OREANDA-NEWS. April 03, 2008. The local authorities should organize the open tenders for selecting the managing companies of multiple apartment buildings by 1st May 2008, informed the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) in the letters sent to the governors of the Russian regions, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Under Article 161 of the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation passed a Resolution "On Proceedings for Organizing the Open Tenders by the Local Authorities for Selecting the Managing Companies of Multi-Apartment Buildings". The same document determines the rules for organizing such tenders.

Under Part 1 Article 18 of the Federal Law "On Enacting the Housing Code of the Russian Federation", if t by 1st January 2007 the owners of the premises in a multi-apartment building did not choose the method of managing their multi-apartment building or the decision on the method of management was not executed, from 1st January 2007 to 1st May 2008 the local authorities should organize, in accordance with the procedures stated in the Resolution, an open tender for selecting the managing company.

FAS Russia also draws attention of the heads of the regions that if the local and state authorities in the federal cities - Moscow and St Petersburg - do not organize such tenders, it violate Article 15 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" and is liable under the same legislation.

Reference:
Total housing stock under management - 1 604 897 660 m2, or 1 051 608 multi-apartment buildings.

By the end of IV quarter of 2007, the owners of the premises in multi-apartment buildings have used their right to choose the method of management of multi-apartment buildings by forming house owners associations, housing co-operatives and specialized consumer co-operatives in 49 474 buildings, or 13,51% of the total housing stock.

365 754 multi-apartment buildings or 55,68% of total housing stock are managed by the managing organizations. The owners of the premises in multi-apartment buildings chose the managing organization at a general meeting of the owners of the premises in multi-apartment buildings in 312 947 buildings, or 51,57% of the total housing stock.

At the same time, the local authorities transferred to the managing companies 20 528 buildings, or 1,13% of the total housing stock, without organizing the tenders.

The owners of the premises in multi-apartment buildings have not selected the method of management in 25,93% of the total housing stock. In comparison with the
I quarter of 2007, the figure has decreased by 27,37 percentage points.

By 31st December 2007, the local authorities in the Russian Federation organized 252 open tenders for selecting managing organization to manage multi-apartment buildings.

Data source: monitoring of the market of services for managing multi-apartment buildings in 2007 in the municipalities with the population over 10 000 people and inspections on compliance of the actions of the local authorities and governmental bodies in Moscow and St Petersburg with the antimonopoly legislation.