Kyiv residents' heating and hot water debt down just 7% since end of heating season, still at UAH 6.5 bln

Since the end of the last heating season, Kyiv residents have reduced their debt for heating and hot water by only 7%, bringing the total to UAH 6.5 billion, including UAH 3.7 billion for heating alone, municipal utility Kyivteploenergo (KTE) said Monday.
"About 150,000 Kyivteploenergo customers are systemic debtors who deliberately ignore bills and the legal requirement to pay for services. For more than six months, these customers have not made a single payment for heating or sought consultation or assistance," Kostiantyn Lopatin, director of KTE's Energy Sales division, told a briefing at the Kyivinform press center Monday.
According to him, another 106,000 customers have not paid for heating even once since October of last year.
"What's paradoxical is that such 'chronic' debtors are often owners of luxury real estate or multiple apartments in central Kyiv," Lopatin noted.
KTE identified some of the "top" debtors owing more than half a million hryvnias. Among them: the owner of a 168-square-meter luxury apartment in the Parkove Misto residential complex (44/1-b Vyshhorodska Street), who owes UAH 542,000; the owner of a 158-square-meter premium-class apartment on 21 Levko Lukianenko Street in Obolon, who owes UAH 507,000; and the owner of a 135-square-meter apartment in a new building in Shevchenkivsky District (27/4 Tatarska Street), who owes UAH 505,000.
Lopatin explained that in such cases, debts are subject to court-ordered collection. If a client wants to settle, the first step is to check meter readings and reconcile charges. If household meters have not been reported for a long time, billing continues based on building-level meters.
"If there's still debt, it needs to be paid or restructured before it reaches court," he said.
KTE added that restructuring allows for voluntary settlement of arrears by paying in equal installments over time without additional penalties, fines, or fees. This avoids court proceedings and extra costs. With restructuring, the overpayment and penalty rate is 0%. To sign a restructuring agreement, customers must contact the Utility Service Center either online or at the nearest service office.