Dagestan Residents to Use MAX Messenger for Official Apartment Building Chats
Russia’s national messenger MAX is becoming a primary digital channel for interaction between residents and property management companies. In Dagestan, authorities have launched official building-wide chat channels inside the platform, part of a broader federal push to consolidate housing and utilities communications into a single regulated digital environment.
An Official Chat for Every Building
Dagestan has launched official chats for residents of apartment buildings through the national messenger MAX. The region now operates a formal digital communication channel between residents and property management structures. The project is a pilot, implemented as part of a nationwide initiative to migrate all building chats into a unified digital messenger and to accelerate digitization of the housing and utilities sector. Earlier, the Russian government ruled that beginning in October 2026, such chats must operate nationwide on a mandatory basis. They hold official status and serve as designated official chat channels for the building, used for information exchange on housing and utilities issues, resident requests and formal notifications.
Future Plans: Integration and Expanded Functionality
The official communication channel simplifies how residents of apartment buildings submit requests to property management companies and state housing oversight authorities. By tracking requests digitally, utilities-related issues can be addressed faster and with greater transparency. Residents, in turn, gain more direct participation in the management of their buildings.
The nationwide program to create unified digital housing and utilities services reduces paper-based document flow and improves the quality of digital public services. Over time, this infrastructure could enable integration of housing data with other government digital services, including the Gosuslugi (State Services Portal). Adaptation of similar platforms for countries with centralized digital governance models is also conceivable. Once MAX building chats are deployed across all Russian regions, their functionality is expected to expand continuously.
A Broader Digitalization Trend
The consolidation of data, communications, and operational processes into a single digital channel is a defining trend in Russia’s housing and utilities sector. Legislative measures support this transition. A law requiring property management companies to maintain building chats through MAX was adopted in December 2025. At that time, official MAX building chats were already functioning in many regions, and residents reported improved convenience and efficiency.
By early 2026, building chats in the national messenger had become widespread. Centralized digital management of dialogue between residents and utilities providers through a state-backed platform has demonstrated usability, simplicity and operational effectiveness. As a result, the final transition from other messaging platforms to MAX is expected to proceed smoothly.
MAX as a Core Civic Interaction Platform
The Dagestan pilot forms part of a phased nationwide digitalization of housing and utilities services. Official digital channels help structure resident requests and accelerate feedback loops. They also increase homeowner engagement in improving living conditions and maintaining shared spaces.
However, a smooth migration to a new messenger requires risk mitigation. Data security and personal privacy must be protected, and platform reliability must be ensured. If these issues are addressed effectively, MAX could evolve into a core platform for digital interaction between citizens and public authorities, extending beyond housing services to social support and municipal communications.
