A new bill was proposed in the Russian parliament (Duma) on amendments to the Housing Code of the Russian Federation, which proposes to exclude lifting platforms for disabled people from the shared property of an apartment building. It is proposed all expenses and maintenance to be covered by budget funds instead.
The cost of lifting platforms and other equipment for people with limited mobility disabilities installed in apartment buildings is quite high and can reach several hundred thousand rubles. Its maintenance is also quite expensive – several tens of thousands of rubles per month. At the same time, this equipment is used only by one or just a few residents of the block. However, all residents have to pay for its maintenance. The installation of lifting platforms and other similar devices often provokes conflicts among residents and causes a negative attitude and even aggression against people with disabilities and other people with limited mobility for whom this equipment is installed. In some cases, when the dimensions of the flights of stairs and platforms are small (this is especially true for old blocks of flats), such devices create difficulties for other residents.
There are a number of court cases where homeowners refused to accept sharing the price of lifting equipment for disabled people among all residents. In such situations, local governments are forced to apply for a court ruling which to recognises the platforms as common property of the block.
The authors of the bill suggest a clause in the Housing Code of the Russian Federation that mechanical equipment (lifting platforms), adapted without attracting funds from the owners of the premises and serving exclusively disabled people, does not belong to the property of an apartment building. It is proposed to install such equipment and maintain it at the expense of budgetary funds in accordance with state and municipal programs aimed at providing social support to people with disabilities.
