Qualifying examination for directors of housing management companies as a way to minimize risks in the housing and utilities sector

The article considers the housing and utilities sector and its problems. The Federal Law № 255-FZ of July 21, 2014, which entered into force on September 1, 2014, provides for licensing of multi-apartment buildings management. In accordance with the provisions of the law, companies carrying out management of multi-apartment buildings are obliged to obtain a license until May 1, 2015. According to the hypothesis underlying the research conducted, there is relationship between the quality of directors’ knowledge and the number of violations of the law having been recorded. Guided by the hypothesis, the authors set a goal to reveal the power of the alleged relationship. An empirical method in the form of testing and calculating the correlation coefficient was chosen as a method of the research. The study in- volved ten directors of housing management companies of the Perm region. They underwent qualification testing twice. Then the results were compared with the number of violations. As a result, the coefficient was calculated, which re- vealed an inverse relationship between the compared variables. The obtained results showed to what extent the level of professional knowledge is important for directors in their work and also identified the weaknesses that can adversely affect the quality of services provided to consumers. The results can be useful for public authorities to study the licens- ing issues and ensure adequate conditions for the effective functioning of housing management companies.