Documents
Notes Left for Neighbors
Notes and announcement that tenants write for each other and post in common areas.
A note about the kitchen window One resident asks another not to open the kitchen windows. 2005.
A note about gas A note written about a neighbor who left the apartment, leaving a gas burner turned on and unlit.
A note about a tenant's long absence The tenant who is responsible for the telephone bill has not been around for a long time.
Note about cockroaches An old lady who is a controlling type writes to a temporary resident that she saw a cockroach on top of her cabinet.
Don't hang up your underwear! A notice in the bathroom, asking people not to hang underwear on the clothesline.
A note about proper use of the phone Payment for and use of the shared telephone is a potential source of conflict among residents. 2006.
A note in the "empty" room In this empty room in the large apartment from the clip "Kamila, Lena, and Yulya," (Tour 5), space is not divided up among the residents, as is the case in the kitchens of communal apartments. 1997.
A sign that the bathtub is in use A warning sign meant to hang over the kitchen faucet when someone is washing in the bathtub.
Concert announcement A handwritten announcement about an opera singer's concert.
A notice about a broken shower A short announcement informing people about a broken faucet and shower.
Sign announcing a new shower A piece of paper taped next to the shower tells people to be careful with it.
  From Police Archives
Complaints and other letters that residents of communal apartments send to the police and other officials.
A complaint against neighbors for stealing An old woman complains to the police that her neighbors have been stealing the covers to her pots.
A complaint about assault An old woman complains to the police that her neighbors have been attacking her physically.
A complaint with a request for a police search An old couple writes a complaint to the police, claiming that their neighbors are harassing them.
A complaint about harassment An old woman writes a complaint to the police, claiming that she is being systematically harassed by her neighbors.
A complaint against neighbors An old woman complains to the police about stealing and assault on the part of neighbors.
Official reply to complaint of assault A police chief rejects a resident's petition to bring criminal action against her neighbor.
An order to investigate and take action An order from the head of the district administration to the head of the district police to respond to a feud in a communal apartment.
The official response to a complaint about theft The head of the police for the district responds to an old woman's accusation that her neighbors are stealing.
  Letters From Soviet Citizens
Letters and denunciations addressed to a variety of institutions often concern relationships within communal apartments and issues of social justice.
A letter to Brezhnev about dachas A volunteer inspector writes a letter to Brezhnev proposing to bring order to the housing problem.
A denunciation sent to a foreign consulate One resident denounces a neighbor to foreign consulates in order to keep her from going abroad.
A proactive denunciation A collective petition defending one neighbor against a possible denunciation by another neighbor.
  Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations that control the distribution and use of living space.
New Eviction Law The law draws a sharp distinction between tenants who are productively employed and everyone else. 1929.
Requisitioning of Excess Living Space Excess rooms are subject to requisition from tenants by administrative order and will be placed at the exclusive disposition of district communal departments.1929.
Compulsory Apartment Consolidation Excess rooms are considered to be those exceeding the living space allotted according to the current norm to the family of the tenant and provided on the basis of professional occupation and medical condition. 1929.
New Policy Regulations on the Occupancy... Resolution stipulating that all vacated living space must be transferred to the housing department to be placed at the disposition of the newly organized district housing bureaus. 1929.
Rules for the use of residential premises The official rules governing communal life.