4.  The applicant was born in 1936 and lives in Saint Petersburg. 5.  On 12 August 1998 the applicant lodged a civil action before the Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg against the Governor of St. Petersburg and St. Petersburg committee for housing policy (Комитет по жилищной политике г. Санкт-Петербург), seeking to obtain a flat under a city-funded programme. A copy of the applicant’s statement of claim bears a signature of the registry indicating that the statement was received on 12 August 1998. 6.  Of the three hearings fixed between 24 February and 21 October 1999, two hearings were adjourned due to the defendant’s failure to appear and one hearing was postponed upon the defendant’s request to join another party to the proceedings. 7.  The next hearing, fixed for 16 March 2000, was adjourned to allow the applicant to amend his claims. 8.  Of the four hearings listed between 5 April 2000 and 28 February 2001, three hearings were adjourned because the defendants did not attend and one hearing was adjourned because the judge was involved in other proceedings. 9.  On 15 March 2001 the Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg held a hearing. A representative of the Governor of St. Petersburg requested to adjourn the proceedings in order to enable the Governor to amend the existing regulation which affected the applicant’s housing rights. The request was granted. 10.  Between 22 May 2001 and 28 March 2002 the district court fixed four hearings. Three hearings were adjourned because the defendants did not attend and one hearing was adjourned to allow the applicant to amend his claims. 11.   On 8 April 2002 the applicant filed the amended claims. 12.  The hearing of 19 December 2002 was postponed until 1 April 2003 because the defendants did not attend. The Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg sent a written warning to the defendants, informing them that they would be fined if they failed to attend the next hearing. 13.   Three hearings fixed between 1 April and 17 June 2003 were adjourned because the defendants had not attended. 14.  The hearing of 14 October 2003 was rescheduled because the presiding judge had been dismissed from her office. 15.  The hearing fixed for 5 May 2004 was adjourned because the defendants did not appear. 16.  The hearing of 5 July 2004 was adjourned because the applicant was ill. 17.  On 29 September 2004 the Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg gave the judgment. 18.  On 8 December 2004 the St. Petersburg City Court upheld the judgment of 29 September 2004. 19.  On 21 December 2002, 5 January and 9 November 2003 the applicant complained to the President of the Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg, a deputy President of the St. Petersburg City Court and the President of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation about delays. 20.  On 30 December 2002 and 10 February 2003 a deputy President of the Oktyabrskiy District Court of St. Petersburg and on 25 March 2004 a deputy President of the St. Petersburg City Court informed the applicant that the excessive length of the proceedings in his case had been caused by a large number of pending civil cases.