Residents of a dormitory in Mykolaiv are still without heating: the temperature in the rooms is 13-14°C, and mould has appeared on the windows

In Mykolaiv, residents of a dormitory at 2-A Lystopadovyi Lane have been without heat since the start of the heating season, with the temperature in their rooms at 13-14°C.

The residents of the building told NikVesti about the situation. So we talked to them, Diana Savchuk, the head of the state enterprise «Zhytlobud» that maintains the building, Mykola Lohvinov, the director of «Mykolaivoblteploenergo» and Vitalii Lukov, the first deputy mayor, to find out the cause of the problem and when and if people will get heat.

Nataliia Korobova, a resident of the dormitory, says that the heating was not turned on in the first days of the system's launch. The reason was a break in the heating main leading to the building. Since the network has not been transferred to either the city or the housing office, no one can carry out repairs, she says.

«The temperature in the rooms is 13-14 degrees. We are told to collect money from the residents. But most of us pay our utility bills regularly, and we don't understand why we have to finance the repair of the heating main,» says Nataliia Korobova.

According to her, the residents of the dormitory have repeatedly appealed to the management of the housing office, the state-owned enterprise «Zhylstroi», which maintains the building.

«Each resident has called the management 2-4 times, but there is almost no response. The city cannot help either, because the dormitory is not on its balance sheet, and we were refused to transfer the building to communal ownership. We are asking to be transferred to the city. But it turns out that the city cannot help us because we are not local, because this is not their territory. We went to court, we wanted to be transferred to the city, but we were told that we are not the owners of the property, so we cannot sue. To privatise the rooms, you have to be a territorial community of Mykolaiv,» said Nataliia Korobova.

She added that due to the lack of heating in the house, mould appeared on the walls and ceilings.

Position of the State Enterprise «Zhylstroi»

Diana Savchuk, the head of the state enterprise «Zhytlobud», said that the heating main connecting the highway to the building is not on the balance sheet of their company, so they cannot do anything.

«I appealed to the city to recognise this section of the heating network as ownerless. It was supposed to be transferred to the balance sheet of «Mykolaivoblteploenergo». But there is still no decision. We cannot carry out work on someone else's property,» says Diana Savchuk.

She added that if the residents want to, they can pay for the repair of the heating mains at the expense of their rent. According to her, the work will cost 35 thousand hryvnias.

«I always say to all residents who call me: show me the contract for the maintenance of the heating main. I suggested an alternative: to place an announcement that we would not wait for the pipeline to be handed over and repaired, but would raise funds from the rent on our own. The company came, inspected the damage and said: if you are ready to pay 35 thousand hryvnias for the repair, we will do it. I announced this to the residents and said: please come and pay your rent — this money will be used to repair the heating main. Although my budget does not include these costs,» added Diana Savchuk.

And what does «Mykolaivoblteploenergo» say?

Mykola Lohvinov, the company's director, explains that the heating network is not a municipal property, so they have no right to carry out work at the expense of the budget. Therefore, there are two ways to solve the problem: either sign a contract and pay for the work, or transfer the heating network to the city's balance sheet through the municipal property department.

«This heating network is not on the balance sheet of «Mykolaivoblteploenergo». There are two options: the first is to sign a contract and pay for our work; the second is to contact the municipal property department and transfer the network to the city's balance sheet. This could have been done six months ago, as we discussed this situation in the spring. However, Diana Savchuk did nothing. She called me two weeks ago claiming that there was no heating. I explained to her: transfer the network to our balance sheet, and we are ready to repair it. The network is not ours, and she doesn't want to do it,» said Lohvinov in a commentary.

Lohvinov added that the transfer of the heating network to the city's balance sheet could have been decided back in the spring.

«We talked about the transfer of this network back in the spring. In six months, the housing office has done nothing. The task of the director of the state-owned enterprise (the head of the state-owned enterprise «Zhylstroi» Diana Savchuk — note) is not to invent reasons, but to return to the municipal property department and transfer the heating network to the city's balance sheet. Then we will have the opportunity and legal basis for repairs. We are ready to do it for free — this problem could be solved in six months. Perhaps it's a one-hour job,» he said.

The city's position: «The dormitory has not been transferred to the community, so people have become hostages»

The first deputy mayor of Mykolaiv, Vitalii Lukov, also said that the main problem is that the building still belongs to the State Property Fund, and the management company established at the dormitory is not subordinate to the city.

«The State Property Fund has not handed over these dormitories to us yet. They do not belong to the city, and the management company is also not a city company. We have no physical right to repair their networks. This is a direct violation of the law on the use of funds,» Vitalii Lukov said in a comment to NikVesti.

According to him, last year, the municipal enterprise «Mykolaivoblteploenergo» already carried out repairs in the form of «patronage assistance» so that the people of the dormitory would not be left without heat.

«Our employees helped then. But we have no legal grounds to spend city funds on someone else's property. People pay for the services of the management company appointed by the State Property Fund, and it is this company that should ensure that the heating is turned on. The city is ready to take over the buildings and networks and put things in order. But for some reason, the dormitories have not been transferred for many years. Because of this, residents can neither receive services properly nor privatise their rooms,» he explained.

Vitalii Lukov added that the city can intervene only in the event of an emergency.

«If the temperature drops sharply, we will consider the decision through the State Commission on Technogenic and Environmental Safety and Emergencies and instruct the utility company to carry out the work. But this requires a serious reason, so that no one is held liable for misuse of budget funds. We will not allow people to freeze. But the root of the problem is that the state has not yet transferred these buildings to the city. This is why the residents have become hostages,» added Vitalii Lukov.

The city has no right to repair the heating network, as it is not on its balance sheet, and the management company «Zhylstroi» cannot solve the problem on its own. The issue of heat supply to residents remains open.