Where to complain about the lack of hot water in Moscow

Today, almost all apartment buildings have hot water supply. This makes living conditions more practical and raises the standard of living to a new level. But it often happens that the supply of hot or cold water stops.

If this happens without warning, then you should call the utility company and find out why the hot water was turned off. Many people know that shutdowns must be planned, and residents must be warned in advance .

But an emergency shutdown is also possible; it occurs under unforeseen circumstances. You need to understand that no system is immune from unforeseen circumstances . Therefore, it is worth thinking about how to behave in such a situation, who to call, what measures can be taken.

Find out in advance where to find out why the water supply was turned off. It would also be a good idea to take note of the contacts of organizations to which you can file a complaint. Some residents manage to achieve a recalculation in such cases; for this, an appropriate act must be drawn up.

No hot and cold water - where to call and complain

• Legal shutdown of cold water (in case of an emergency): no more than 8 hours per month, if a one-time shutdown does not exceed 4 hours in case of emergency in centralized cold water supply networks. Every hour of delay saves 0.15% of payment.
• Reducing cold water pressure by 25% reduces the hourly service charge by 0.1%.
• It is legal to turn off hot water for 8 hours a month (in total) and 4 hours at a time. The exception is accidents on a dead-end main, when the duration of a hot water supply interruption can reach 24 hours due to repair and maintenance work (according to SanPin No. 2.1.4.2496-09).
• According to Hygienic Requirements No. 20 of 2009, the temperature of hot water from a centralized water supply system should be between 60 and 75 degrees Celsius. Deviations of 3 degrees during the day and 5 degrees at night are allowed.
• If the temperature of the supplied hot water does not exceed 40 degrees, it can be paid at the cold rate (this fact must be recorded).

Reasons for de-energizing DHW and cold water supply

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Most often, the consumer does not know that the water supply is planned to be cut off. Moscow is a big city and cases often occur when the supply of hot water and cold water is carried out unscheduled. This may be due to an accident or emergency repair. In any case, the citizen suffers first and often does not know who to call in Moscow if there is no water.

There are emergency reasons that do not require warning. However, even for such cases, specific periods of time are prescribed during which utility companies must correct the situation. Utilities are required to comply with water shutoff standards and report in advance about an unscheduled interruption in the supply of the resource.

No housing office or management company has the right to schedule shutdowns for the autumn, spring or winter periods. This is why there is summer, when people go on vacation and stopping the supply of hot water will not cause serious inconvenience.

To find out the reason why there is no hot water, in Moscow in 2020 you need to call the emergency line at the number: 8-800-700-40-70. The cool center operators will indicate the reasons for the lack of water supply.

The following situations are common:

• accident;
• carrying out major repairs;
• pipe cleaning;
• connecting new facilities;
• problems with housing and communal services.

Note: utility companies are required to notify users 10 days before the start of work. The only exceptions are emergency situations.

Watch the video: “Where to complain if the water in the house is turned off outside of the plan.”

Where to complain if there is no hot water

The improvement of an apartment in Moscow, and not only, is determined by the comfort of living in it. This includes the quality of tap water, the availability of heating, light, and the organization of waste removal (household and liquid). In general, a full range of utilities provided uninterruptedly. Of course, it’s not very pleasant when, when you open the tap, cold or lukewarm water comes out instead of hot water. And that one is dirty and rusty. Or the water was turned off altogether without warning or justification. What to do in such a situation, who should I file a complaint about turning off hot and cold water? How to correctly draw up such a statement if housing and communal services employees do not want to fulfill their duties in accordance with the law? Where can I get a sample complaint addressed to the housing and communal services management and other competent authorities?

What to do and where to turn if the problem recurs?

If the water supply in a residential building is often turned off without warning, the subscriber must draw up an act establishing the fact of failure to provide utility services or the provision of utility services of inadequate quality. The act is drawn up in free written form.

Be sure to indicate the reason for drawing up the act and information about witnesses (at least 3 residents of the house), the person in charge of the house and the resource supply company. This act will help in further defending the right to high-quality provision of public water supply services.

Who should I complain to?

1. First, you need to make a written claim addressed to the supplier.
   The easiest way is to send it by registered mail with return receipt requested, then the subscriber will have a receipt in their hands confirming their contact with the organization.
2. If the organization does not respond, you must contact the city department of Rospotrebnadzor, since the service occurs in accordance with the service agreement and is subject to consumer protection legislation. The complaint can also be sent by mail or email. Rospotrebnadzor must check the actions of the supplier and send the citizen a response based on the results of the check.
3. If this appeal is unsuccessful, you should contact the district or regional department of the prosecutor's office. In the pleading part of the complaint, you can indicate the need to conduct a prosecutorial review of the actions/inactions of the utility service provider.
4. The subscriber also has the right to file a claim in court.

Whether to contact Rospotrebnadzor, the prosecutor's office or the court is up to the tenant to decide for himself. But consistent contact with each of these organizations allows you to accumulate a sufficient number of documents confirming the plaintiff’s good faith in court.

Based on these documents, it is possible not only to achieve a recalculation of payment, but also to recover compensation for moral damage caused by the unlawful actions of the supplier company.

Drawing up a complaint

In a complaint to any of the designated authorities, you must indicate:

1. name of the body to which the application is made;
2. information about the applicant (full name, postal address, telephone, email);
3. name of the document (complaint);
4. in the content - the reason for the application, the timing and time of turning off the water, whether the citizen contacted the service provider, etc.;
5. in the attachment - copies of your appeals, receipts confirming the sending of letters, responses to appeals, an act of establishing the fact of lack of water and other materials as necessary;
6. number and signature of the citizen.

We do not recommend completing the documents yourself. Save time - contact our lawyers by phone:

+7 (499) 938-90-37 Moscow+7 (812) 467-37-23 St. Petersburg

Terms of consideration

According to paragraph 1 of Article 12 of the Federal Law of May 2, 2006 No. 59-FZ “On the procedure for considering appeals from citizens of the Russian Federation,” any of these organizations must provide the citizen with a response within thirty days. Otherwise, the organization will face a fine under Article 5.59 of the Code of Administrative Offenses in the amount of up to 10,000 rubles.

No body has the right to forward a citizen’s complaint for consideration to the organization whose actions are being appealed (clause 6 of Article 8 of the Law on Citizens’ Appeals).

The planned shutdown of hot water supply, although a rather unpleasant phenomenon, is still quite short-term and necessary. However, organizations involved in water supply are required to strictly follow the letter of the law and not exceed the maximum permissible shutdown periods. We recommend that you look at our articles about whether an HOA or management company can shut off water for non-payment and whether such a measure is legal.

How to write a complaint about the lack of hot water supply

• Contact the water supply organization with a written request, a sample of which can be found on the websites of utility services, with a request to confirm that there has been no hot water in the house at such and such an address since a certain date. You should also ask utility workers to name the reasons why the shutdown was made and the time frame for eliminating them.
• An initiative group of residents of an apartment building can draw up an act in which they indicate the circumstances of the lack of hot water. The act must be signed by more than three members of the initiative group.

Recalculation of water charges in case of disconnection

Since the management company does not always recalculate for the period when the water supply service was suspended, consumers should contact the operator. This is the regional water utility.

It is necessary to leave a preliminary application. This is done by phone:

1. You should call the number indicated on your payment receipts.
2. Explain to the dispatcher the need for recalculation.
3. Receive from the dispatcher a number at which the complaint will be registered. He also informs about the timing of consideration. This usually happens a week after the call.

You can contact the water utility directly. An application must be submitted to the institution requesting a recalculation.

If necessary, the organization will send its representative to the applicant’s apartment, who will draw up a report on the lack of water supply. This document will serve as confirmation for further recalculation.

Possible consequences of the complaint

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. Attention! If you have any questions, you can chat for free with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call Moscow; 7 (812) 467-41-55 St. Petersburg; ext.480 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.

Many people, having opened a tap with hot water and faced with its absence, panic and begin to frantically make some decisions. First you need to calm down and act peacefully. The main thing is to understand that turning off water is not a whim of some organization or a momentary desire of the management company, but a necessity.

The first step is to contact your homeowners association or management company, depending on how your property is managed. Most likely, these services will provide you with detailed information, as well as a hint where exactly you should contact.

This is not the only measure that a homeowner can take in the absence of hot water supply. If you look at your utility bill, you will be able to see contact phone numbers that you can call if there is a problem with the system. Another acceptable option is to make a call to the emergency dispatch service. Most often, her contacts “hang” among the advertisements at the entrance or inside it.

According to the general norms of legislation (Resolution No. 354), conversion operations for payment of GW can be carried out in a number of situations.

1. For each hour in which the permissible duration of the supply interruption was exceeded. In this case, the calculation is made in the amount for the estimated time in which the excess occurred. The amount of the fee is subject to reduction by 0.15% of the amount determined for the same period.
2. For every 3 degrees of temperature error (deviation from the norm). In this case, the payment amount is reduced by 0.1% of the amount determined for this billing period. If the temperature at the point of analysis is below 40 degrees, payment for each hour is made as for cold water.
3. In case of non-compliance of the composition and properties of HS with the requirements of Russian legislation related to technical regulation. The amount is reduced by the amount of the fee calculated for each day of provision of poor-quality service.
4. For each hourly period of hot water supply in total during the billing period in which the pressure deviation occurred. If the error is less than 25%, there is a decrease of 0.1% per hour. If it differs by more than 25%, the amount is subject to reduction by the amount of the fee calculated for each day of provision of inadequate quality service.

If hot water is unavailable for a long time or is of insufficiently good quality or does not meet current sanitation standards, the accounting department of the management company carries out recalculation measures. This requires examination of the fact of violation of the legislation on hot water supply. The homeowner contacts the water utility and asks for a complaint registration number. This will act as evidence in court proceedings.

Attention

After receiving the registration data number about the complaint, a statement is written to the management company. It is within the authority of this organization that the payment for hot water supply is recalculated. If representatives of the water utility are aware of the events that caused the lack of hot water, they report this by phone. If not, then they have to go to the place to clarify the circumstances. If the fact of lack of hot water is confirmed, tariffs are reduced according to consumption standards. Recalculation is not carried out in the absence of water, which does not imply exceeding the legal time frame.

The action plan in the absence of hot water is as follows:

1. Call the management company or HOA.
2. If these organizations do not act, a complaint is filed, which describes the essence of the problem and solutions.
3. After this step, most likely, your issue will be resolved by higher authorities.

Please note
: The complaint must also provide the applicant’s personal information, date of preparation, and signature.

1. Do not rush to immediately file a complaint and call higher authorities. Turning off hot water is a common procedure in apartment buildings.
2. The first one who is responsible for non-provision or poor quality of services is the management company. It can be influenced by higher authorities.
3. If actions to disconnect the hot water supply are illegal, it is necessary to file a complaint, make a recalculation and demand compensation for losses from the guilty party, as well as the imposition of an administrative fine on it.

Currently, federal legislation does not establish uniform standards for water pressure in apartments and private houses. Each specific region, and sometimes locality, has its own indicators. When calculating the standard for water supply to an apartment, the following parameters must be taken into account:

• number of floors in the building;
• height of the house;
• number of apartments;
• total number of registered residents;
• residence floor;
• time of day, etc.

Attention
The pressure in the pipelines is calculated individually for each specific apartment. Residents themselves are accustomed to assessing this indicator as “bad” or “good”, depending on whether the water pressure satisfies their needs or not. On average, the pressure in the pipes should be about two atmospheres. However, apartment owners often fail to defend their rights even with frankly weak water pressure, since pressure measurements are carried out using a special measuring device.

Before filing a claim with the utility service, you should understand the reasons for the low water pressure in the apartments. Sometimes the problem lies not in the actions of utility workers, but in the shortcomings of the living space.

As practice shows, the following reasons can cause serious problems with the supply of hot and cold water:

1. Insufficient pressure in the central main system.
2. Formation of blockage in the common house pipeline or in the pipes of the apartment.
3. Mixer malfunctions.

Attention
The reasons for low pressure of hot and cold water in an apartment may be different.

We invite you to read: The culprit of an accident does not admit guilt: what to do

In each specific case, you should first find out the circumstances surrounding the occurrence of low water pressure in the apartment. This can be done by contacting the utility service or management company at your place of residence. As a rule, when carrying out urgent or planned repairs, utility workers warn residents, notifying them of possible problems and the timing of their elimination.

There are several ways to independently eliminate the problem of low water pressure in an apartment. The choice of one method or another depends solely on the reason for the poor delivery:

• If the problem lies in the mixer, you can try to repair it or replace it with a new one.
• If the water pressure has decreased due to a clogged aerator, you should clean it with a needle and blow it out.
• The replacement of pipes should be entrusted to specialists; the apartment owner is only required to purchase all the necessary materials. It is recommended to replace the risers entirely, since due to the large number of joints the pressure may also drop.
• Problems with low pressure on the upper floors of an apartment building can be solved using a special pump.
• If the pressure in the pipeline is insufficient due to errors in the connection diagram of plumbing and appliances, then only a specialist can find the problem and fix it.

If the pressure in the tap is weak, you should wait a few days. If the situation does not improve, then you should file a complaint with the management company responsible for supplying water to the apartment. When contacting the Criminal Code, the sequence of actions will be as follows:

1. An application is sent to the management company to measure low water pressure in the apartment.
2. Within 10 days, a specialist with special measuring instruments must come from the management company to measure the pressure in the pipeline.
3. If a deviation from the standards is detected, the management company must identify the cause of the problem and eliminate it within a month from the date of filing the application.

Attention
If the management company is in no hurry to fulfill its obligations and delays in resolving the issue, residents should not give up and look for effective ways to influence the management company.