{"id":2835,"date":"2026-05-31T16:05:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T13:05:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svaroglaw.com\/advokat-z-zhytlovyh-pytan\/restrukturyzacziya-zaborgovanosti-zhkg\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T15:27:31","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T12:27:31","slug":"restrukturyzacziya-zaborgovanosti-zhkg","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/svaroglaw.com\/en\/advokat-z-zhytlovyh-pytan\/restrukturyzacziya-zaborgovanosti-zhkg\/","title":{"rendered":"Restructuring of housing and communal services debt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Before agreeing on a repayment schedule, it is important to understand one key point: the amount you are being asked to pay is almost never the same as the amount that could be recovered through the courts<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Utility bills usually contain items that cannot be recovered: debts older than three years, late payment charges exceeding the permitted limits, charges for services that were not actually provided, and amounts doubled as a result of court orders of which you were not even aware.<\/p>\n

Signing a utility debt restructuring agreement without checking it first means that you have voluntarily acknowledged<\/strong> the entire amount. After that, it will be much more difficult to challenge it.<\/p>\n

+38 095 554-54-24<\/a> \u2014 legal advice<\/strong><\/p>\n

What can be excluded from the debt<\/h2>\n

Debts older than three years. <\/strong> The limitation period is three years (Article 257 of the Civil Code). Anything beyond this period is not subject to recovery.<\/p>\n

But there is a crucial detail: the court applies the limitation period only at the defendant\u2019s request<\/strong>. If you have not made such a request, the court will recover everything, even a debt dating back ten years. This is precisely why people lose cases they should have won.<\/p>\n

Penalty interest.<\/strong> Its amount is limited by law and cannot exceed a specified proportion of the debt. Furthermore, claims for penalty interest are subject to a shortened limitation period of one year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Services that were not provided.<\/strong> If there was no heating, hot water, rubbish collection or cleaning of the entrance hall, you do not have to pay. However, the fact that the services were not provided must be recorded in an official report<\/strong>, and preferably in advance.<\/p>\n

Incorrect charges<\/strong> \u2014 based on floor area, the number of registered residents, meter readings, or absent residents.<\/p>\n

Debts of the previous owner or tenant.<\/strong> You are not obliged to pay for someone else\u2019s period of tenancy \u2014 but utility companies often \u2018pass on\u2019 the debt to the new occupant.<\/p>\n

\"Restructuring<\/a><\/p>\n

Court order: how debts are actually recovered<\/h2>\n

Utility companies are collecting debts on a massive scale through court orders<\/strong> \u2014 it\u2019s quick, cheap and without your involvement<\/strong>: the court considers the application within 5 days, without a hearing and without summoning the parties.<\/p>\n

The order is then sent to the enforcement service: bank accounts are frozen, wages are garnished, and travel abroad is restricted. Many people only find out about the debt when their card is blocked.<\/p>\n

Key point:<\/strong> a court order can be set aside within 15 days<\/strong> of receipt. Simply submit an application \u2014 the court will set aside the order almost automatically<\/strong>, without examining the merits of the case.<\/p>\n

What this achieves: the case moves to civil proceedings<\/strong>, where you can then:<\/p>\n