Volgograd pensioner loses balcony: how to avoid it

Bailiffs arrived at house No. 8 on Prazhskaya Street in Volgograd to dismantle the balcony of pensioner Vera Trekhsvoyakova. The basis was a court decision that deemed the structure hazardous. The owner claims she paid about 400,000 rubles (approximately $4,000 at current rates) for these square meters when buying the apartment.

«I paid for the balcony, and they took it away from me»

The story began in 2021 when Vera Trekhsvoyakova, moving from a dormitory, bought a two-room apartment in a Khrushchev-era building (a type of Soviet apartment block). She was shocked to receive a demolition notice for the balcony when she tried to glaze it.

«I didn»t even know such a word, «demolish». Supposedly it«s hazardous. When we bought the apartment, it was inspected, wasn»t it? We disagreed, and they took us to court. I«m 64 years old, I work all day, my children and I counted every penny. How can this be?» the woman shared.

The first court case concluded in early 2025 in favor of the management company, which demanded demolition. The decision was based on an inspection report that deemed the balcony slab hazardous. Subsequent appeals and cassation were unsuccessful, and on January 23, 2026, workers under bailiffs« supervision sawed off the balcony.

Vera Trekhsvoyakova accused the management company of allowing the structure to deteriorate into a hazardous state due to lack of repairs. A representative of the management company on site responded to the claims: «The service life has already come to an end, and, considering the technical condition, the slab is subject to demolition. Of course, the balcony was repaired, but, firstly, we haven»t been servicing this house for all these 50 years. And secondly, the reinforcement, for example, can no longer be restored; only demolition is needed.«

According to open data, LLC «UK of the Central District» has been servicing this house since 2010. The balcony«s restoration is planned as part of a major overhaul scheduled from 2026 to 2028.

«When buying second-hand property — you need to consider the risks»

Real estate market analyst Alexander Kasaev explained how to assess risks when purchasing: «Given that the house is not new, it was worth paying attention to its depreciation coefficient. Moreover, if the balcony was recently deemed hazardous, the wear was probably visible during a visual inspection. Unfortunately, no other methods are provided.»

He added that demolishing hazardous balconies is a standard procedure. The slab will be restored during the major overhaul, but demolition may require permits. «It must be considered that the balcony is part of the common property of apartment building owners, and if the balcony slab is in a hazardous condition and poses a safety threat, then the management company is obliged to close and seal the entrance to the balcony. Work on restoring common property should be carried out at the expense of maintenance fees or, if the property requires major repairs, from major repair funds,» Kasaev noted.

Lawyer Roman Grebennikov, head of the legal firm «Spartak», clarified the legal aspects: «If the court decision has been confirmed and supported by higher instances, then it is pointless to talk about any consent from other residents for the demolition of common building property. In case of hazard, no consent from residents is required to deem a hazardous part of the building facade.»