A Woman From Minsk Bought An Apartment With No Debt, But Received A Strange Bill For The Intercom
- 2.09.2026, 11:13
Is it legal to charge money "for air"?
A Minsk resident purchased a home, completed the paperwork on time, but along with the standard fee for intercom maintenance, she received a bill for 18.90 rubles for “restoring service.” MyFin worked with a lawyer and a representative from the service provider to determine whether such charges are lawful and how to protect your wallet from forced services.
Among housing and utility services, there is a special category—work that is performed remotely or without direct contact with the resident. In such cases, it is difficult for the consumer to understand exactly what they are being charged for if the intercom is working properly, the technician never set foot inside the apartment, and no one signed a work completion report.
The story of a Minsk resident has brought to light a typical conflict between the standard wording of boilerplate contracts and the actual scope of services provided. To get to the bottom of the situation, journalists sought comments from the service provider and a lawyer.
They’re asking me to pay 20 rubles for something I don’t understand
A reader contacted the editorial office asking us to comment on her situation: “About a month ago, I bought a used apartment. And just the other day, I found a notice in my mailbox regarding payment for additional services—maintenance of the central heating system (1.68 rubles) and a fee for restoring service (18.90 rubles).
I have no outstanding utility bills (and the 25th hadn’t even arrived yet). The seller of the apartment also had no outstanding debts (when the sale was finalized, the seller provided a certificate confirming no outstanding debts). The intercom was not disconnected: the intercom system is working just as it always has; a technician did not visit me, and no repairs were performed. I called the call center, where they explained to me that this was a “document processing fee” and advised me to read the contract.
My intercom service contract, which I signed at the billing and information center, contains the following clauses: “Payment for services provided by the Contractor under the Contract shall be made by the Customer by paying the billing statement for housing and utility services, or by paying through the ERIP personal account, or by other means, within the following timeframes: no later than the 25th day of the month following the month in which the services were provided; within the timeframe specified in the service contract.
If the Customer fails to comply with the above provision of the contract, the Contractor shall be entitled to charge and bill the Customer a late payment penalty in the amount of 0.3 percent of the outstanding balance for each day the payment is overdue, until the debt is paid in full.
In the event of termination of the contract by the Customer, a change in the Customer (sale of the residential property, inheritance), or disconnection of the Customer’s subscriber equipment, the Service Provider is entitled to charge and bill the Customer a service restoration fee.”
Journalists contacted the service provider and asked it to answer the following questions:
If there are no outstanding utility payments for the service of the residential premises and the intercom has not been disconnected, and if no additional services have been provided, is the new owner required to pay the service restoration fee (18.90 rubles)?
If so, please specify the exact wording of the contract and cite the legislation on which this wording is based.
What actions do you take if this service remains unpaid?
The service provider explains what the bill is for
Here is the service provider’s response:
“From the date of the change in ownership, the company does not charge a maintenance fee for the ZPU, as the contract with the previous owner ceases to be in effect. After the new owner signs the contract and the company receives it, it may take anywhere from several weeks to several months to process the contract and bill the payment, during which no payment for maintenance is received and will not be received, even though maintenance of the intercom system installed in the building entrance is being performed.
Since the company receives payment for the intercom system maintenance services it provides from billing and information centers, arrears may accumulate during this time due to the complexities of fund transfers and coordination. The intercom is deactivated within a few days after receiving information about a change in ownership.
If the period between receiving information about a change in ownership and receiving the new contract is short, it may be only a few days, and if the consumer did not use the subscriber unit but instead used an electronic key to open the door, they may not realize that the subscriber unit installed in their apartment was not working.”
The fee for restoring service is charged based on market conditions and compliance with one of the contract’s terms.
In this case—a change of ownership: “If the Customer has failed to comply with Section 2.2 of the Contract, the Contractor has the right to charge and bill the Customer a penalty of 0.3% of the outstanding amount for each day the payment is overdue, until the debt is repaid. Upon termination of the contract by the Customer, a change in the Customer (sale of the residential premises, inheritance), or disconnection of the Customer’s subscriber device, the Contractor has the right to charge and bill the Customer a service restoration fee. When setting rates, companies may be guided by market conditions.
In each case, the issue is addressed on a case-by-case basis depending on many factors: whether the customer has outstanding debts for housing and utility services, whether they belong to a socially vulnerable group, whether they have a job or have lost one, etc. The property owner may submit a request to the utility company asking that the restoration fee be waived. “We always strive to accommodate our customers.”
Legal Opinion
Lawyer Andrey Varinichenko, director of Prestige-Broker and co-founder of Realty Pro Technology, comments on the situation: “Maintenance services for intercom systems are considered an additional housing and utilities service. According to Article 4 of the Law of the Republic of Belarus No. 405-Z dated July 16, 2008, “On the Protection of the Rights of Consumers of Housing and Utility Services,” such services are provided only at the consumer’s request and exclusively on the basis of a contract.
When ownership changes, the previous contract is terminated, and the new owner enters into a new one. A contractual provision granting the service provider the right to charge a “service restoration fee” upon a change in the customer is formally permissible under the principle of freedom of contract (Articles 391–392 of the Civil Code of the Republic of Belarus).
However, in this situation:
there was no outstanding balance;
according to the consumer, the subscriber’s equipment was not disconnected, and no “restoration” work was actually performed. This is also evidenced by the absence of a certificate of completion signed by both parties.
Fees are charged only for services rendered (Article 13 of Law No. 405-Z). The list of maintenance work for subscriber equipment was approved by Council of Ministers Resolution No. 99 dated January 27, 2009, and does not include “document processing” or restoration without disconnection.
Therefore, in our view, the charge of 18.90 rubles in the absence of an actual service rendered can be contested as a demand for payment for a service not rendered.
We recommend that the reader submit a written complaint demanding that the charge be canceled and, if the request is denied, contact MART or file a lawsuit.”
What’s the bottom line?
The service provider adds:
“A work order was created for repair and restoration work to connect the device, during which the technician performed programming and signal connection work on the call-based intercom panel installed on the entrance door and verified the functionality of the subscriber device.
During the functionality check, the signal was transmitted to the apartment, and when the call was answered, the technician explained that he had verified the operation of the subscriber unit. Technicians work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays; if the owner of the residence was not home and no one answered the call to the apartment, there was no need to contact the customer further in this case. The technician left a payment receipt in the mailbox.
Along with the technician’s visit, a series of measures was carried out to update documents related to the change in ownership, including the company’s software, the “Housing and Utility Services” automated information system, and the “ERIP” billing system.
To prevent such issues from arising, lawyers recommend signing a certificate of completion for work performed or services rendered. This document confirms the fulfillment of contractual obligations, lists the services provided, specifies the period and scope of their performance, and notes whether or not the client has any claims. And, most importantly, the certificate contains the signatures of the parties confirming the fulfillment of the contract and serves as proof of the contractor’s actual performance of its obligations.
“According to legal practice, the absence of a certificate in most cases does not confirm that the service was actually provided, especially when it comes to consulting, marketing, and the like,” explained Andrey Varinichenko.