Electricity, gas, and water for debts: when utility services can be cut off in Ukraine and how to avoid it

Unpaid utility bills can still cause electricity, gas, or water to be cut off. Despite martial law, Ukraine no longer has a single nationwide ban on such measures: a supplier has the right to terminate the resource supply if the consumer violates payment terms and the company follows the established procedure. At the same time, the law maintains exceptions for certain territories and sets different notice periods for each service, which is why there is no universal "disconnection deadline."

What has changed in the rules

At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the government introduced restrictions on terminating housing and communal services due to non-payment, but these rules were subsequently changed. In particular, Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1405 of December 29, 2023, amended Resolution No. 206, which regulates utility payments during martial law. Now, the general ban on disconnection for debts does not apply to the entire country: suppliers can terminate services for payment violations by the consumer if the procedure is followed. Protection remains for residents of territories where active or potential combat operations are taking place, as well as temporarily occupied communities. Services cannot be disconnected for debts if the consumer's housing was damaged as a result of hostilities and they notified the service provider about it.

Electricity: ten working days notice

The supplier has the right to initiate electricity disconnection due to arrears for the consumed resource. According to the National Energy and Utilities Regulation Commission (NEURC), the supplier is obliged to warn the consumer no later than 10 working days before the scheduled date of supply termination. The notice must state the reason for disconnection, the amount of debt, the period during which it arose, and the date and time of the electricity supply termination. If a person pays off the debt on time and confirms the payment, the electricity should not be cut off. As the State Energy Supervision Inspectorate of Ukraine explains, the ten-day period applies to disconnections initiated by the electricity supplier due to debt for consumed electricity; if the basis is a violation of obligations to the distribution system operator, separate rules apply, and for certain violations, the notice period is at least five working days.

Gas: written notice and a minimum of three days

For household gas consumers, the procedure for terminating the service due to debts is provided by the Natural Gas Supply Rules approved by NEURC Resolution No. 2496. If a person has not paid for the consumed gas within 10 days after the deadline specified in the contract, the supplier can initiate the disconnection procedure. They are obliged to send a written notice with a delivery receipt indicating the reason and date of gas supply termination; the disconnection cannot occur earlier than three days after receiving such notice. Separately, the gas distribution network operator must notify the household consumer about the termination of gas distribution at least three days before the planned date.

Water and other services: thirty days after notice

For water and most other utilities, except electricity and gas, a different rule applies. According to part four of Article 26 of the Law of Ukraine "On Housing and Communal Services," the provider can restrict or terminate the provision of the service if the consumer has not paid the debt in full within 30 days of receiving a warning. That means a person must first receive a notice, and then they have a month to settle the account; if the arrears persist, the provider can apply measures provided by law. After full repayment of the debt or signing a restructuring agreement, the provision of the service must be fully resumed within the following day.

Heating: a separate logic

With centralized heating, the situation differs from electricity or gas. Technically, stopping the supply of heat to a single apartment in an apartment building is usually impossible without interfering with the overall heating system, so a heat debt does not mean the supplier can simply shut off the heat in a specific apartment. At the same time, this does not relieve the consumer of the obligation to pay: the heat supplier has the right to demand the repayment of the debt. Thus, even if physical disconnection of the resource is impossible, financial responsibility for non-payment remains.