By Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 1405 dated December 29, 2023, amendments were made to Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 206 dated March 5, 2022 “Some Issues of Payment for Housing and Communal Services During Martial Law.” According to these amendments, the moratorium (ban) on charging and collecting penalties, fines, late fees, inflation charges, and annual interest on debts for payment of housing and communal services has been lifted, as well as the moratorium on suspension/termination of housing and communal services due to unpaid debts in territorial communities that are not located in areas of possible hostilities, active hostilities, or temporarily occupied territories, provided that the respective utility service provider is informed about such cases.
Therefore, at present, electricity suppliers have the right to initiate the disconnection of electricity for household consumers in the relevant areas due to unpaid electricity bills (except for consumers’ facilities that were damaged as a result of hostilities, provided that the respective utility service provider is informed about such cases).
Reminder: Resolution No. 206 of March 5, 2022, established that until martial law in Ukraine is lifted or canceled, it is prohibited to suspend or terminate the provision of housing and communal services to the population in case of non-payment or partial payment.
What is the procedure?
Disconnections are carried out in accordance with the Rules of the Retail Electricity Market, approved by NKREKP Resolution No. 312 dated March 14, 2018. The electricity supplier is obliged to notify the consumer of the disconnection at least 10 working days before the disconnection date.
If the consumer resolves the debt issue before the disconnection date specified in the notice (for example, by paying the debt in full or, if funds are unavailable, entering into a debt restructuring agreement with the supplier and complying with its terms), electricity supply to that consumer is not disconnected.
If the consumer disagrees with the amount of debt, they have the right to contact the distribution system operator/electricity supplier to verify consumption volumes and billing amounts or to appeal in court. During the period of review of the disputed debt in court, disconnection is not carried out.
How to restore electricity supply?
To restore electricity to a consumer’s facility disconnected due to debt, the consumer must either:
Pay the full amount of the debt, or
If funds are unavailable, contact the electricity supplier (providing appropriate justification) to enter into a debt restructuring agreement and comply with its terms.
The consumer must also pay the cost of reconnection work. After completing these measures, restoration of electricity supply is carried out within 3 working days in cities and 5 working days in rural areas.
