The European Legal Service’s leading attorney, Srbui Ivashchenko, stated that Russians who exceed the monthly maximum on certain housing costs may qualify for subsidies covering housing and utilities, according to the agency’s report.
Ivashchenko noted that subsidies are available to residents of state and municipal housing funds, tenants in private housing under lease, members of housing cooperatives, and homeowners. The structure of eligibility is shaped by the government’s rules for calculating subsidies and disbursement, while local authorities can set their own calculation standards. In such cases, local budgets would fund the subsidies, the agency explained.
According to Ivashchenko, a Moscow resident may qualify for a subsidy if more than 10 percent of the household’s income goes toward electricity bills. In that instance, a portion of the costs for housing and communal services would be reimbursed.
To determine the average total family income, the calculation requires summing all sources of pre-tax income over six months, beginning six months prior to filing the application, and then dividing that total by six.
The maximum income for a given family configuration can be checked on the Municipality’s Housing Assistance Center website, Ivashchenko added.
The article lists the non-discounted maximum total income, the housing and social service fee including discounts, and the housing utility service (HÜS) fee for beneficiaries who apply for aid for the first time after January 1, 2021.
In Russia, the benefit rates were raised for a second time in the current year, effective December 1. Previously, these service prices were slated to increase on July 1, 2023, according to the report. [Source: Agency attribution]