Volgograd Pensioner Loses Balcony in 'New' Apartment: How to Avoid Her Fate

The morning for the elderly resident of house No. 8 on Prazhskaya Street in the center of Volgograd was far from good: it began with a scandal involving bailiffs who, based on a court decision, came to cut off the balcony. The victim, Vera Trekhsvoyakova, as she claims, paid about 400,000 rubles (about $5,000 at current rates) for the exterior «square meters» when buying the apartment, and when she wanted to glaze them, the court declared part of the property to be in an emergency condition.

«I Paid for the Balcony, and I Was Deprived of It»

The story began back in 2021, when the current owner decided to move out of a dormitory and bought a two-room apartment in a Khrushchev-era building on Prazhskaya. When Vera went to get permission to glaze the balcony, she was sent a notice about its demolition.

«I didn»t even know the word «demolish». Supposedly it«s in an emergency state. When we bought the apartment, it was checked, wasn»t it? We didn«t agree, and they took us to court. I»m 64 years old, I work all day, we count every penny with the children. How can this be?«

The first court case ended in winter 2025 in favor of the management company that demanded the balcony be demolished. As stated in the decision, the company relied on an inspection that declared the balcony slab to be in an emergency condition.

The owner filed an appeal and then a cassation appeal, but all in vain. On 23 January 2026, workers with bailiffs were already at the doorstep of the apartment, cutting off the balcony.

Vera Trekhsvoyakova blamed the management company for the balcony being in an emergency state: allegedly, it did not repair it, bringing it to such a condition. However, a representative of the organization was on site. Here«s what he said in response to the accusation.

«The service life has already come to an end, and, taking into account 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 same reinforcement, for example, can no longer be restored, only demolition is needed.«

According to open data, OOO «UK Tsentralnogo Rayona» (Management Company of the Central District LLC) has been servicing this house since 2010. The major overhaul, during which the balcony is to be restored, is scheduled for 2026–2028.

«When Buying a Resale Property, You Need to Consider the Risks»

Even if all procedures are legal, can one foresee when buying a home that they will soon lose part of it? Our questions were explained by Alexander Kasayev, a real estate market analyst.

«Given that the house is not new, one should have paid attention to its wear and tear coefficient. Moreover, if the balcony was recently declared in an emergency state, then the wear and tear could probably be seen during a visual inspection. Unfortunately, there are no other methods provided.»

He clarifies that the procedure for demolishing emergency balconies is standard practice. The cut-off slab will have to be restored during the major overhaul, but in some cases, a number of permits will have to be obtained for its demolition.

«It must be taken into account that the balcony is part of the common property of the owners of the apartment building, and if the balcony slab is in an emergency 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 must be carried out at the expense of the maintenance fee or, if the property needs a major overhaul, then at the expense of the major overhaul funds.»

However, as explained to us by the head of the law firm «Spartak» and lawyer Roman Grebennikov, if the balcony is declared to be in an emergency state, a court decision will be sufficient.

«If the court decision has been confirmed and supported by higher authorities, then it is pointless to talk about any consent of other residents for the demolition of common building property. In case of an emergency, no consent of the residents is required to declare part of the building facade as emergency.»