To avoid this, Kyivvodokanal needs assistance.
Kyiv residents began to unscrew the meter using a miracle device.
Kyiv residents complained about unaffordable heating costs.
Kyiv residents are starting to receive shock bills for housing and communal services.
The deadline for checking apartment water meters in Kyiv was supposed to end on January 1st. However, authorities decided to postpone it for another two months—until early spring. This is because many Kyiv residents haven't had time to check their meters. Meanwhile, Kyivvodokanal is preparing a tariff increase.
DELAYED AGAIN
The deadline for verifying apartment water meters has already been postponed twice. Initially, the date was set for July 1, 2014. But due to dissatisfaction from residents who didn't understand the procedure and missed the deadline, the Kyiv City State Administration postponed the verification date to January 1. Now, it's been postponed again—to March 1. "A great many people still haven't verified their meters. We understand this will take more than one day, so we've accommodated residents and agreed with Kyivvodokanal and Kyivenergo on an additional two-month deferment," Yulia Gramotna, advisor to Kyiv City State Administration Deputy Head Petro Panteleyev, told Vesti. Meters must be verified every 3-4 years (the period is specified in the product's data sheet).
WHAT AFTER MARCH 1?
Residents who ignore the inspection before March 1 will be charged based on the general building meter readings, the Kyiv City State Administration warns. The monthly readings are divided among all residents of the building. This typically results in significantly higher volumes than a single family actually consumes. This fall, Kyiv residents were already receiving bills claiming 20-40 cubic meters of water consumed per person. After numerous complaints, Kyivvodokanal decided to charge no more than 11 cubic meters of cold water per resident.
Kyiv residents previously complained about unaffordable heating costs.
However, housing and utilities expert and director of the Institute of the City, Oleksandr Sergienko, believes this is still too much: "Water consumption standards have not been repealed. In Kyiv, they still stand at 3,5 cubic meters per person per month for hot water and 5,5 cubic meters for cold water. These are the standards that should be used if the meter is unverified or missing," Sergienko told Vesti.
According to him, using the general building meter to calculate consumption can only be done if it's definitively established that there are no leaks in the entire building. "We need to go through every apartment, check for leaks in the faucets and toilets, and inspect all the pipes in the basement. And all this should be done by a special commission. Clearly, no one has ever done this. But people shouldn't have to pay for leaky pipes," says Sergienko. He recommends going to court to defend your right not to overpay.
HOW MUCH IS?
Kyivvodokanal claims that Kyiv residents are responsible for checking their meters themselves, at their own expense. "Only those residents who installed meters after June 1, 2014, or who had their meters checked on time can expect the next check to be covered by Kyivvodokanal," the company states. It's only on July 1 that a law came into effect defining the water utility as the service provider. Previously, these were the housing offices, and meter verification was their responsibility. The cheapest meter verification option costs around 50 UAH. However, this requires bringing the meter to the verification organization in person (contact information can be found on Kyivvodokanal's website, for example). To avoid dismantling, transporting, and then installing meters, many Kyiv residents call a technician to their home for a check. This service is more expensive, starting at 120 UAH per meter.
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