Kazakh Parliament adopts law on housing and utility services

A new joint form of management will be introduced for small residential buildings in Kazakhstan. To date, there are slightly more than 10,000 such houses in the country, with the number of apartments not exceeding 16. According to Kazakh MPs, the use of the Property Owners Association management form and copartnership are not feasible for such kind of residential premises. Today the law envisaging this and other norms on housing and utilities was approved by the Kazakh Parliament and sent to the Head of State for his signature. The document will also regulate property owners’ disputes on the choice of the management form. In this case, the housing inspectorate is eligible to designate a temporary management company for a period of up to one year. Another provision of the law envisages the property developer’s possibility to engage a management company for a period of up to six months until the management form is determined in the house. According to Senate member Bauyrzhan Kaniyev, 85 percent of residential buildings in the country were switched to copartnership form. Only 11.5 percent of the property owners chose the Property Owners Association form.

“The law is aimed at improving the mechanism of apartment building management, specifying certain functions of the subjects of housing relations, ensuring transparency in the management and maintenance of condominium facilities, and actively involving owners of apartments and non-residential premises in this process,” said Bauyrzhan Kaniyev, Member of the Senate, the Upper House of the Kazakh Parliament.