Citizens will learn to manage apartment buildings

NGO "Center for Media and Public Initiative" launched a project to improve the level of public awareness about the mechanisms of management of apartment buildings. Legislation allowing residents to take control of residential buildings has been in force since January 2009. However, there is no one structure that performs the function of housing and utilities.

According to the project leader Samir Aliyev, it will initiate the creation of a shared society of apartment owners (SSAO) in one of the selected residential buildings in the Binagadi district of Baku. The company will be established with the active participation of the residents of the municipality. However, this will be preceded by a broad information campaign among the population, he said.

"Worldwide, controlled housing structures are known as condominium. Their counterparts in Azerbaijan will be SSAO, which will replace the housing office. Our task is to create the best examples of management of apartment buildings," Aliyev said.

According to the current 2009 with the Housing Code, residents can come together to solve common problems of apartment buildings, or to enter into this contract with specialized companies. In doing so, they should obtain help from the municipalities. However, in Azerbaijan, the local authorities themselves are in need of outside help. The Ministry of Economic Development held seminars on this issue in a number of cities last year. But there are no concrete results.

The state budget allocates hundreds of millions of AZN annually to local executive bodies for maintenance of housing and communal services. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, the housing offices collect fees from residents of apartment buildings for service of the apartments. - 08D-