The most important legislative changes for the second half of 2024 have been named
July 1 is a sacred day for legislators, probably second in popularity only to January 1. Indeed, it is most convenient to introduce new laws, if not from the beginning of the year, then from the beginning of the second half of the year. And this year, July is preparing a huge number of extremely important innovations for our fellow citizens. They will affect pensioners and homeowners, lovers of strong alcohol and recipients of foreign passports, loan payers and victims of financial fraudsters… In general, almost all Russian citizens. Well, as always, experts will help you understand the nuances of new legislative provisions.
From July 1, utility tariffs will be indexed — electricity, water supply, gas supply. This will be done for the first time since December 2022. For each region, the government has established its own average values of the increase index: for example, in the Trans-Baikal Territory — 15%, in Khakassia — 4%, in Moscow — eleven%. The average growth in Russia will be 9.8%.
«Considering that indexation has not been carried out for a year and a half, such an increase in prices for housing and communal services from the point of view of utility workers looks justified due to the increase in the level of inflation and the increase in production costs. From the point of view of consumers, every serious increase in housing and communal services fees is perceived with hostility, but it is simply impossible to challenge it. Moreover, in the coming years, not only more serious indexation is possible, but also an increase in gas prices due to the catastrophic decline in Gazprom's income. The main thing for residents is that with the growth of tariffs, the utility systems work smoothly. Meanwhile, this winter they often failed due to abnormal frosts. I would like to hope that such a situation is unlikely to happen again, but in any case, much stricter control over housing and communal services enterprises and their contractors is needed here.»
From July 1, commissions that banks charge for paying housing bills will be cancelled for several categories of citizens. This applies to pensioners; parents with many children;
disabled people; combat veterans; family members of deceased combatants, as well as family members of deceased veterans with disabilities. From July 1, these categories of citizens are also exempt from paying penalties for incomplete or late payments for housing and communal services.
Petr Gusyatnikov, senior managing partner of PG Partners, comments: “Commissions for payment for housing and communal services have appeared in the Russian Federation since 2020. Before this, suppliers included it in their tariffs, and citizens did not pay anything on top. But starting from 2020, it was decided to abandon this model in order to save citizens from a possible double commission. The fact is that operators, including commission in tariffs, entered into an agreement with a certain bank and if a citizen paid receipts through another bank, it turns out that he paid twice.
The standard commission amount is from 1 to 3% depending on the bank. At first glance, these are small amounts, for example, if the payment for a “utility” is small. in the region of 2 thousand rubles, then you will have to pay 20-60 rubles. However, if the apartment area is large, then the amount can reach 10 thousand rubles or more, and this already implies a commission of 100 to 300 rubles per month. Thus, after the commission is abolished, the savings for such families will be 2-3 thousand rubles. For those categories of the population who are entitled to a waiver of commission – This, if not tangible, is clearly not extra money. Well, in order to compensate for the losses, banks will most likely slightly increase the commission for other categories of citizens.”
Starting in July, the Social Fund of Russia (SFR) will inform citizens about their savings in non-state pension funds (NPF). Previously, the Social Fund informed people only about those savings that were formed in it, and previously were in the Pension Fund of Russia. Now the SFR also informs future pensioners about their savings in non-state funds. The Fund will send relevant messages once every three years through your personal account on the government services portal. The procedure and form for providing information will be determined by the Ministry of Labor.
In addition, from July 1, pensioners will be able to receive funded pensions in a simplified manner. Starting from this date, the pensioner has the right to receive a one-time payment if the calculated amount of the funded pension is less than 10% of the subsistence level (1,329 rubles). If more, a funded pension will be assigned.
“The fact that the Social Fund of Russia will inform citizens about their savings in non-state pension funds is definitely a positive moment for Russians. The fact is that many simply do not even know or do not remember where, in which fund their pension savings are located. Form of communication with the population – periodic sending of messages – chosen quite correctly, this should be enough to fully inform citizens. But here it is also important to explain in more detail to the population everything about the rules of savings in NPFs and methods of transferring to another fund, if desired. Therefore, we expect new steps in the future to improve work with the population in terms of informing about future pensions.”
From July 1, the program of preferential mortgages for new buildings at 8% per annum will end. Let us remind you that under this program it was possible to receive up to 6 million rubles with an initial payment of up to 30%. Mortgage term — up to 30 years old. The authorities hope to slow down the rise in prices for primary housing due to this. Also, the rules for family mortgages with a rate of 6% are likely to be updated. It was also supposed to end, but at the president’s proposal it would be extended for another six years — until 2030.
“The abolition of preferential mortgages for new buildings from July 1, from my point of view, — a positive step for the market. It will ultimately make housing more affordable for those categories of citizens who do not qualify as beneficiaries. The demand for new buildings will decrease, and as a result, sales volume will decrease. Prices for square meters will inevitably go down. As a result, there will be a difficult situation for developers and the banks that lend to these developers. However, this may encourage them to launch some of their own promotions or special programs, for example, installment plans beneficial for the buyer or subsidizing mortgage rates by developers. In my opinion, prices on the primary real estate market today are unreasonably high; there is hope that by the end of the year they will be adjusted down by 15-20%.
From July 1, an increase in the premium on risk coefficients for car loans will come into effect. The more indebted a potential client is, the greater the capital reserve the bank requires to approve a loan. This makes the loan less profitable for the bank and reduces the chance of its approval. The allowances will apply to loans for borrowers with a high debt burden (PDL) — more than 50%. That is, this applies to those borrowers who already pay more than half of their monthly income to service loans.
“This is definitely bad news for banks. A significant part of their clients in the car lending segment are borrowers with a personal income tax of more than 50% (61% of all bank car loan issuances in the first quarter of this year). Now, given the risk of the premium, we can expect a cooling of the car lending market.
This is another measure to reduce the debt burden of Russians from the Bank of Russia. The regulator is very concerned about the growing debt burden of citizens and is doing everything possible to cool the lending market. This is already clearly visible in the mortgage market, now it’s the turn of car loans.
The new rules will affect citizens who have a debt burden of more than 50%. Banks will refuse to issue loans to them, since it becomes unprofitable for them. But it is quite possible that by paying more than half of the funds to service the loan, the borrower is a conscientious payer. Banking experts also confirm this, saying that their auto loan portfolios are generally healthy, with a minimum number of delinquencies. But for those who earn money in the “shadow” sector (receives wages in “envelopes” or unofficially rents out real estate), will be more often denied car loans.
From July 1, the procedure for repaying debts to banks for Russians who find themselves in a difficult financial situation will be adjusted. Now, if a person finds himself in a difficult situation and the amount of payment on his consumer loan is not enough to fully fulfill his obligations, then the borrower first pays off fines and penalties, then interest accrued for the current payment period, and only then the amount of the principal debt. As a result, he ends up in credit bondage — «body» debt does not decrease, but payments become higher. The new norms will allow people to first pay interest on the loan, then reduce the “body” of the loan. loan, and pay off penalties and fines last.
“The law will affect bank borrowers – but not everyone, but only those who have arrears in servicing a consumer loan. First of all, it is aimed at reducing “bad debts” and preventing bank losses, as well as to facilitate the conditions for fulfilling obligations for borrowers who, due to certain circumstances, are in arrears on a consumer loan. Now the borrower can pay fines, penalties and other penalties after first paying off the previous debt, and then the current interest. In our opinion, such a change in the procedure for repaying debt and paying fines will be beneficial for both borrowers and the banks themselves, since the borrower will have time to, for example, find an opportunity to earn additional income to pay fines for late payments. In principle, this law will allow for greater consideration of the rights of borrowers than is currently the case, although it would be important that such innovations affect as many people as possible with loans.
From July 1, updated minimum prices for alcohol with a strength above 28° will come into effect. Sellers will be required to sell it at a higher price than the following values (prices per half liter): vodka — 299 rubles; cognac — 556 rubles; brandy — 403 rubles. In addition, hotels and restaurants that sell alcohol by the portion, from July 1, will be required to transfer information about each sale or use of strong drinks to the state Unified State Automated Information System database, even if, for example, alcohol was added to the dish during preparation.
From July 1, banks will be required to respond to requests received from citizens and legal entities with complaints about violations of rights, freedoms and legitimate interests within 15 days. Also, from this day on, the Bank of Russia is given the right to forward requests from individuals to financial organizations — so that they can consider them on their merits and send a reasoned response.
From July 1, the state duty for issuing a new type of international passport will increase. For this new generation document you will need to pay 6,000 rubles, and for children under 14 years old – 3,000 rubles. Even if a citizen already has a foreign passport, he can receive a second one. Unified Register of Large Families. From July 1, 2024, a register of large families will begin to operate in Russia. Nowadays, such status is granted indefinitely if there are three or more children; it allows one to count on different types of social support. In addition, a single certificate for a large family will soon appear, which will allow you to take advantage of the required support measures anywhere in the country. It will be available in both paper and electronic form.