Housing Maintenance Office

in the USSR, the primary element of housing management, an administration with a single economic and financial plan overseeing a group of buildings. The housing maintenance office is an economically accountable state organization whose primary task is to preserve the housing turned over to its control by managing the buildings correctly and making timely current and capital repairs, ensuring continuous operation of the equipment and installations of residential buildings, maintaining the buildings and grounds in good sanitary condition, ensuring that residents take a careful attitude toward the apartment and the building, and improving the housing and domestic conditions of the residents. The housing maintenance office enjoys the rights of a legal person and has an independent current ac-count at the local branch of Gosbank (State Bank) and a statutory fund, the amount of which is determined by the executive committee of the local soviet of working people’s deputies. In its activity the housing maintenance office is ac-countable to the housing administration of the local soviet (or division of municipal services). The work of the housing maintenance office is headed by a chief (nachal’nik), who is confirmed in this position by the executive committee of the local soviet. The chief of the housing maintenance office carries on all management and organizational work in close cooperation with the public house management committee and with active tenants of the building; these arrangements are carried out in accordance with the Regulations on the House Management Committee, which was ratified by the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR and the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions on Aug. 9, 1968. The housing operations office carries on its administrative functions directly through its own staff and with the assistance of a network of specialized organizations such as repair agencies, specialized repair and installation associations, cleaning associations, greenery agencies, transportation agencies, and chimney cleaning agencies. In many cities the primary housing management organizations are called housing offices, building administrations, or building units. They have the same rights and obligations as the housing operations office.