Supply organizations can deprive citizens of access to resources. This may occur due to repair work, emergencies, or as punishment. Cutting off light, heat, and water causes serious inconvenience. What to do if you find yourself in such a situation and your water is turned off without reason, we will tell you in the material presented.

Reasons for turning off water

There may be several reasons why water has stopped flowing from the tap. Usually, shutdowns for scheduled work or for other reasons must be notified in advance, but in some cases shutdowns without notification are permitted. This happens in apartment buildings, if an emergency situation has occurred or may arise that poses a danger to the life and health of people.
Individual consumers can be disconnected without notification if:

• they voluntarily connected to the supply;
• the plumbing systems in the home are faulty and an accident may occur;
• the emergency situation was created by the personal actions of the resident;
• user without receiving permitting documentation made changes to the water supply scheme;
• a request for such a disconnection was received from structures that have the right to do so.

Procedure for turning off water for non-payment

Companies providing housing and communal services have the right to restrict consumers' access to resources if residents do not pay rent on time. However, the established procedure must be observed.

The company must notify consumers in writing. A notice is usually posted on the entrance door indicating the reasons, dates and times of the shutdown.

Technically turn off the water in separate apartment apartment building old building almost impossible. In some new buildings, risers are located in the entrances, so consumers can be partially disconnected.

In most apartment buildings, water can only be cut off inside the apartment. In this case, its owner must voluntarily allow company representatives to enter. It is quite difficult to imagine such a situation.

You can turn off the entire entrance, but this affects the interests of other residents of the house and causes damage to the supplier himself.

Disconnection Notice

Message about planned shutdown hot water for non-payment must be received by the user 20 days before such work is carried out. The message must be in writing, and to exclude the possibility of going to court, the user must mark its receipt.

There are few people willing to sign such a document. But the utility workers found a way out - the message is sent by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt. Signature and receipt mark postal item confirm receipt of the notification.

Is it legal to turn off water for non-payment?

Shutdown cold water and heating, in accordance with the Decree of the Government of Russia “On the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings” dated 05/06/2011 No. 354, leads the apartment or house to a condition unsuitable for habitation. Accordingly, it is illegal to turn off cold water for non-payment.
Hot water can be turned off legally. In addition, it is allowed to turn off electricity and gas for non-payment.

You should know that even persistent defaulters are prohibited from turning off water, electricity and heat if this leads to a violation sanitary standards in the home, will create a threat common property home or limit the rights of other users who make payments on time.

Water supply companies, trying to force debtors to pay, sometimes turn off water, violating the law.

Actions of the debtor in case of illegal disconnection

If cold or hot water is turned off without legal grounds, the apartment owner needs to protect his rights. You should start with an application to the management company (MC). The law gives this organization 5 days to resolve the issue.

If water does not appear in the tap, you need to file complaints with several authorities at once - Rospotrebnadzor, housing inspections and the prosecutor's office. You should prepare for a possible trial. Collect evidence for him. They may include photographs and videos, witness statements confirming the lack of water, as well as correspondence on this issue with the Criminal Code. Correspondence, as well as submitted claims, will prove that you tried to resolve the problem out of court.

How to make a claim and complaint?

The law does not provide an established template for writing an application to the management company. It is written in free form. The document must contain information about the addressee and sender - the name of the management company, the full name of its director or official with whom you corresponded, the name and address of the applicant, as well as methods feedback with him. This information is placed in the upper right corner of the sheet. Below, in the middle of the line, goes the name document - “Application”.

From the beginning of the line, the circumstances of the incident are stated, and below them a list of requirements is given. You shouldn’t ask to sort it out or help you in this situation, you should demand that the water be turned on by the date you specified. The document is signed and the date of its writing is indicated.

It is better to make two copies and ask one of them to put the date of acceptance and the signature of the person in charge. If you are denied, send your application by mail with acknowledgment of receipt.

A complaint to regulatory authorities is written in the same way. Only in the address part you indicate the address of the body, and in the content part you express complaints about the actions or inactions of the management company in this regard and ask to oblige the head of the management company to eliminate violations of the law.

Responsibility of the management company for illegal disconnection

For illegal actions, the management of the management company and the company itself may be held accountable. The Housing Commission can impose a fine of 1 thousand rubles on the manager, and 10 thousand rubles on the company itself.

If the proceedings continue in court, criminal penalties may follow. This is a fine for the head of a company of up to 10 thousand rubles, for a legal entity - up to 200 thousand rubles. If the actions or inactions of employees of the Criminal Code lead to serious consequences, then the perpetrators may be imprisoned for a term of 2 to 5 years.

Criminal codes rarely bring cases to court, preferring to resolve all issues pre-trial.

If you have any difficulties, you have suffered from the actions of the management company, your access to resources has been limited, you can contact the lawyers of our website for advice. They will help you draw up an application to the management company and complaints to regulatory authorities, and, if necessary, statement of claim to court. If you involve lawyers in your case, they will protect your interests in pre-trial proceedings and during court hearings.

Good afternoon.
Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354 approved the Rules for the provision of utilities owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings (hereinafter referred to as the Rules).
According to clause 115 of the Rules, the executor (resource supplying or managing
organization) may limit or suspend (depending on
specific circumstances) provision of utility services without prior notice to the consumer in the following cases:
Upon occurrence or threat of occurrence emergency situation in centralized networks of engineering support, through which
water, heat, electricity and gas supply, as well as wastewater disposal, are carried out - from the moment such an emergency occurs or threatens to occur.
Whenever natural Disasters and/or emergency situations, A
as well as the need to localize them and eliminate the consequences - from the moment such situations arise and such a need arises.
In addition to the objective cases listed above, the Rules provide
situations, upon detection of which the performer is also without notice
consumer has the right to limit or suspend the provision
public services. These include:
Detection of the fact of unauthorized connection of the consumer’s intra-apartment equipment to centralized networks or in-house engineering systems - from the moment the unauthorized connection is identified. (Clause 62 of the Rules obliges the contractor to immediately dismantle the unauthorized connection, which, in turn, entails the suspension of the provision of utility services.)
Receipt by the contractor of an order from the body authorized to carry out
state control and supervision over the compliance of internal utility networks and indoor equipment established requirements, on the need to limit or suspend the provision of utility services (subparagraph “d”, paragraph 115 of the Rules).

Appendix No. 1 of the Rules establishes that water supply must be provided uninterruptedly and around the clock throughout the year. In this case, the permissible duration of interruption in hot water supply is:
eight hours (total) during the month; four hours - one time;
in case of an accident on a dead-end highway - twenty-four hours in a row. IN
For cold water, the same standards established
Set of rules No. 31.13330.2012.
Within two calendar days from the date the reasons for the shutdown are eliminated
utility services, their provision must be resumed if
the contractor did not decide to resume the provision of services earlier (clause 120 of the Rules).
It is necessary to notify the consumer in advance in writing about the upcoming restriction or suspension of the provision of utility services if the disconnection is due to (clause 117 of the Rules):
- incomplete payment by the consumer for utility services - 30 days in advance;
-carrying out scheduled preventive maintenance and work on
maintenance of a centralized network of engineering support and
(or) intra-house engineering system related to common property
owners of premises in the house - 10 working days.
According to clause 3.1.11 and clause 3.1.12 of SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09, approved
By the Decree of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation dated
04/07/2009 No. 20, during the period of annual preventive repairs, shutdown of hot water supply systems should not exceed fourteen days.
During long stops in the supply of hot water to consumers, when
carrying out summer scheduled maintenance work operating
the organization is obliged to ensure the location of pipeline networks with water and
water circulation in the system.
Meanwhile, there are often cases when water is turned off without
warnings or deadlines for turning off water established by law
are exceeded. In this case, you should submit a written complaint to
service organization(UK, HOA) or to the territorial department
housing inspection. If within three working days you have not received
response to the complaint (clause “k” of clause 31 of the Rules), but the water supply has not been established,
you can go to court to claim compensation for the damages you have incurred
during this period of losses (for example, costs of purchasing
water heater, visits to bathing establishments, saunas and other expenses,
related to the implementation hygiene procedures), as well as with the requirement for
recovery of compensation for moral damage on the basis of clause 149 of the Rules, Art.
151 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation and Art. 15 of the Law of the Russian Federation “On the Protection of Rights
Moreover, according to the law, in the case of provision of a utility service of inadequate quality and (or) with interruptions exceeding the established duration, the contractor is obliged to recalculate the payment for such a utility service towards its reduction until the consumer is completely freed from paying for such a service (p 150 Rules).
Breaks for repair and maintenance work, as well as maintenance work
connection of new consumers are allowed only after
prior notification (in writing) to the consumer.”
Any resource supplying organization with whom an agreement has been concluded for the provision of
services, must inform residents about planned power outages,
water and other utilities. It’s easier to say if residents pay for
electricity/water to the Management Company, then it must report
blackouts If they pay to the electricity network and water utility, this organization should handle the notification. This must be done in advance, and not on the day of the shutdown.

Finding out that water has stopped flowing from the tap is quite unpleasant at any time of the year. Its long-term absence not only causes everyday inconvenience, but can become a source of quite serious problems associated with the impossibility of normal operation of the sewage system. It is not surprising that the question of why there is no cold water, hot water, or both at the same time, as well as when it will appear, is asked by dissatisfied residents to utility services. Let's consider what can cause a water shutdown, as well as what authorities you should contact if this problem occurs constantly.

Where to call if there is no cold or hot water

Residents who do not want to accept the fact that their living conditions do not meet standards have the right to seek protection of their rights. You should start by calling management company: housing office or homeowners association.

Next, you can write a statement. Written to the manager's name. It outlines the current situation and sets out a request to take measures to eliminate the problem. It is advisable to prepare two copies of such an application, so that the second one bears a mark indicating that the document has been accepted. A collective appeal that is signed is more effective a large number of residents.

If measures to solve the problem are not taken, then you should contact government authorities: Housing inspection, Rospotrebnadzor, prosecutor's office or court.

Complaint to the housing inspectorate

The most effective way would be to contact the body whose powers include monitoring the use of the housing stock and the normal state of its life support systems. In Russia, such a body is the State Housing Inspectorate. Any citizen can contact it regarding problems related to living in both municipal and private housing stock.

Complaint to the Housing Inspectorate always submitted in writing. It should indicate not only the essence of the problem, but also the fact that attempts to involve the management company or emergency service in solving it were unsuccessful. The response to the complaint about the measures taken will be sent to the address indicated in the document in writing. Anonymous requests will not be considered.

Complaint to Rospotrebnadzor

The quality of public services is controlled by Rospotrebnadzor. Therefore, if water supply services are of poor quality, that is, there is no cold or hot water for no good reason, then you can complain about this. For this, as when contacting the Housing Inspectorate, a written document is drawn up, which indicates who exactly is complaining and about what. Based on the facts stated in the complaint, Rospotrebnazdor is conducting an unscheduled inspection. The applicant is given a written response about its results.

Complaint about housing and communal services through the State Services portal

First you need to register on the portal. Next in personal account Click “Submit an appeal or complaint.” On the next page you just need to write a complaint and send it.

As a rule, the measures considered are quite sufficient to quickly resolve the water supply situation. If, even after contacting government agencies, utility services continue to fail to act, grossly violating the rights of residents, then it is necessary to file a claim in court.

In the event of an unscheduled water outage, you must immediately contact the housing office or management company. Then, if all are exceeded acceptable standards over time, you can attract other city and regional organizations to your side, and even contact the prosecutor’s office. Please note that scheduled and unscheduled hot water outages must be compensated by reducing utility bills. True, this only applies to those cases when water meters are not installed in the house or apartment.

Turning off hot water: reasons

Most often, hot water supply is turned off due to maintenance and repair work at thermal power plants or distribution pipelines. In such cases, the operating company warns residents of the area in advance about upcoming service interruptions. hot water. Without warning, the hot water supply is stopped in cases where breakdowns at thermal power plants or in the distribution network.

Today, the heat supply system for residential buildings in many cities is in a deplorable state. This is due to increased corrosion inner surface pipes: the water that flows through the heat pipe has increased hardness, and therefore has a destructive effect on the metal. The strength of pipes affected by corrosion is significantly reduced, which is why breakthroughs occur. To avoid accidents in winter period, the city's municipal services carry out inspections and scheduled repairs of heating and hot water supply systems in the summer. This usually takes several days or weeks.

Where to go if there is no water: action plan

For planned work, you should wait until the repairs are completed. Before this, most likely, the supply of hot water cannot be established due to lack of technical capabilities. Contact the management company Rospotrebnadzor, prosecutor's office and other organizations is worth it if repairs are delayed or deadlines are violated.

At emergency shutdown water, first of all you need to find out the cause of the malfunction. To do this, call the housing office or the management company to which you pay money for using the water supply system. Call even if your neighbors have already done so: the more complaints you receive, the better. If the timing of turning on the water is unknown or you are not satisfied, call organizations such as:

• emergency service;
• State Housing Inspectorate;
• Housing and Communal Services Committee under the city administration;
• the city administration itself;
• reception room of the City Duma.

Call not alone, but together with your neighbors. Mass complaints much more effective than individual workers. Thanks to the support of your neighbors, the chances that services will begin to fix problems will increase significantly.

In addition to making calls, it is worth sending written appeals through the Internet. Leave complaints on the websites of the housing inspection, prosecutor's office and Rospotrebnadzor. There are also special online services where citizens can post messages about problems in the city economy.

In order to have evidence in court and the prosecutor's office, it is better to make all complaints to supervisory authorities in writing. The complaint is made in two copies: one is given to the management company, and the second is kept for yourself. Request that on the second copy the company employee put the incoming number of the accepted document and the date of submission of the application.

If the management company refuses to mark a copy of the application, send the document by letter with acknowledgment of receipt. In this case, the notification form will serve as proof that you wrote the application.

Consideration of the application continues within 3 working days. If the company does not take any measures at this time or limits itself to promises, call the prosecutor’s office for help. To compensate for the damage caused, go to court.

Recalculation of water charges in case of disconnection

Payment for hot water should be reduced taking into account the lost services. True, this only applies to those cases when the established duration of water shutdown was exceeded. Recalculation is carried out in the absence of water meters; in other cases, you need to adhere to the meter readings.

For every hour in excess of the hot water shutdown time, the monthly fee is reduced by 0.15%. The amount from which the subtraction is made is based on utility consumption standards if there are no metering devices. Recalculation is not performed if hot water was turned off for a period less than the permissible shutdown duration. Water can be turned off without recalculation for the following times:

• simultaneously 4 hours in case of an accident;
• simultaneously 24 hours, if the accident is on a dead-end highway;
• a total of 8 hours per month in normal situations.

Who controls housing and communal services and where else can you complain?

The work of management companies is controlled by Rospotrebnadzor. Feel free to complain to this organization if the housing office or management company refuses to recalculate or indicates incorrect data on the receipt. Please note that recalculation must be made even during planned hot water outages if time limits have been exceeded.

In addition to Rospotrebnadzor, there are many other organizations where you can enlist support in the fight against the management company or housing office. First of all, these are the city authorities - local Duma And administration. In any city administration there is a housing and communal services committee that deals with issues of arrangement of public utilities.

There are also non-standard approaches to solving the problem. For example, if the water is turned off on the eve of an election, you might want to contact your local branch of a major party. This way you will receive guaranteed support for enough time. high level. If your dispute is with the housing office or management company went far, but did not bring results, contact the media. By raising a wave of discontent in the local press, you can at least draw attention to the problem.