The outcome of the complaint against the management company disappointed Sochi residents.

A complaint filed by residents of an apartment building in Sochi against the management company went through several levels of court, but ultimately, supervisory authorities advised the homeowners to take legal action. Residents found the government's response insufficient.

Apartment owners in the building at 25 Lesnaya Street in the Adler District of Sochi systematically found inaccuracies in the reports of the management company, OOO UK Doverie, which serviced the building until September 30, 2024, Marina Kuznetsova, a resident of the building and an economist by education, told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

"We checked the annual reports every year and each time we found errors where the company understated our remaining balance. Sometimes it was tens of thousands of rubles. To get corrections, we literally had to get an appointment with the management company and get some kind of formal response. This took almost a year," she said, noting that this was precisely what led to them abandoning the company's services.

According to Kuznetsova, An audit of the 2021-2022 reports revealed that expenses were inflated by almost 132 thousand rubles. After the adjustment, the negative balance turned positive.

"Everyone is unhappy. But people are economically illiterate and don't have the time to pursue or file complaints," she said.

The owner of another apartment, Andrey Melnikov, an accountant by training, claims that in the 2022-2023 reports, the management company mixed up targeted funds with funds for building maintenance.

"Target funds are not a general account. They can't be accounted for together with regular payments. But in the reports, they were combined into one amount, and as a result, it turned out that some expense items were actually covered at the expense of others," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

They pay inflated amounts, but don't receive proper services.

The man noted that a non-specialist It's difficult to spot violations in the economics field. "You need a certain amount of knowledge. In our building, it just so happens that there are several of us who are economists, and we see [violations]. That's why we decided to figure out where our money is. Residents of other buildings aren't willing to spend their free time on calculations, even though they all understand that they're paying inflated amounts and not receiving proper services," Melnikov said.

The earmarked funds for repairs to cold and hot water supply and sewerage systems raised specific questions, added Elena Safonova, an economist by training.

According to her, in 2022, owners were charged almost 318,000 rubles, but the certificates of completion were only closed for about 278,000. "The remaining almost 40,000 rubles should be kept separately and used only by decision of the general meeting." "But the management company still hasn't explained where the money is or whether it will be transferred to the new management company," Safonova told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to apartment owners, the conflict culminated in the 2024 annual report, which wasn't posted in the State Information System for Housing and Public Utilities and wasn't provided upon owners' requests.

It turns out that we paid the money, but we have no right to know where it went.

"We were even denied the opportunity to review the report. It's neither in the system nor with the house council chairman. "It turns out that we paid money, but we have no right to know where it went," pensioner Olga Tikhonova complained to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Another owner, Olga Erofeeva, confirmed to a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that, as the head of the building committee, "she did not receive any reports from the management company 'Doverie'" and therefore suggested that the residents change their management company.

However, the management company's response, signed by CEO Alexander Bugriyev, stated that "the report for the first nine months of 2024 was submitted to the chairman of the building council, and also stated that after the contract is terminated, the company considers it possible to cease correspondence with the owners on these issues."

After the management company's refusal, the residents appealed to the Sochi prosecutor's office. The city's deputy prosecutor forwarded the complaint to the Adler District Prosecutor's Office. The Adler District Deputy Prosecutor, in turn, forwarded the appeal to the State Housing Inspectorate of Krasnodar Krai, advising the complainants that prosecutorial authorities "do not replace other government agencies."

In a response received by residents on February 10, 2026, the regional State Housing Inspectorate confirmed that Doverie Management Company, LLC, had failed to post a report on the implementation of the 2024 management contract in the State Information System for Housing and Public Utilities, which constitutes a violation of the law. The State Housing Inspectorate also reported "the preparation of a warning" for the management company. Whether this warning was sent was not stated in the response (copies of the listed documents are available to the "Caucasian Knot").

The inspectors also indicated that oversight of the financial and economic activities of management companies is not within their authority, and that reviewing the reports falls within the purview of the building council. In the event of "possible misappropriation of funds, owners are advised to contact the police or the courts."

No agency is taking real responsibility

Andrey Melnikov criticized the agencies' position. "They've played a ping-pong game with us. The prosecutor's office is kicking the State Housing Inspectorate, and the State Housing Inspectorate is giving us the go-ahead to the building council, the police, and the courts. Even though both the State Housing Inspectorate and the prosecutor's office have powers we don't have. But no agency is taking real responsibility," he lamented.

The State Housing Inspectorate's response wasn't a solution to the problem, but rather confirmation that citizens' real rights in the housing and utilities sector remain unprotected, Marina Kuznetsova agreed. She added that the building's council intends to file a new appeal to the prosecutor's office due to the State Housing Inspectorate's failure to exercise its authority to audit the financial statements of management companies.

15:53 ​​22.07.2025

Sochi residents file a collective appeal to the prosecutor Due to inflated utility bills

For many years, the municipal enterprise SochiTeploEnergo has been billing for non-existent heating in building entrances, Sochi residents stated in a statement to the city prosecutor. They demanded a refund of the overpayments for heating in building entrances that lack radiators and the introduction of common building meters.

Independent housing and utilities lawyer Ilya Popov commented on the situation. "This is typical for Sochi. Supervisory authorities are recording violations, but limit themselves to formal measures that have no effect whatsoever on unscrupulous companies. "Claims of lack of authority seem like a convenient way to avoid investigating where the owners' money went," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

According to him, management companies often bankrupt their legal entities, create new ones, and continue operating without accounting for the funds accumulated in residents' accounts, and it is extremely difficult to obtain a refund or hold them accountable.

"In Sochi, there was Professor Kulakov, who dedicated his life to fighting [one of the housing and utilities service providers], proving inflated prices for services not rendered. The economics professor was unable to prove to the court, the prosecutor's office, or the police that in the warmest city in the country, Sochi, heating prices cannot be higher than in the coldest regions of the Russian Federation. Kulakov died, but people continue to unsuccessfully fight the 'housing and utilities windmills,'" he said.