Ukrainians overpay for utility services twice: expert’s opinion on problems in the housing and utilities sector

This is essential information for everyone who carefully monitors their utility bills. Housing and utilities expert Oleg Popenko, who heads the Union of Consumers of Utilities, spoke about serious cases of illegal charges for residents of frontline and previously occupied territories.

This became known during an interview with journalist Olena Kistrytsa, which can be viewed on YouTube.

Citizens who live in frontline zones or were forced to leave their homes in combat zones face severe difficulties, including illegal charges for utility services.

Problems with payments in Mariupol

According to the expert, this systemic problem concerns the frontline and temporarily occupied territories. He recalled that until 2024, Mariupol residents received utility bills from Ukrainian companies that legally remained in the city, although they operated in other towns, such as Dnipro or Zaporizhia. At the same time, bills were issued regardless of the housing condition, whether it was destroyed or not.

Similar situations are also observed in other cities. For example, in Kryvyi Rih, electricity suppliers charged bills for houses that were completely destroyed by missile attacks.

Duplication of utility bills

The situation in the liberated areas is also critical. Residents of these territories faced double demands: first, they paid bills from the occupation administrations, and then Ukrainian utility companies imposed repeated demands for the same period. An example of such absurdity is Kupyansk, where residents were forced to pay electricity bills, even though the territory was occupied then.

Irresponsibility on the part of utility companies

Residents in frontline areas face dangerous demands. Popenko noted a case from the Vovchansky district of Kharkiv, where utility workers demanded that people go to a dangerous zone to read their meters. Otherwise, they were threatened with a charge of 8 thousand hryvnias for electricity.

Lack of regulation

Popenko emphasized that the lack of an adequate response from state authorities can explain such phenomena. The National Commission, which is responsible for regulating the energy, housing, and communal services sectors, is not taking the necessary measures to protect consumer rights.