family accumulated efforts, with variety of options in between:
-on one end of the spectrum is buying for pea-nuts cheap flat with size of bird-nest and located nowhere;
– on another end is investing in premium-class real estate with registered ownership by holding company in downtown, served by private building maintenance service.
In the middle – is investing in newly built medium – class buildings with “embedded” state-registered Householders Committees.
… Recently my friend- wedding broker came across a new marriage order from a man, the owner of variety of properties in urban and rural areas and luxury pent-house in down – town; man is to offer “hand and heart” to a decent modest woman, preferably with legal and financial background, able to manage estate and negotiate with utility providers…
