AZE.US
Living in an apartment building does not mean residents give up their basic rights inside their own homes.
In Azerbaijan, disputes between residents and building managers often arise over rules introduced in the name of security or internal order. Some buildings try to restrict late-night visitors, set unofficial entry hours, limit repair work or impose other rules that residents view as excessive.
Lawyer Ramil Suleymanov told Bizim.Media that such restrictions must have a legal or contractual basis. A building manager, often referred to locally as a komendant, cannot simply create rules on their own.
According to Suleymanov, if the person managing the building was not appointed by residents through a formal general meeting protocol, that activity is not properly recognized under the law. Residents may also establish their own apartment owners’ association by registering it with the Ministry of Justice and manage building services themselves.
The key issue is the contract between residents and the construction cooperative or management company. Such contracts should define the services provided, payment obligations and any possible consequences for non-payment.
If the contract clearly states that certain services may be restricted when residents fail to pay, those provisions may be applied. But without such clauses, a building manager has no right to impose bans or limitations at their own discretion.
The same applies to attempts to restrict entry into the building or ban residents from receiving guests late at night. Suleymanov said such measures are unacceptable because they may interfere with the inviolability of the home and a resident’s right to use their apartment freely.
An apartment building has common areas, but a resident’s home remains private property. Internal order cannot turn into control over personal life.
Noise and renovation work are a separate issue because they are regulated by law, not by a manager’s personal decision.
Suleymanov noted that Article 521 of Azerbaijan’s Code of Administrative Offenses regulates violations related to household noise. Repair work and other forms of domestic noise are prohibited from midnight to 7 a.m.
Individuals may face fines from 150 to 200 manats for violating those rules. Officials may be fined from 2,000 to 2,500 manats.
In practice, this means a building manager may help maintain order in shared spaces, but cannot act as the owner of the building or the residents’ apartments. Any restriction must be based on law, a valid contract or a decision properly approved by residents.
AZE.US