The utility rates growth struck many of our compatriots, but IDPs who rent dwelling premises felt this growth especially hard. If utility rates payment becomes a disabling burden, internal migrants leave their rented flats and move to houses of residence/hostels or even return to the uncontrolled territory. Many IDPs falsely assume that only citizens with a residence permit or homeowners have a possibility register for the public utilities subsidies, though in reality it is not so.

“According to Article 6 of the CMU Resolution No 848, a subsidy can be granted to a person who has no residence permit but in fact lives in a dwelling premise under the rental agreement, in the event that utility rates are counted for such person. Consequently, IDPs have the right to register for the public utilities subsidies in the event that they have made a rental agreement, – says the attorney of Zaporizhzhia office of CF «Right to Protection» VadymStremoukhov. – The CMU Resolution No.1156 runs that tenants can register for a subsidy in the event that the cost of utility rates equals or exceeds 15% of the family’s total monthly  income.”

Naturally, in the event that tenants make such an agreement, the house owner is legally obliged to pay a tax (he is not obliged to become a private entrepreneur for this). If previously such a variant caused doubts with many tenants, presently the situation is changing: it is more profitable to pay the tax and let the tenants register for a subsidy than lose the tenants whatsoever.

In such cases a rental agreement can be presented as a usual handwritten document, not notarized and unstamped. The only condition is that the amount of rent must correspond to the standards of the given administrative-territorial entity.

IDPs can receive free civil legal aid on subsidy registration issues or on any other issues connected with internal displacement. For this they should refer to CF “Right to Protection” outer office.