Officially, about 14 million Ukrainians have left their homes. This means that the debts of hundreds of thousands of families are falling on the shoulders of their neighbors. Although the situation seems unbelievable and unrealistic, it is very real and is gaining momentum.
For example, apartment owners with individual meters are being retroactively charged new debts for the previous heating season. According to utility providers, these are their neighbors’ debts that must be paid. Specifically, Kyivteploenergo (KTE) cites Methodology No. 315 for the Distribution of Utility Consumption Volumes Among Consumers in a Building, dated November 22, 2018. For their part, residents who are being forced to pay off others’ debts are outraged and say they will not do so.
According to experts, this issue is quite widespread and affects high-rise buildings with individual apartment meters—of which there are hundreds in the capital alone. The reason for these measures is the widespread non-payment of utility bills in February–March 2022.
“It should be noted that data from individual meters for 60–70% of the apartments in the building has still not been received or entered into the software system. This situation results in the difference between the readings from individual meters and the data from the building’s main meter being distributed among all apartments as a charge for heating common areas (MZK), with the exception of the volume required for the operation of the heating and hot water supply systems. “In other words, once data for at least one apartment in the building is entered, the heat volumes are redistributed and recalculated in accordance with the ‘Methodology for Allocating Utility Services Consumed in a Building Among Consumers’ No. 315 dated November 22, 2018,” — Kyivteploenergo explains.
From Kyivteploenergo’s response, it can be concluded that the MZK calculation methodology is entirely to blame. And conscientious customers who submit their meter readings on time and pay their debts must now also pay for refugees and unscrupulous residents of the building.
For their part, the utility company promises to transfer the debts as information on unaccounted-for apartments becomes available. However, this promise is unlikely to be fulfilled, given the percentage of people who have left the country for an extended period.