If you live inside the city boundaries, your first and cheapest source of help with domestic plumbing, heating, or related issues is the municipal ZHEK office for your district. ZHEK is a city wide organization which employs tradesmen to provide quick and efficient household maintenance. This service is very cheap and the quality is often reflected in the price. It is best to contact them through your landlord, who has the contact information and can help with language (ZHEK staff do not typically speak English).
If you live in a gated or planned community, inside or outside of the city, you should contact your community management to find such help.
You will probably not use painting or remodeling services unless you live in Moscow long-term and purchase a residence. If you do, you will be able to find someone through Russian-language classifieds, such as in the free newspaper iz Ruk v Ruki, or its online version at http://irr.ru.
You may also find good referrals by posting a request for help on the forum section of http://www.expat.ru, where other expatriates living in Moscow may recommend the services of someone they have used recently.
This agency is known for providing quality, common repair services:
- Iceberg
Repair and installation of televisions, laundry machines, and refrigerators.
+7 (495) 723 72 30
http://www.iceberg.ru/ (Russian only)
