What to do and where to go if hot water stops flowing from the tap? +Photo and Video

Home / Complaints, courts, consumer rights / Services and consumer protection

Back

Published: 09/05/2018

Reading time: 6 min

587

In Russia, there are two documents that regulate the supply of hot and cold water. These are Federal Law No. 416-FZ of December 7, 2011 “On water supply and sanitation” and Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of May 6, 2011 “On the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings.”

Grounds for filing a complaint about lack of water to the Management Company or Vodokanal
To the housing inspection and Rospotrebnadzor
To the Municipal Administration
To the Prosecutor's Office
To court

Online complaint

How to properly file a complaint?

Based on these regulations, hot water must be supplied around the clock, regardless of the time of year. In some cases, a temporary lack of water is allowed:

over the course of a month, hot water may be unavailable for 8 hours (this figure is the total amount; the law allows a one-time shutdown for no more than 4 hours);
in the event of an accident on the main line, the absence of water for 24 hours is allowed;
during repair and maintenance work, the duration of the break is established by SanPin standards ; this break cannot be more than two weeks.

If the water temperature is below +40 degrees, it should be paid for as cold. However, this fact will need to be recorded.

Legislation

The Civil Code of the Russian Federation regulates relations in the field of rights and contractual obligations. Article 1064 establishes the obligation to compensate for damage caused. A link to it may be needed if, due to the fault of utility services, a pipe breaks and property is damaged.
The Housing Code of the Russian Federation defines the quality criteria for the provision of housing and communal services.
Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354 “On the provision of utility services to owners and users of residential premises in apartment buildings” names the criteria for the quality of water supply, the payment procedure, and the recalculation mechanism. Contains permissible periods of interruptions in the supply of hot and cold water, as well as sanctions for exceeding them.
Decree of the State Construction Committee of the Russian Federation dated September 27, 2003 No. 170 “On approval of rules and standards for the technical operation of housing stock” lists the requirements for the maintenance of the common property of apartment buildings, which includes communications.
SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09 “Hygienic requirements for ensuring the safety of hot water supply systems” establishes a maximum interruption of hot water supply for preventive purposes at 14 days.
SNiP 2.04.02-84 “Water supply. External networks and structures” provides a definition of the standard pressure for water supply.

Legitimate reasons for turning off water in an apartment

Possibly for several reasons:

If an emergency or natural disaster occurs. These are the main reasons for shutdowns without warning.
The need for scheduled repairs. Cold and hot water should not be turned off at the same time. If we are talking about a break of several hours, then they must warn about this 24 hours in advance.
If the consumer commits a crime and connects to the water supply without permission. The procedure requires an order from an authority.
If it is revealed that the residents of the apartment are using devices whose power exceeds the permissible limits. The border can be found out from the technical passport of the residential building.
If the commission has established that the pipes in the residential premises are in poor condition. The law establishes the responsibility of owners for repairs and maintenance of communications in the apartment. If the poor condition of the pipes threatens the supply of resources to the entire house, utilities disconnect irresponsible owners.
Unpaid utility bills. It is important to know that the debt period is at least 3 months. Having a repayment schedule that is regularly observed by residents will not allow the water to be turned off. In addition, only hot water supply is subject to possible termination.

Reasons for turning off hot water

As practice shows, repair and preventive measures in the area of the pipeline or heating plant are the causative factors for turning off hot water. Owners of real estate who use this type of housing and communal services are warned about this fact in advance through the management organization. If no such messages were received, there was probably an emergency in the water supply system. Often the reason for turning off warm water is the formation of debt on utility bills.

Attention! If you have any questions, you can chat for free with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call Moscow; Saint Petersburg; Free call for all of Russia.

For your information

Currently, many buildings are far from new and therefore subject to a high degree of wear and tear. Major repairs have to wait a long time, during which pipes and other sewer systems rust and become obsolete. As corrosion develops, the water supply system loses its reliability, and various breakdowns quite often occur on the lines. To avoid such unforeseen situations, representatives of management companies take preventive measures in the summer, which require temporarily turning off hot water. Therefore, it is not surprising that she is absent at this time period.

It is common practice to turn off water during the summer months. The main reasons why this happens:

start of planned repair work;
reconstruction of sewerage units and systems;
prevention of subsequent breakdowns;
installation and replacement of equipment units;
debt to pay utility bills.

It is generally accepted that in a number of situations, preventive shutdown of hot water supply occurs “in order to save money.” This is partly true, since depriving the population of breastfeeding for two weeks helps to save resources. But the main purpose of the events is different.

Is it legal to disconnect without warning?

When disconnecting, utility services are required to inform residents in advance. Typically, this practice is used in the case of repair or maintenance work. This is necessary so that people can prepare for the lack of a resource and stock up on water.

Dear readers! To solve your problem right now, get a free consultation

— contact the lawyer on duty in the online chat on the right or call: +7 (499) 938 6124 — Moscow and region.
+7 (812) 425 6761 — St. Petersburg and region. 8 (800) 350 8362 - Other regions of the Russian Federation You will not need to waste your time and nerves
- an experienced lawyer will solve all your problems!

However, the law provides for individual cases and notification is not required. This applies to emergency situations when the lack of water is not planned, and shutdowns for good reasons.

If residents are dishonest payers and have not received payments for three months in a row, the service provider will properly warn them about possible restrictions on the provision of the service. 20 days after becoming familiar with the consumer, if the debt is not paid, the service is limited, and after another 10 days the hot water supply is stopped.

What to do if there is low water pressure in the apartment

There can be several reasons for poor pressure in the tap. Only after installing them can you understand what to do to restore it:

Low pressure in the central water supply. Since global replacement of the pipe system of an apartment building requires capital investments of material resources and labor costs, utility companies are in no hurry to do this. It is much easier to reduce the water pressure in the system and, accordingly, the load on the pipes. It is also possible to connect the house to the water supply system of another apartment building. Thus, the number of consumers increases, but the throughput capacity of the pipes remains the same, so the pressure may decrease.
Contamination of house risers. Due to poor water quality, deposits of lime and rust form in communications, which deteriorates the throughput of pipes;
Low pressure is possible due to clogged pipes in a particular apartment. This is facilitated by various impurities in the water, as well as the limited service life of communications. Common plastic pipes will not completely protect against this risk. A blockage may form at the joint with the steel. Cleaning or complete replacement is carried out at the expense of the owner.
If the water flows poorly or there is no water at all, the problem may be related to the faucet. A dirty cartridge, aerator or faucet axle may interfere with normal flow.

To determine exactly what the problem is in the apartment, you need to interview the neighbors. If they have the same situation, then the problem is in the communications that the house provides. If everything is fine with them, then the problem is in the pipes or faucet of the apartment, and you will have to fix it at your own expense.

To determine the norm of pressure when supplying water, SNiP 2.04.02-84 was developed. The maximum free pressure in the apartment should be 6 atmospheres. The minimum values are distributed as follows:

for toilets - 0.2 atmospheres;
for faucets on sinks - 0.2 atmospheres;
for bathtub faucets – 0.3 atmospheres;
for shower stalls - 0.3 atmospheres.

Where to contact

If residents find out that there is low pressure throughout the entire house, they need to contact the management company with a collective written statement.

It is compiled according to standard rules: the header indicates the addressee and the details of residents with addresses. The main part describes how rights have been violated and demands to find out the reasons and eliminate them. At the end is the date of compilation and signatures of all initiators.

It is advisable to draw up a complaint in 2 copies, register it in the office of the Criminal Code, and keep one as proof of the appeal. You can also send a complaint by registered mail with notification by mail.

Where to call if disconnected

If there is no water, and there was no warning about the planned work, you need to contact the emergency dispatch service, management company or HOA to clarify the situation.
Their phone number can be easily found out from the monthly receipt for payment of technical maintenance or using an information stand near the house.

The dispatcher must be informed about the problem, full name, address of the premises where the shutdown was recorded. He must register the application, inform the applicant of the message registration number, his last name, first name, patronymic and explain why there is no water if he has this data. If there is no information, a specialist must be sent to check and identify the cause, the time of which corresponds to two hours.

Cold

If there is no cold water, you must contact the management company servicing the house, for example:

Moscow: Management Company "Sweet Home", phone 225-30-78;
St. Petersburg: Management Company "ZhKS No. 3 of the Central District", phone 274-25-54;
Novosibirsk: Management Company "MKS-Novosibirsk", phone 279-03-79;
Krasnodar: Management Company "Krasnodar", phone 991-21-00.

Hot

If there is no hot water, you need to call similar numbers. Management companies are responsible for the supply of both resources.

IMPORTANT! The law allows the duration of a break in the supply of hot water: a total of 8 hours during the month, at a time - 4 hours, and 24 hours in a row in case of an emergency (for example: in case of an accident in a dead-end main).

Where to call in Moscow if there is no warm water?

To ensure their own safety, every Moscow resident must obtain several numbers belonging to emergency public services. If the hot water supply is turned off in the capital, you must first contact MOEK. Here are a few more numbers you can call if you encounter a similar problem:

+7 – this is a “hotline” phone number that can be reached around the clock if there are interruptions in the supply or a complete lack of water (office address is Efremova St., 10);
+7 , as well as 681 20 54 and number 681 21 45 - these numbers are used if there is a need to complain about the poor quality of the heating options (this is the hotline of the Moscow Housing Inspectorate, which can be reached around the clock);
+ – the number is always available, and you can call it in case of emergency work (the organization is called MOSVODOSTOK).

IMPORTANT
These phone numbers should be considered the most important, and if hot water is turned off in Moscow, you can call them to clarify the details. The client should remember that all utilities are committed to providing them with high-quality services, because residents pay the full rate for this.

Where to complain if there is no water

If it is not available for more than 2 days after a planned outage necessary for repair work, residents must contact the management company, where they can file a complaint to restore the supply.

Cold

The interruption in cold water supply should be no more than 8 hours per month or 4 hours in a row to eliminate the consequences of an accident.

If there is no water for more than 2 days after scheduled repairs, this indicates poor organization of work. It is necessary to call the emergency dispatch service of the Criminal Code, and also write collective complaints there.

Hot

Interruptions in the supply of hot water during scheduled work should not exceed the standards established by SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09: 14 days. If the deadline is delayed, it is necessary to require the management company to eliminate inconsistencies by calling the emergency dispatch service and writing complaints.

How to recalculate hot water?

If there has been no hot water for a long time, then you should recalculate so as not to overpay extra money.

It is worth noting that it only makes sense to draw up such a statement for those people who do not have water meters installed.

Is the balcony included in the total area of the apartment? Full information is in this material.

However, such applications will only be considered in cases where the hot water supply cut-off period has been exceeded in relation to the standard shut-off limits.

To do this, you need to correctly draw up an application with your requirements and send it to the HOA.

The application must indicate from what period the supply of hot water was suspended. This statement should be supported by two signatures of witnesses and the chairman of the house council.

How to correctly draw up an apartment exchange agreement - read the link.

After reviewing it, you will be recalculated, which will be 0.15% of the total tariff . When recalculating, I will calculate every hour during which hot water was not supplied.

Hot water shutdown schedule.

Where to complain if housing and communal services do nothing?

There are also cases when the housing management company or housing and communal services simply refuses to consider your application for recalculation of fees for hot water.

In this case, you should contact higher authorities. For housing and communal services, such an authority is Rospotrebnadzor .

You can safely file a complaint with your housing office and be one hundred percent sure that your problem will be solved as soon as possible.

Is it possible to buy a dacha with maternity capital? You will find the answer to this question here.

Hot water in the house disappears about once a year, and sometimes more often. First of all, you need to contact the management company or call the housing office, where they will help solve your problem.

You will learn about the reasons for turning off hot water from this video:

Making a complaint about lack of water

A complaint about the lack of hot or cold water supply is drawn up according to general rules and contains information:

In the upper right part of the sheet the full name of the head of the management company and its name are indicated.
The following is a list of the authors of the letter, their full names and addresses.
Name – complaint or claim.
The main part needs to describe in detail when the planned work was carried out and whether residents were warned about it, when it was supposed to be completed and how long in total people did not receive water. Next, demand that the Criminal Code eliminate violations.
At the end, the date of drawing up the document is indicated, and all residents sign.

These rules can be used as a sample complaint or claim.

ADVICE! The appeal must be written in competent language using legal terms and references to legislation. Common language and insults are unacceptable. You cannot complain anonymously.

How to submit

There are several ways to file a complaint. Either one has the same effect:

Delivery to the management company personally by one of the residents. In this case, you need to have 2 copies of the complaint, register the appeal at the reception, and keep one for yourself.
Send by registered mail with notification by mail.
If it comes to a complaint to government authorities, you can use the Internet portals of the State Services or RosZhKKH.

The complaint is accompanied by certificates of ownership of the apartments, paid receipts for water, and an agreement for the provision of services.

Algorithm of actions

Immediately after the first negative emotions, the question arises of where to complain about such violations and where to turn for help if there is no water in the apartment. It is best to immediately call the management company that maintains the house. Perhaps officials know about the lack of hot water supply and will tell you exactly where to call.

You can also find out the information in the utility bill; it contains coordinates for contacting in the absence of supplied resources. They will probably tell you information in the control room, the numbers of which should be kept in the telephone directory. Such information is often available on the notice board at the entrance.

It’s better to complain together with other tenants, so the water will be turned on faster, because collective requests are much more effective than individual requests.

In addition to verbal appeals, you should complain about the lack of water via the Internet. This can be done on the websites of the housing inspectorate, Rospotrebnadzor and the prosecutor's office. A sample application is available online. There are other platforms where you can leave complaints about problematic situations in the housing and communal services sector.

In order to have evidence for subsequent appeals to the courts, complaints must be submitted in writing. In this case, the secretary must put the date and incoming complaint number on the second sample application. If you refuse this, send a registered letter with a notification to the Housing Office, this will be proof of your appeal to the governing bodies. The Criminal Code is given three working days to deal with the complaint. If after this there is no hot water, then contact the prosecutor's office or court.

Recalculation

If the apartment has water consumption meters installed, there is no problem of recalculation - accrual is made based on consumption. That is why the government obliges owners to install them. If there are no metering devices, in some cases recalculation is possible.

Is it allowed

Recalculation is legal if the owners pay for water according to consumption standards (when there are no meters): for each hour of exceeding the permissible interruption in water supply, the standard payment is reduced by 0.15% (provided that in a month the total non-supply of the resource was more than 8 hours, starting from 9 o’clock there is a decline).

Application for recalculation

It is drawn up in the name of the head of the resource supplying organization or water utility, since it is they who are entrusted with the responsibility of charging for water supply.

It is written in the standard manner: the header indicates the full name of the head and the name of the RSO. The main part describes the circumstances of the incident: why the water was turned off, how long the break lasted, how long the established period was exceeded (confirmed by the records of the emergency dispatch service log).

There is a requirement to recalculate. The application must be accompanied by acts drawn up jointly with the Criminal Code regarding the lack of water supply.

Is it permissible to recalculate if there is no hot water?

Government Decree No. 354 of 2011 provides for the possibility of recalculation in some situations.

It happens:

for every hour exceeding the established standard for shutting off hot water supply. When calculating, you need to take into account the amount for the estimated time when the excess occurred. Payment in this case is reduced by 0.15% compared to the accrued amount for a similar period;
taking into account 3 degrees of error, subject to deviation from the norm. Then the amount of the fee is reduced by 0.1% of the amount for the billing period. If the water temperature is less than 40 degrees, then the citizen must pay for cold water.

In a situation where the properties of hot water supply and its composition do not meet legal requirements, the payment amount is also reduced. The reduction is calculated from the amount of payment for each day of provision of poor-quality services.

Registration of recalculation in case of lack of hot water

If there is no hot water for a long time, the financial department of the management company recalculates it. Similar measures apply to situations where the quality of water entering the apartment leaves much to be desired.

In this case, it is necessary to establish the fact of violation of the legal provisions on the provision of hot water. The citizen will need to contact the supply company and ask for the number of the complaint received from him. This will be further used as evidence when resolving the issue in court.

When a complaint number is received by a person, the owner of the premises can write a statement addressed to the management company . This organization is empowered to carry out recalculations related to the lack of water supply in the apartment. If representatives of the management company know why the water is turned off, they tell the apartment owner about it by phone. When the situation is not known to this organization, staff will be required to travel to record what is happening.

Only if the fact of lack of water supply is confirmed, payment tariffs change depending on the established consumption standards. It will not be possible to obtain a recalculation when there is no water in the house for the period of time allowed by law.

What to do

If the legitimate demands of residents remain unanswered, state authorities need to be involved in solving the problem.

If you receive a refusal to recalculate

If RSO refuses to recalculate, you should contact:

The State Housing Inspectorate is a government body that controls public utilities and the performance of their duties.
Rospotrebnadzor is an executive body that specializes in compliance with contractual obligations in all spheres of life, as well as in maintaining the sanitary and everyday well-being of citizens.
The prosecutor's office is a supervisory authority, where you should complain only after contacting the previous authorities. Correspondence with utility companies and government agencies must be attached to the complaint. The prosecutor's powers allow him to punish not only public utilities, but also officials for inaction.
Court. When causing material or moral harm.

If after treatment there is no water

Appeals must be written to the same authorities if, after applications to the Criminal Code, the filing has not resumed.