Novosibirsk managing company raises tariff by 70 rubles per square meter

The service tariff for an apartment building in Novosibirsk rose sharply, though residents insisted they had not voted for it. It turned out a vote had taken place—the majority accepted a new version of the contract with the managing company, which allows for tariff indexing without a decision by the owners. NGS.RU analyzed the situation with a legal expert.

As residents of a multi-apartment building in the Zheleznodorozhny district told NGS.RU, their service fee from the managing company soared from 25.79 rubles (about $0.29 at current rates) to 95.7 rubles (about $1.06 at current rates) per square meter. The residents did not recall voting for such a sharp increase.

In response to an NGS.RU inquiry, the regional State Housing Inspection said that in January of last year, the owners did not vote on the tariff, and a general meeting failed due to a lack of quorum. But in February, meeting minutes appeared showing residents had approved and accepted the terms of a management contract with the managing company (MC) in a new version. The document, seen by NGS.RU, shows 89.61% voted in favor.

According to the contract, if owners do not provide a voting protocol for a new tariff within two months of the MC proposing the increase, the company has the right to set the fee amount itself.

The managing company told NGS.RU that decisions on the fee amount were made considering the building«s technical condition and the necessity of repair work.

Commenting on the situation, real estate lawyer Ekaterina Khadzhimuratova emphasized that a managing organization cannot unilaterally raise a tariff. But there are caveats.

‘Any tariff increase—even by a kopeck—must be agreed upon by the owners through a general meeting. But here the managing company found a loophole by getting the contract terms approved through a general meeting decision, veiling the essence of the contract. The new contract version included the possibility of indexing the tariff without a general meeting. However, this condition can be challenged in court,’ she noted.

But, the lawyer clarified, owners have a six-month period to appeal the minutes of a general meeting. If it is not challenged in court within 6 months of being drawn up, the document cannot be appealed.

The situation in this specific apartment building has been resolved. Residents received a response from the managing company stating that a technical failure occurred during the vote count for the new contract version. A new vote will be announced. The lawyer recommends owners conduct their own vote during this period and independently set a tariff that complies with the law while being justified by an estimate.

On 21 December 2025, NGS.RU reported how residents of Novosibirsk«s Kalininsky district received utility bills in November and were surprised to find they had been invoiced for a lawsuit their managing company lost.