Recalculation after verification of water meters: sample application for hot and cold water according to Resolution 354, and can it be done and how if the devices are expired?

Pravozhil.com > Housing and communal services issues > Utilities > Housing and communal services problems > What to do if the water meter verification period has expired - a guide for the violator

Meters are verified after a certain time after operation. Citizens, forgetting about deadlines, often discover that the water meter verification period has expired, which is why they are forced to pay for water use in accordance with generally accepted standards.

It is necessary to get out of the current situation exactly according to the established standards.

Why do they do verification?

Monthly payment for used hot and cold water is carried out based on the recorded indicators of installed meters.

Each device must have a technical passport, which displays the year and information about the expiration date.

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Publication date: 11/25/2020

Metering devices allow you to save significant amounts on bills for the supply of hot and cold water, as well as for heating services. It’s no secret that the established standards are “slightly” too high. For everyday needs, even taking into account small children and constant washing, seven cubic meters of water per family member is not required at all. Therefore, there is no need to prove the benefits of installing water meters to anyone. But many people forget that the legislative norms regulating the operation process, the procedure for installing and replacing meters must be observed. And when they receive a “chain letter” with a fine for unauthorized replacement of the water meter, they are very surprised. What do you need to know to avoid getting into an unpleasant situation? Our lawyers tell us.

The legislative framework

The verification procedure is regulated by Federal Law No. 261, 102, and 354, so it is mandatory for all home owners. It is due to the fact that meters may stop working properly due to exposure to external negative factors:

The water is of low quality, which is why large particles and heavy metals enter the meter.
Failure of communication systems.
The meter is worn out and needs to be replaced.
The mechanism dries out if there is no water supply for a long period of time.

Water meters for cold water are checked every 6 years, and for hot water - every 4 years.

What to do if verification is overdue

The question arises, what to do if the water meter verification period has expired. No institution can assign a recalculation without a certificate of inspection of the device. All accruals that can be made in the office will be illegal. They are easy to refute in court. It is important to remember that if the water verification is overdue, you must immediately write an application for an unscheduled inspection.

The procedure is as follows:

First you need to call a specialist who inspects the device, takes all control readings and issues a certificate based on these data. First, he is checked to see if he has a license to carry out such work.
A representative is invited from the management company or homeowners association, who records the presence of seals and takes meter readings. This is very important information. With its help, accruals will be made for the period of use of unaccounted resources.
An application is written to the management company with a request to recalculate the money based on the attached documents drawn up by the invited specialist.
If the results are negative, you should go to court. Usually this last resort meets consumers halfway.

It should be remembered that a fine for late verification of a cold water (or hot) meter is not charged due to the lack of a corresponding law.

How to find out when verification is required

The countdown of the period begins from the date of the last verification performed. The primary event is carried out at the manufacturer's plant, the second one is carried out at home. Many citizens confuse dates and start counting from the production date, which is erroneous.

In order not to make a mistake with the deadlines, you can control the date of the next verification from the receipt for payment of utility services. As a rule, management companies automatically set verification dates.

How to determine the period of verification of a water meter

Each individual water meter must be verified. The procedure is mandatory and controlled by law. The equipment is installed on cold and hot water. The verification period for water meters has its own verification interval:

for cold water - 6 years;
for hot – 4 years.

The reduced interval for the hot water meter is justified by the fact that it has to work in a more aggressive environment. Temperature changes, rust and scale in pipes negatively affect the parts of the device. Some of them are made of polymer materials and are not as strong as metal ones. For example, an impeller. During operation, colliding with metal particles in the water and being exposed to high temperatures, it becomes deformed.

All verification periods are recorded in documents (in the passport), which states that the device is in working order and registered. In recent years, the production of universal equipment has begun. For it, the verification interval is set to the same - 6 years. It can be used for both cold and hot water.

The exception is some counters from foreign manufacturers. Their verification interval reaches 10 and sometimes 15 years.

During installation or replacement of a metering device, data is submitted to the management company. They indicate the date of the work. Only after this all readings are considered valid. Such companies have archives containing all the information about installed meters, and they themselves signal the owners about the need to undergo the next verification.

At home, the verification procedure takes no more than an hour. If the device is removed and sent to the laboratory, the wait may last for 2 weeks.

What to do if the water meter verification period has expired

In order not to violate the established order, it is recommended to adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

Find an officially licensed organization that verifies meters. Advice: to be sure of the legal activities of an organization, you can check the information about the company you are interested in on the official website of the accreditation service
Organize the verification procedure. It is necessary to fill out an application, after which a specialist arrives at the specified address with equipment and carries out the measuring operation. He must issue a certificate on a form that the enumerators have completed the necessary procedures. If it turns out to be faulty, a document is issued indicating that the water meters have been replaced.
Submit an application to the company that deals with the re-registration of meters. This is a service organization. Information can be found on the receipt. The specialist checks the integrity of the seals and whether the rules for installing meters were followed. Upon completion, a certificate is generated indicating the commissioning of the devices.
Submit the completed report to the accounting department to recalculate the amount of water used. Starting next month, charges will be made based on actual meter readings, which will save money on the volume of water used.

Important: as soon as the verification period ends, the citizen has three months to correct the situation and call a specialist to take readings, or replace faulty water meters.

Sample application for recalculation of water after verification of meters

To carry out a recalculation, the owner of the home, if the period for checking water meters has expired, must submit an application to the management company. The current legislation does not provide for a standard form of this document, but its form and content must meet all the requirements of business document flow.

In the upper right part of the sheet it is necessary to indicate the position of the addressee; the application should be written to the head of the management company. Next, indicate the full name of the author of the application and the address of the apartment at which it is necessary to recalculate water costs. The text of the petition should indicate the reason why the owner was unable to use the services of the accreditation service in time to conduct a performance check.

It is also necessary to indicate the fact of successful testing of the water meter, the name of the organization that carried out the test, and the request for recalculation. The document ends with the date of preparation and the signature of the applicant.

Source

Consequences of failure to complete verification on time

Based on current legislation, every citizen is obliged to check meters after a certain period of time for malfunctions and the accuracy of the readings taken.

If the owner of an apartment or private house does not have time to complete the procedure within the established time frame, then during the first three months bills for water use will be received in accordance with the general established tariffs (which significantly increases the price).

If there is a delay, no additional penalties are imposed. However, the citizen suffers financial losses, since he will overpay for the water supply until he carries out verification.

Licensed organizations conduct these events in person, filling out all the paperwork for the accounting department of the management company. Therefore, all that remains is to go to the HOA, make copies of the documents and send them to the desired department.

Important: you cannot give the original act and certificate of verification to the HOA and other organizations. They must remain with the owner of the house.

Service organizations are asked to fill out an application for recalculation, while others carry out the procedure after receiving a package of documents. Information can be clarified by calling the helpline.

What is the penalty for checking a water meter?

Sometimes situations occur when a citizen receives a fine from the HOA due to untimely verification of meters.

Consequences of delay

If the water meter verification period has expired, the equipment is considered unsuitable for use. Then the payment will begin to be calculated based on the volume of water consumed over the last six months at the average monthly tariff. This will last for 3 months, and then calculations will begin to be made according to standards that significantly exceed the meter readings.

Attention! In 2021, during the coronavirus epidemic, this rule does not apply! By Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated April 2, 2020 No. 424, changes were made to a number of regulations relating to the provision of utility services and the calculation of fees for their consumption. In particular, meter verification was canceled in 2020 until January 1, 2021 due to quarantine and self-isolation. The resolution prohibits the accrual of penalties and penalties.

If water meters are not checked on time, then there is no need to panic. Don't install new equipment right away. If the owners missed the inspection interval, then in order to avoid liability, it is necessary, without wasting time, to submit an application to call the master. After completion of the work, the owner will be issued a certificate stating that the device is ready for further use.

Who has the right to conduct verification

Today there are dozens of companies on the market that have the authority to conduct reconciliation. The most important requirement is that the organization has a license confirming the ability to perform all necessary procedures. If you do not have the opportunity to invite a third-party organization yourself, you just need to contact the housing office, management company or homeowners association. After your application, you will be provided with the address and contacts of companies that verify meters. Please note that if you are offered services from little-known organizations, it is better to avoid them. Be that as it may, you need to make sure you have a license in any case.

The essence of the verification procedure involves removing the device and sending it to the laboratory. There, specialists will conduct a full diagnosis and test of the meter, after which they will fill out a work completion certificate. This act must be submitted to the management company, which will be able to re-register your meter.

In addition, the reconciliation procedure can be performed directly at home. You don't even need to remove the meter to do this. However, in this case, you need a mobile device that a professional can bring with him. If dismantling is required, an employee of the management company must be present. The specialist needs to document the process of breaking the seals so that you do not have problems in the future.