Belarusian Government Updates Household Services Regulations

The Council of Ministers has approved updated Rules for Household Services. The corresponding resolution was signed today.

According to the government’s press service, the new rules were developed based on proposals from entrepreneurs, business associations, and the Council for the Development of Entrepreneurship.

“The resolution is aimed at protecting consumer rights and resolving problematic issues in the organisation of household services, including rental, leasing, and repair of motor vehicles, spa services, and others,” the statement said.

The updated version revises several definitions, including “collection point” and “minor clothing repair,” removes terms such as “employee of the service provider” and “spa menu,” and introduces new terms like “materials,” “spa technology,” “household service provider,” “comprehensive service collection point,” “defective materials,” and “unsuitable materials (products).”

The rules also clarify payment methods, procedures for accepting goods, and warranty periods.

A discount on household services is granted only if full payment is made at the time of placing the order.

If defects in a service are corrected free of charge, the warranty period is extended by the time required to eliminate those defects.

If a customer fails to collect an item or pick up an order, they must be notified, including by postal notice.

The regulations also define procedures for rental and leasing of motor vehicles:

• the penalty for each day of delay in returning a rented item or making a payment is set at 1% of the rental fee under the agreement, with the possibility of reduction if stipulated in the contract;
• when providing maintenance and repair services for vehicles, the service provider must specify in the documentation the materials used, their cost, and the final price of the work or services.

The list of mandatory information to be displayed at rural comprehensive service collection points has also been optimised.