Neighbors blocked the water riser: what to do? Lawyer answers

Heating restart

In the Moscow region, a phased shutdown of heating began on May 1, and by May 12, the heat supply was completely stopped. In Moscow, the heating season has also ended.

However, the authorities of the capital and region promised to resume the supply of heat to residential buildings and social facilities in the event of complaints from residents about uncomfortable indoor temperatures due to the onset of cold weather.

So, this week night temperatures can drop to 3-6 degrees, which is below the required plus 8, at which the heating is turned off.

According to the federal law “On Heat Supply,” the heating season ends when the average daily temperature in the region is above plus 8 degrees for five days. To calculate the temperature, the highest and lowest temperature readings for the day are used.

What temperature should your home be?

According to GOST, the air temperature in the apartment should not fall below plus 18 degrees, and if the apartment is corner, then not below plus 20.

In the kitchen it should not be colder than plus 18, and in the bathroom the temperature should reach + plus 25 degrees. There are heat standards for common areas: during the heating season, the normal temperature in the stairwell is plus 16, and in the elevator - plus 5. In the coldest places of the house - in attics and basements - the thermometer should not fall below plus 4 degrees.

If the heating is not turned on in Moscow in 2020, what to do and who to complain to

Residents have the right to demand from their management company and the district engineering service a recalculation of the rent if there are constant interruptions in heat in the house. Payment is reduced by 0.15 percent: - for each hour of exceeding the permissible duration of a heating break. Allowable break: no more than 24 hours in total within 1 month; no more than 16 hours at a time - at an air temperature in the apartment from +12 to +18 degrees; no more than 8 hours at a time - at an air temperature in the apartment from +10 to +12 degrees; no more than 4 hours at a time - at an air temperature in the apartment from +8 to +10 degrees;

3. To the Moscow Housing Inspectorate - applications can be sent by mail or registered in person at the address: 129090, Moscow, Mira Avenue, 19. Emails are accepted at the address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You must have JavaScript enabled to view it. A sample application can be found on the Moszhilinspektsiya website (mgi.mos.ru).

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Complaint to the management company

If your home is cold and uncomfortable, first of all, you need to contact your management company. Muscovites can find contact information for managers. Contacts relevant for residents of the Moscow region are available on the portals of the EIAS Housing and Communal Services of the Moscow Region and the Ministry of Housing and Public Utilities.

When a complaint is received that the temperature in the apartment is too low, the management company must turn on the heating or send a specialist.

Where to call if the batteries are cold in Moscow

The Moscow Housing Inspectorate will help you here. It is here that you can write various kinds of appeals, complaints, claims addressed to the head of the organization. The appeal can be sent by Russian Post, or in the form of an email. Your letter must contain your full name, residential address, contact phone number and the main purpose of the appeal. All accepted applications are reviewed by the Moscow Housing Inspectorate within 5 (five) working days. This organization will help you sort out all the accumulated questions and why the heating is on, but the radiators are cold, what is best to do in this case, and where to call if the radiators are cold, and will also give answers to many other questions. More detailed information in our article: Cold batteries in the apartment. Where to complain?

Where to call if the radiators are cold in Moscow is the most frequently asked question of residents at the beginning of the heating season. Everything is very simple - first you need to contact either the Management Company (MC) or the HOA. In this case, the Management Company (MC) is obliged to take all technical measures that will allow heating to be turned on in your home. If it turns out that the batteries are faulty, then they will be replaced with new ones. If utility workers assure you that the batteries are working, then be sure to ask for a document confirming the serviceability of the radiator. In case of refusal on their part, call two witnesses, for example, neighbors, and draw up an act yourself in simple written form, which will reflect the temperature in the apartment. Next, fill out a claim, complaining about the work of the Management Company (MC) and forward it to the utility companies.

What to do and where to go if it’s cold in your apartment

With the arrival of winter and the supply of heating to homes, some residents still have to face the problem of lack of heat in their apartments.

First of all, you need to know that the standards for heating, more precisely for the air temperature in a residential premises (apartment) , are established in Appendix No. 1 of the Rules approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 No. 354 (hereinafter referred to as the Rules).

The content of the article:

In residential premises, the air temperature should not be lower than +18 °C (in corner rooms - +20 °C) , and in areas with the coldest five-day temperature (probability 0.92) -31 °C and below - in residential premises - not below +20 °C (in corner rooms - +22 °C) .

This temperature may seem to some not entirely comfortable for a living space, but such standards are established by law, and they are taken into account when determining the provision of high-quality or low-quality services.

The provider of the heating utility service is responsible for ensuring the standard air temperature in residential premises - this can be a management organization, HOA, housing cooperative, another cooperative or resource supply organization , it all depends on the management method chosen by the owners of the premises of an apartment building.

That is why, if it becomes cold in your apartment in winter, or you find that the air temperature in your apartment does not meet established standards, first of all, you need to contact the emergency dispatch service of the organization serving your home or resource supply organization , if it is the provider of this service in your home.

Contacting the emergency dispatch service regarding low air temperature in the apartment

1. report low air temperature in your apartment either in writing or orally, including by telephone .

2. You need to tell the emergency dispatch service employee your full name and exact address, and also report a problem with the heating in your apartment .

3. Your application must be registered by an employee of the emergency dispatch service, who informs you of the full name of the employee who accepted the application, the number and time of registration of the application.

If the emergency dispatch service already knows the reasons for providing a heating utility service of inadequate quality , then you are required to immediately inform about the reasons for the violation of the quality of this utility service, for example, if a utility accident occurs in the house or on central pipelines.

If the emergency dispatch service employee does not know the reasons for the low air temperature in your apartment, then he is obliged to agree with you on the date and time of the inspection based on the content of your application . In this case, the check is scheduled no later than 2 hours from the moment you contact the emergency dispatch service , unless a different time for the check is agreed with you. In the event of force majeure circumstances, including the occurrence of accidents on in-house utility networks, a different time for the inspection may be agreed upon with you.

The procedure for drawing up an act based on the results of the inspection

Air temperature measurements in the apartment are carried out in the center of the largest room by area, 0.5 meters from the radiator .

Based on the results of a check carried out by the contractor for compliance with the standard air temperature in your apartment, a report is drawn up indicating the presence or absence of violations in the quality of the heating utility service provided.

The act is signed by you, the contractor and other interested parties involved in the inspection. If, after the results of the inspection, a dispute arises about the presence/absence of a violation in the provision of communal heating services, then an examination can be carried out and a re-inspection initiated, and specialists from the state housing inspection or public association of consumers can be involved .

There may be several reasons why it is cold in your apartment, and the solution to this problem will depend on correctly identifying the causes of the lack of heat. If the discrepancy between the standard air temperature in your apartment is caused by reasons that do not depend on the contractor , for example, windows, doors or heating radiators allow cold air to pass through and need to be replaced or cleaned, then you will have to eliminate such reasons yourself.

If the reasons for the low temperature in your apartment are, for example, insufficient heat supply temperature, a malfunction in the general building engineering systems, a lack of heat supply pressure, as well as the consequences of the actions of other residents of your home, then eliminating such reasons by providing improper heating utility services quality must be dealt with by the performer .

Time frame for solving the problem

If eliminating the cause of abnormal air temperature in your apartment is the responsibility of the contractor, then the contractor must address this problem immediately , since a decrease in air temperature from the standard temperature in the living room during the daytime (from 5.00 to 0.00 hours) is not allowed at all .

The Contractor is obliged to provide utility services of adequate quality and must comply with the requirements established by law, which stipulate:

Uninterrupted 24-hour heating during the heating period with a permissible break:

→ no more than 24 hours (in total) within 1 month;

→ no more than 16 hours at a time - at an air temperature in residential premises from 12°C to standard;

→ no more than 8 hours at a time - at an air temperature in residential premises from 10°C to 12°C;

→ no more than 4 hours at a time - at an air temperature in residential premises from 8°C to 10°C.

A permissible decrease in the standard temperature at night (from 0.00 to 5.00 hours) of no more than 3ºС ; a decrease in air temperature in a living room during the day (from 5.00 to 0.00 hours) is not allowed .

Sealing cracks

It's no secret that you need to start insulating your apartment from the windows. There is a simple way to determine whether there are cracks in the windows. Take a lit candle and move it along the frame - everything will be clear by the vibration of the flame.

The simplest solution to the problem is to install a modern double-glazed window. For those who are not ready to change windows, there are a lot of means and materials for sealing window gaps.

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To insulate windows, you can use foam rubber or choose ready-made seals that are glued to the inside of the window: when closed, they will hermetically seal any cracks and will not be visible.

There is no point in gluing masking tapes or strips of paper to windows: they will come off, but on the contrary, they can stick tightly to wooden frames, so that later you will have to peel them off along with the paint.

Heat can escape not only through window gaps, but also through the glass itself, especially if the window is large. In this case, you can hang window blinds, preferably fabric, or plastic or roller blinds.

You can close the cracks in doorways and on the balcony using polyurethane foam or a woolen cord sealed with a special tape. The cracks under the window sills can be closed with foam rubber or polyurethane foam.

You can insulate the front door using a special adhesive tape, and seal all cracks with polyurethane foam.

How to identify and eliminate heat leaks in an apartment →

Permissible heat standards for Moscow and the region

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Note: temperature standards are collected in GOST 30494/2011.

Where to contact regarding heating issues in Moscow

Of course, you shouldn’t endure the cold in apartments and hallways. First of all, you should signal the local dispatch service. A call to the reception desk of the management organization is required.

Citizens of MKD have every right to demand prompt and adequate actions from employees of the Criminal Code, housing and communal services. The monthly rent includes maintenance of heating and plumbing systems.

Management company employees are required to conduct a comprehensive inspection of radiators and pipes. If violations are detected, correct them immediately. If none are found, then an act is drawn up and handed over to the applicant.

If there is no response from the management organization within 24 hours, then you should complain about poor heating in the apartment in Moscow and Moscow Region to the following authorities:

1. To the Department of Housing and Communal Services for the capital. This can be done in two ways - by phone +74955395353 or through the official website.
2. Alternatively, contact the Moscow United Energy Company directly.
3. If there are facts indicating that the management organization is at fault for a heating problem, then you can file an official complaint about the quality of the services provided to the Moscow Housing Inspectorate.
4. Modern means of communication between the administration and citizens allow you to file complaints about heating in Moscow and Moscow Region on the website of the State Mobile Application.

Housing and communal services hotline in Moscow

A hotline for housing and communal services allows citizens to complain about poor quality service.

There are three ways you can act in this direction:

• by phone +74955395353;
• through the website https://www.mos.ru/dgkh/;
• by submitting a claim to a special electronic reception https://www.mos.ru/feedback/individual/.

Electronic reception of the mayor of Moscow

The Moscow city administration, represented by the mayor of the city, has a page on the capital’s website for receiving complaints from citizens - https://www.mos.ru/feedback/individual/.

Contact MOEK

The Moscow United Energy Company has its own Internet portal – https://www.moek.ru/. In addition to the website, the dispatch number +74955395959 is available 24/7.

Contacting the Moscow Housing Inspectorate through the electronic reception or directly to the head of the department

The Moscow Housing Inspectorate has an electronic service for receiving complaints - https://www.mos.ru/feedback/individual/?department=20197090. If you do not trust modern methods of communication, then you have the opportunity to contact the head of the territorial unit directly.

The written complaint must contain:

• address of the incident;
• FULL NAME. the applicant;
• essence of the question.

Copies should be registered with the Moscow Housing Inspectorate. Keep one copy for yourself, and hand over the second copy to the management office for review.

The table shows addresses and telephone numbers for personal contact:

Complaint using the Moscow State Services mobile application

After authorization on the website of the State Services Mobile Application, you can file a complaint about heating in an apartment in Moscow and Moscow Region.

Through the portal “Moscow is our city”

The “Moscow – Our City” website also makes it possible to submit a written appeal to the city authorities on the issue of the quality of services provided by the housing and communal services sector. When working with the portal, you need to know that the official response will arrive no earlier than in a week.

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Hotline for heating issues in the Moscow region

The telephone number for urgent calls from residents of the Moscow region regarding heating and hot water is +74956809861. Complaints and applications are accepted around the clock, seven days a week.

In addition, on the website of the Ministry of Housing and Communal Services for the Moscow Region there are all contacts where to contact with suggestions and questions. Additionally, the portal contains an active button for direct communication with the ministry’s reception desk.

Website of the Government of the Moscow Region, if other structures ignore requests. Citizens can write complaints to this address.

A specially created structure “Dobrodel” operates for residents of the Moscow suburbs. The project is designed to simplify communication between individuals and executive bodies.

Cold batteries: where to complain and what to do?

With the arrival of autumn, cold weather sets in, the air outside cools down, and accordingly, the cold penetrates into the apartments.

The supply of heating to residential buildings not only brings with it heat, but also causes new experiences, frustrations and unnecessary problems for residents.

If you turn on the heating and the radiators are cold, you shouldn’t expect everything to resolve itself. There are several options you can take.

Look for the answer in the HOA

The first question that arises is: when the batteries are cold, where to complain? First, you should talk to your neighbors and find out how things are with heating in their apartments. If you have a common problem, and the radiators are cold throughout the house, then you need to contact the management company.

The responsibilities of the management company include control over the provision of residential buildings with all utilities, including heating. The company has an agreement on your behalf with contractors providing these services. The essence of the document lies not only in the payment of debt on receipts, but also in the quality of the services received and paid for.

The HOA’s task is to find out why the contractor did not provide the building with heating within the prescribed period.

A valid reason for a general shutdown of heating

The cause of cold batteries in an apartment may be a major accident on a highway or a thermal power plant. In this case, utility organizations are forced to turn off the hot water supply to the area in which your house is located in order to carry out repair work.

What should residents do if there are cold radiators in the house? Where to complain if no one warned or informed about the shutoff of the coolant? In connection with a major accident that disrupted the supply of heat to the entire residential building, in addition to the management company, you should file a collective complaint with the GZHI (State Housing Inspectorate). This organization accepts calls 24 hours a day.

Collective complaint

Any complaint must be submitted in writing. When drawing up a statement from a group of residents of the house, you must collect their signatures - the more, the better. The complaint is written simultaneously to the chairman of the management company and to the housing inspectorate in two copies.

The paper describes a problem with a requirement to resolve the issue of why heating was provided but the radiators were cold. One copy remains with the company as an incoming letter, and the other with a stamp and date of acceptance is returned to you. It will serve as confirmation of the application in case of failure to take timely measures.

It is acceptable to send a complaint by mail with notification of delivery to the recipient. Authorities are required to consider a written collective complaint within the time period required by law.

Temperature according to sanitary standards

With the beginning of the heating season, residents are often faced with the fact that the battery is half cold or lukewarm. This indicates that the water supplied for heating the premises is not fully hot.

To verify this, it is enough to determine the temperature in the rooms with an ordinary thermometer.

Sanitary standards allow that a comfortable daytime temperature in an apartment should be at least 18 ° C above zero with a slight excess of 4 degrees.

After accepting the complaint, a company engineer is sent to you, whose task is to identify the causes of cold batteries. To do this, he measures the temperature in each room, fills out a report form and gives a copy to the owners. If the readings are below the required standards, then utility companies must take appropriate measures.

Where else can you complain?

One can hope that after the accident is eliminated, heating will be supplied to the house. But often utility companies, when supplying coolant to the house, ignore complaints about the temperature being insufficient to heat the entire apartment. In this situation, when the radiators in the house are lukewarm or cold, where can one complain about the non-executive management company?

Do not forget that you have in your hands a report on insufficient heat supply drawn up by an engineer who came from the management organization. And you also have neighbors as witnesses who have the same problem. It is necessary to contact all authorities competent for utility issues.

You should contact an official from the local government, to whom all housing and communal services are subordinate. You can make an appointment in person or send a complaint by email. Today such a possibility exists. You can also write a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor.

In the application you must indicate that you have cold radiators in the apartment, note the address and name of your management office. After this, Rospotrebnadzor experts send an order to the Criminal Code with a requirement to correct violations in the temperature regime.

The request will indicate the period within which the problem must be corrected. If the requirements are not met, the management company will be subject to penalties.

The last authority that can bring the director of the management company to justice and thereby restore order is the prosecutor's office. The management company will be afraid to violate the requirements of law enforcement agencies.

Don't pay for what you don't get

Tenants who are dissatisfied and freezing in their apartments have every right to demand a recalculation of the cost of heating services. Confirmation will be a report drawn up by an engineer of the management company, which indicates the date of the call when the violation was recorded.

Applications are accepted at the Unified Information and Settlement Center. The recalculation must be done next month. You can also demand payment of a penalty for insufficient heat.

For each day that the temperature does not meet the standards, 3% of the total heating payment per month is deducted.

Often, a complaint from the entire team of an unheated house is responded to in a timely manner and the problem is corrected on time. Things are more complicated for those who find that the heat is on and the radiators are cold only in their apartment.

Call to the dispatcher

If you are too busy or do not want to find out the cause yourself for fear of disrupting the operation of the heating system, then first of all call the emergency dispatch service of the service company.

The dispatcher must introduce himself, write down your details, note the date of application and register the received application.

Then a plumber will be sent to you, who will determine the cause of the lack of heat, and if this can be done quickly, he will fix the breakdown.

If you have a serious problem, then employees of the management company should call you and draw up a report in two copies and measure the temperature in all rooms. If there are no management employees, call your neighbors who will testify and confirm that it is cold in your apartment. Together with them, draw up a random act and record the current temperature.

Note the date of the first application and indicate that no one came to you. Sign with your neighbors and send the paper to the Criminal Code. There must be at least three signatures on the act. After correcting the violations, a report on temperature compliance with standards is drawn up again. At this point the procedure is considered complete.

Let's clarify the situation

At the beginning of the article, we found out where to complain when there are cold radiators in an apartment. But you don’t have to panic, but try to figure out the reason for the lack of heating yourself.

If you find that the riser is hot and the battery is cold, this indicates that hot water is not flowing into it. Check the position of the tap providing coolant access to the apartment to see if it is locked. Maybe you just forgot to open it.

Make sure that the riser is not blocked due to work in the basement.

Airlock threat

There are several reasons why there are cold radiators in an apartment with the onset of the heating season. And this problem occurs for many residents every year.

Moreover, in one apartment building, some have good heating, while others are still cold. One of the most common situations is the accumulation of air in the system.

If gurgling is heard in the battery, then it is coming from an air lock that needs to be released.

The air accumulated in the pipes prevents the free movement of water, which should continuously circulate to heat the room. In addition, air is not able to conduct heat. This results in the riser being hot and the battery being cold. The presence of air accumulations reduces the wear life of heating devices and causes rust.

Let's deflate

Usually, in a situation where there are cold radiators in the apartment, the residents vent the air themselves. For this purpose, a Mayevsky tap is located on the battery.

Before opening the valves, you must first turn off the heating and place rags under the radiator, as dirty water will flow out with the air. The tap is opened using a screwdriver, which is inserted into a special hole and turned slowly. The air released from the special hole will come out with a hissing sound.

When the air plug comes out, liquid should flow. The tap can be closed. Thanks to this method, the disrupted coolant circulation is restored. The valve is installed on all radiators in the apartment, but it would be logical to carry out the procedure only with cold heating appliances. The tap may have to be opened more than once.

It is more difficult when air has accumulated not in the room radiator, but in pipes located in the basement. You turn on the tap, but there are still cold radiators in the room? What to do? In this case, a plumber from the housing and communal services is called, who will open a special valve and bleed off the air that is plugging the riser.

The neighbors are to blame

It may also be that neighbors, caring about comfort in their apartment, illegally make changes to the design of the intra-house system - increasing the battery by several sections or installing another radiator.

The incoming coolant fills the entire area of ​​the heated device, while losing heat to the next apartment. As the water moves further through the system, it cools. As a result, it turns out that there are cold radiators in your apartment.

What to do with dishonest neighbors, and how to correct the situation? Taking an example, you can do the same. But this will lead to the fact that the coolant will cool faster, and the increased number of batteries will not bring the desired heat to the apartment. To establish justice, contact the housing and communal services department.

Why is the battery cold at the bottom?

The reason for partial heating of the heating device may be its incorrect connection, which causes uneven distribution of hot water. If connected incorrectly, some of the sections heat up, but the remaining area of ​​the battery does not. The best option is considered to be a diagonal pattern.

With a side connection, the coolant does not flow throughout the entire battery, but takes a short path, so the lower part of the radiator will be cold. It will be necessary to correct the situation and simulate a diagonal pattern using an injection tube. It lengthens the flow, due to which the battery heats up evenly.

This can only be done by a qualified plumber.

Another reason why the battery is cold at the bottom may be that it is dirty. Scale and rust settle on the bottom and walls of the radiator, thereby narrowing the passages for coolant. In this case, the circulation of hot water is disrupted and the battery does not warm up completely. To clean the battery, you need to rinse it with water under pressure several times.

In any case, if there is no heating in your apartment, contact all authorities. By law, utility workers must correct simple violations in the heating system within 24 hours. Utility organizations must complete complex repairs within a week.

Source: https://FB.ru/article/160238/holodnyie-batarei-kuda-jalovatsya-i-chto-delat

Making a complaint about heating in a Moscow apartment

If the heat supply to the apartment is cut off, this is an emergency. A commission is convened, which includes: the owner of the property, the director of the management organization and, necessarily, a representative of the local administration.

If the invited officials do not come to the address (notification is sent in advance), then the violation report is signed by the remaining residents of the apartment building or the owners of apartments in nearby buildings. Documents are transferred first of all to the administrative authority or housing and communal services.

Application to the Criminal Code

In addition to the application, you need to attach a violation report drawn up in the presence of neighbors, the director of housing and communal services and an employee of the local municipality.