Having arrears for housing and communal services does not always mean an automatic loss of the right to receive a housing subsidy. However, in certain cases, debt can indeed become a reason for refusal to grant payments. To avoid unnecessary problems, it is important to understand which specific criteria are taken into account when checking documents.

Key debt thresholds

According to current rules, a housing subsidy is not granted if the household has overdue arrears for the payment of one or several services for more than three months. However, it is important to consider not only the period of non-payment but also the amount of the debt.

To refuse the granting of a subsidy, the arrears on the day of application must exceed 680 hryvnias. This means that the mere fact of having a debt does not yet guarantee that the family will be left without financial support. The decisive factors are the amount of arrears and the period during which they have not been paid off.

Special conditions for large and foster families

The Pension Fund of Ukraine pays special attention to family-type children's homes, large families, and foster families. For these categories of citizens, a much higher debt threshold is established.

Such households may be eligible for a subsidy even if the debt amount exceeds the standard limit, provided it does not exceed 4,000 hryvnias. This is an important concession aimed at supporting the most vulnerable categories of the population.

When debt is not an obstacle

Legislation provides for situations where the existence of arrears does not become an automatic barrier to receiving assistance. In particular, a subsidy may be granted in the following cases:

  • If the payment of arrears is documented.
  • If the consumer has concluded a debt restructuring agreement.
  • If the consumer is challenging the arrears in court. In this case, there must be a ruling on the opening of proceedings for the relevant case.

Thus, if a person disagrees with the charged amount and has already appealed to the court, the mere fact of having a disputed debt does not deprive them of the right to a subsidy.

Rules for internally displaced persons

Separate rules apply to internally displaced persons (IDPs). When granting a subsidy, arrears are not taken into account if the person lives in a residential premises without a lease agreement, and the debt arose by the time the IDP certificate was issued.

This means that arrears that arose before obtaining the status of an internally displaced person should not automatically block the granting of assistance under certain conditions.

Choosing services for subsidization

An important nuance is that a household may apply for a subsidy for communal services for which there are no arrears. The list of services for which a person requests a housing subsidy must be indicated in the application.

Therefore, debt for one service does not necessarily mean that a subsidy cannot be obtained for other types of communal expenses. Citizens have the opportunity to approach the document preparation flexibly, choosing those services for which they have no payment issues.