Peter Yegorov, 41, superintendent

I am worried about this situation. In Moscow, there are still many houses that were built as long ago as the Krushchev era. They are too old and need to be torn down or repaired. My house isn't so old. It's made of brick, and I hope I won't have anything to worry about for the next 20 or 30 years. Buildings should be constructed in accordance with the climate of each region. Builders should pay more attention to the quality of their work. Residents, for their part, should know how to fix small defects in electrical wiring, etc., and should adhere to safety rules in order to avoid accidents.

Maria Zhemerikina, 23, saleswoman-consultant

I'm living in a very old house that is gradually being demolished. We experience constant heating outages. My family hopes that soon we will move to a new apartment because our present living conditions are awful. We are not alone in this problem. That's why new buildings should be built in accordance with the latest technical developments. There's no reason why we should live in pre-modern conditions today.

Yevgeny Trifonov, 39, Internal Affairs MINISTRY

I live in a house built 10 years ago, and it's still in very good condition. I don't foresee any problems in the near future, but there are no guarantees. But even if something happens it won't be the end of the world for me because I know how to survive. I spent a lot of time in the Far East, where heating and gas problems are the norm. Man can adapt to any set of conditions. Housing deterioration affects a lot of people. But in general, people from outlying areas are more prepared to repair their houses themselves.

Natalya Shilyaeva, 33, marketing manager

I think that whether we are living in old or new houses, there are no safety guarantees. Accidents often occur because of builders' negligence. Old buildings ought to be reconstructed; new ones should be built to better standards and include accident insurance. Maintenance checks must be regularly carried out.

Sergei Mantrov, 27, carpenter

I work in the construction industry and I must say that a lot of attention is paid to old buildings as well as new ones. Our specialists check electrical wiring and other things that can cause accidents. In Russia, people can live for a while without electricity or even heating, but can't go without gas or plumbing. On the whole, it's necessary to build new houses quickly because today there is a shortage of habitable places. But we must do it properly to ensure they are fit for a long time.

Irina Kurakina, 43, chief marketing manager

Everyone chooses his or her own way to deal with these problems. Vladimir Megre suggested the best option in his book "Anastasia." People could protect themselves from accidents at home if they started living in perfect harmony with nature and exchanged their "very comfortable'' apartments for wooden houses, built and controlled entirely by their owners.