Renting and "idle citizens": the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services explained the nuances of paying for utilities

Administrator 2 September 2026 18:00 Renting out an apartment can become a good source of additional income. But if the tenant is included on the list of people not engaged in the economy, the owner may have a concern: who should pay for utilities, and at what rates?

Clarification was provided by the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services of Belarus.

Who should pay for utilities

As the Ministry explained, according to Article 29 of the Housing Code, the tenant's obligation to pay for housing and communal services arises from the date the rental agreement is concluded. At the same time, for private housing stock, the tenant pays for housing and communal services only if such an obligation is specified in the agreement.

That is, it is important for the owner and the tenant to determine in advance who exactly will pay for utilities and to document this condition.

If the tenant is not engaged in the economy, rates may increase

The Ministry recalled the Council of Ministers' resolution dated 27 August 2025, No. 465. If the tenant is simultaneously the payer for housing and communal services in the rented apartment and is included on the list of those not engaged in the economy, economically justified rates apply to the entire area of the rented housing and to the entire volume of services consumed.

This concerns, in particular, payments for heat supply and hot water supply.

There is a way to pay without increased rates

At the same time, full economically justified rates will not have to be applied if the owner and the tenant agree to leave the obligation to pay for housing and communal services with the officially employed owner.

"Consequently, if the landlord and the tenant, within the framework of a rental agreement for residential premises of the private housing stock or in an additional agreement thereto, decide to leave the obligation to pay for housing and communal services with the officially employed owner, then they will not have to pay at economically justified rates," the Ministry emphasized.

Source mlyn

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