Locals in Chelyabinsk Face Financial Burden from Longstanding Dispute with Property Management Firm, Demanding Thousands in Payments
Revamped Article:
Households living on Topolinoy Alley, Chelyabinsk, are facing unexpected debt surges, with repayment orders that outweigh their actual debt by a staggering 15 times.
According to a local news outlet, "Novyi Den", residents of 39b Academician Korolev Street have received bills exceeding 30,000 rubles.
This startling financial blow has been attributed to a prolonged conflict over repayments for a surveillance service that has been in operation since 2012, yet residents have never had access to the video recordings. Initial complaints to the State Housing Inspectorate led the managing company to reimburse around 2,000 to 3,500 rubles to some residents in 2022.
However, recent correspondence from bailiffs reveals that the managing company's legal maneuvers have led to a court order reversal. Despite the refunds, residents are now obligated to pay vastly more than their original debt.
As one resident put it, "They want to collect over 30,000 rubles from us, only 2,000 rubles is for the surveillance, 400 rubles is for state fees, and the rest is for the managing company's representative expenses," 74.ru reports. "It seems that the managing company 'Territoriya Komforta' is suing us for unjust enrichment."
Oddly enough, many residents claim they never received any notification about the debt from the managing company before the bailiff letters arrived. However, some residents admit to participating in court hearings, and one successful participant managed to reduce the court fees from 30,000 to 10,000 rubles. Yet, he remains unsatisfied and chose to settle the debt rather than continuing the legal battle.
Another resident, a pensioner, made the full 33,500 ruble payment without consulting the proceedings.
The managing company claims they informed all residents and offered them to settle the claims through an agreement. Most residents signed the documents, but a few refused, resulting in lawsuits. Court fees, imposed on the residents, are unavoidable in such cases.
Legal experts believe the high cost of court fees in this case may stem from the nature of the proceedings: "Probably, each application for a court order was processed separately, and the amount was indicated in each document. Court sessions aren't held in such cases, and orders are immediately sent to bailiffs and to the debtor," a legal expert explains.
The company representing the managing company in court estimates their services at as much as 390,000 rubles: 30,000 rubles for each debtor. These services supposedly include the preparation of legal documents, debt calculations, and participation in court sessions. However, court orders rarely necessitate sessions, making additional calculations discretionary, and the preparation of legal documents possibly limited to replacing personal data for each case.
In light of these developments, residents seeking to dispute the amount of court fees will need to return to court.
The broader Russian economic and legal landscape offers insights into possible factors contributing to these circumstances:
- High interest rates and penalties, reaching 23.79% in January 2025, have pushed many Russians into financial hardship, including bankruptcy.
- Fiscal pressure on local governments is prompting tighter fee collection, even for services like surveillance.
- Legal complexities may involve retroactive billing, questionable contractual clauses, and overlapping jurisdictions between municipal services and federal consumer protection laws.
Residents should examine their region's debt collection laws and recent court rulings to determine whether their surveillance service fees are mandated, if payment demands comply with protective consumer rights laws, and whether precedents exist for proportionate penalties for utility-type service debts.
- Bailiffs in Chelyabinsk are enforcing court orders on residents of Topolinoy Alley, requiring them to pay vastly more than their original debt for a surveillance service, despite initial refunds.
- The managing company, Territoriya Komforta, claims they offered residents an agreement to settle the claims, but some residents refused and faced lawsuits, resulting in court fees.
- In the policy-and-legislation realm, high interest rates, fiscal pressure on local governments, and legal complexities like retroactive billing and questionable contractual clauses could be contributing factors to these debt issues.
- Understanding the local debt collection laws and recent court rulings can help residents determine if their surveillance service fees are mandated, if payment demands comply with consumer rights laws, and whether proportional penalties for utility-type service debts have precedents.
