Before the start of the heating season, apartment owners are interested in the question of how stable and high-quality the heating system will work. When the radiators in the apartment are barely warm, it’s raining outside the window or a snowstorm is raging, it’s almost impossible to get out from under warm blanket in the morning.
A cold battery may be a short-term phenomenon associated with a power failure, in which case you just have to endure it and hope for a quick repair. But what to do when boiler rooms are constantly heated poorly, dampness appears in the living space, and residents regularly get sick?
Owners of living space in apartment buildings should know who is responsible for the work utility networks, and if the radiators in the apartment are cold, then you need to have information about where to complain in such a situation.
After all, utility companies usually calculate payments for heating according to the tariff, without taking into account the actual temperature in the house. In this situation, the consumer pays for the heat that is missing in the rooms of his home.
If there is no heat in the apartment, first of all you should ask your neighbors about the condition of the radiators. Rarely do batteries remain cold in one apartment.
If the problem affects all residents, you should contact management company or to another organization responsible for supplying heat to apartment building.
ATTENTION! When purchasing a home, you should immediately enter into an agreement with the management company for the provision of utilities. According to the agreement, the consumer is responsible for timely payment of heating bills, and the management company is responsible for the quality of services.
Exist temperature standards in residential premises during the heating season. If they are violated, utility companies must recalculate for heat.
Residents of apartments who have entered into an agreement with the management company, have the right to demand so that the heating system is turned on in time, and also that it maintains the required temperature.
IMPORTANT! According to the adopted GOST R 51617-2000 in premises apartment building Temperature readings should be within 18-25 degrees Celsius.
The exact indicators depend on the functional purpose of the rooms. If there is no heating, and the radiators are cold and do not maintain temperature conditions - you must contact the responsible organization.
There are several reasons why batteries do not heat or produce insufficient heat.
Low temperature in a separate room or in the entire apartment may be associated with the appearance air jams throughout the entire system. Such problems arise after the coolant is introduced into the heating pipeline.
To correct the situation, sometimes it is enough to drain a little water on the upper floors using the Mayevsky tap, then normal movement is restored hot water through pipes.
Poor heating may also be associated with the reconstruction of the pipeline in individual apartments. Major repairs housing is often associated with redevelopment, reinstallation of radiators, a separate pipe; builders can perform this work with violation of the project heating system .
Residents of the house should know who is responsible for heating, water supply or other utilities. In this case, they can quickly figure out who to file a complaint about the poor quality of engineering systems.
IMPORTANT! An application made in writing and on behalf of a group of residents must be considered promptly.
Is it still cold in the house, there is no proper heating even after contacting the management company? This suggests that the utility ignores his duties, works unprofessionally.
In this case, you need to contact local authorities, supervising housing and communal services enterprises. It is also recommended to file a complaint in writing.
Another serious authority - Rospotrebnadzor, contacting her is often enough to resolve the issue. The application must contain all the information on the problem - the address of the house where the heating is turned off or the radiators are too cold, the name of the management company that heats the house.
In the future, Rospotrebnadzor sends its inspectors to the Criminal Code to find out why violations occurred.
Consumers facing bad work The management company responsible for supplying heat to an apartment building has the right to contact the prosecutor's office. You can simply threaten the management of the management company with such treatment (given its complete inaction in solving the heating problem), often such a threat is enough.
The company's management is unlikely to want to deal with the prosecutor's office, realizing its guilt in violating obligations to the residents of the house.
How to pay for heat if it is not available in an apartment building or in a separate apartment due to the fault of the supplier?
Payments for utilities should only be calculated when they are real provision. This is a consumer right based on the clauses of the contract signed with the management company.
If residents live in poor living conditions, or there are cold or barely warm radiators in the living quarters, they have the right to recalculate heating payments.
IMPORTANT! Not all consumers know that they also have the right to compensation for insufficient heat in the house. If the temperature did not meet the standards, 3% of the monthly payment must be calculated for each day of cold in the apartment.
Residents of an apartment building can count on fast decision question of lack of heat. If the problem is related to an accident or a pipe leak, then the responsible authorities try to eliminate the accident as soon as possible.
When there is no heat in only one apartment or it is not enough to maintain a comfortable temperature regime, the problem may last for a longer time.
First of all, you should call the management manager, indicating the problem. He registers a written application, records the data, and sends a plumber to the site of the problem.
You need to react especially quickly if there is a break in the heating system pipe in the house, flooding the basement or entrance. When a specialist arrives at the apartment, it is important to ensure that he measures the actual temperature in the room and indicates it in the report.
ATTENTION! Irresponsible employees of the management company may not come when called. In this case, you need to invite neighbors into the apartment, they will testify to the low temperature, cold radiators, and sign a randomly drawn up act.
In any case, you should straightaway contact the management company, call an engineer, record the situation.
This video shows several reasons for cold batteries and possible options resolution of the situation.
Moscow. "Hot lines" for heating issues. Where to call?
For questions about the onset of the heating season, as well as for all other problems with heating, utilities, complaints about poor-quality heating supply to the house, you can call here:
These same organizations also accept all kinds of comments on issues of electricity supply.
If they cannot resolve your issue or communicate with you incorrectly, then you can also call here:
Of course, if residents and citizens have questions about the new heating season, they can call the hotlines. For example, these are the phone numbers.
Hot numbers for heating, electricity and hot water supply:
Hotlines of the Moscow Housing Inspectorate for heating problems in the districts:
In Moscow, on September 29, heating was turned on in all areas of the city. Muscovites are lucky, but we are freezing and counting the average daily temperature. Phone numbers have been published that it is recommended to call in case of any problems, cold batteries, etc. True, complaints have already appeared online that some phones cannot be reached. This, unfortunately, is natural at the beginning of the heating season.
Heating bills are getting higher and higher: heat tariffs are rising, but the quality of heating does not always keep up with the price. Probably, many people would like their apartment to be warm and cozy, and the price for this would be small.
But what to do when the apartment is NOT warm (and maybe even cold), but large heating bills continue to arrive regularly. Agree, this is an offensive situation when you are actually required to pay for services that were provided improperly.
In any area of civil legal relations, issues of interaction between buyer and seller when delivering low-quality goods are determined by the civil code and the law on the protection of consumer rights. Necessary actions buyers when buying a bad product are well known. For example, if you purchase a faulty TV in an electronics store, then returning the faulty product and getting your money back for it is not particularly difficult.
In the housing and communal services sector, consumer rights are also protected. But the interaction between the consumer and the supplier or provider of public services when delivering low-quality services will differ from the usual interaction between the buyer and the seller. This is due to the fact that if the management company provides a poor-quality heat supply service (for example, the apartment has cold radiators or the air temperature is too low), then the consumer does not have the physical ability to reliably consume heat.
But in this case, he has the right to pay less for the consumed heat. Or maybe you won’t pay for heat at all this month.
Unfortunately, few people know how to act in a situation where there are cold radiators in the apartment: where to complain and go to change the situation. Let's look at how the legislation stipulates the actions of the consumer when such a situation arises.
Standard values of air temperature in residential premises are defined in clause 15 of Appendix 1 to the “Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354. It is indicated that: there must be “ensuring standard air temperature in residential premises - not lower than +18 °C (in corner rooms- +20 °C), in areas with the coldest five-day temperature -31 °C and below - in residential premises - not lower than +20 °C (in corner rooms - +22 °C)."
In other words, minimum temperature in the rooms of the apartment there should be at least 18 degrees for non-corner rooms and at least 20 degrees for corner rooms. In areas of severe winter and cold weather - even higher by 2 degrees, respectively. That is, the temperature of the coolant in the radiators is not legally regulated: the apartment may have cold radiators and heating risers, but the temperature must be within the approved norm.
It is worth noting that in accordance with the same paragraph 15 of Appendix 1: " permissible excess standard temperature - no more than 4 °C; permissible decrease in standard temperature at night ( from 0.00 to 5.00 hours) - no more than 3 °C ;
decrease in air temperature in the living room in daytime(from 5.00 to 0.00 hours) not allowed.What to do and where to complain if the radiators in the apartment are cold and the above temperature standards are not respected? On the pages of the portal we have already described how to calculate the heating fee in an apartment according to the law.
Here we will tell you how this board works in law can be reduced.
The law defines in sufficient detail the procedure for the consumer’s actions when providing him with a utility service, not of proper quality. In the previously mentioned “Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings”, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 No. 354, there is an entire section devoted to this problem. This section is number X and it is called “The procedure for establishing the fact of provision of utility services of inadequate quality and (or) with interruptions exceeding the established duration (clauses 104-113 of the Rules).
If the apartment is cold, then you need to do the following:
1. Call or hotline or to the emergency dispatch service of the utility service provider (management company or HOA). A complaint about cold radiators must be registered by an employee of the hotline or emergency dispatch service and inform you of his name, surname and position and the registered number of your complaint about the low temperature in the apartment. You can apply in any other way, but you need to keep in mind that you may need to prove the fact of notification in the future.
2. If the employee of the emergency dispatch service of the contractor does not know the reasons for the cold in the apartment, he is obliged to agree with the consumer on the date and time of checking the fact of a violation of the quality of the utility service.
The time for the inspection is set no later than 2 hours from the moment of receiving a message from the consumer about a violation of the quality of the utility service, unless a different time is agreed upon with the consumer.
In other words, employees of the utility service provider must arrive at the apartment to draw up an act at a time convenient for the consumer or no later than 2 hours from the moment of application.
3. If for some reason the employees of the utility service provider did not arrive by the scheduled date to draw up an act, the consumer can draw up such an act independently. However, in this case, the act must record the air temperature in the apartment, and the act must be signed by the chairman of the council of the apartment building, as well as 2 neighbors - the owners of the apartments.
4. After drawing up such an act, the contractor is obliged to take measures to provide public heating services of adequate quality. These measures could be: settlement necessary questions with heating networks (boiler room) to increase the temperature of the coolant, repair of heating risers in an apartment building, booster pumps and more.
If no action has been taken by the end of the month, and the consumer has not been informed about the start of the supply of heat of adequate quality, then the consumer has the right to apply for a recalculation of the cost of heating for the month.
If the apartment is cold, then the amount of recalculation of the cost of heating is determined as follows: for each hour of deviation in air temperature in the residential premises in total during the billing period in which the specified deviation occurred, the amount of the utility fee for such billing period decreases by 0.15 percent for each degree of deviation.
For clarity, let's give a simple example. The air temperature in the apartment at the time of drawing up the report was 16 degrees. Therefore, the deviation from the norm is 2 degrees. The period during which this temperature was maintained was 10 days or 240 hours.
The size of the reduction in heating costs will be: 2 degrees x 240 hours x 0.15% = 72%. That is, the cost of heating this month should be reduced by 72%. With the usual average monthly payment for heat being about 3,000 rubles, this month the consumer must pay 3,000 rubles - 2,160 rubles = 840 rubles.
To do this, the consumer must write a statement to the utility provider, attach a copy of the completed report, indicate the date and registration number of his initial complaint regarding the cold in the apartment.
An example of a complaint about poor heating in an apartment.
After receiving the complaint, the contractor is obliged to recalculate the cost of heating.
If for some reason he does not want to do this, then you can contact:
1. To the state housing inspectorate with a complaint about the actions of the contractor.
2. To the authorities of Rospotrebnadzor.
3. Go to court with a claim to reduce the cost of heating and force the utility provider to properly fulfill its obligations to supply utility resources.
At the end of the article, I would like to wish you to live in a warm apartment with hot radiators, and the heating fee will not break your pocket.
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The temperature outside has been below freezing for a long time, but the radiators in your apartment are still cold? Yes, the management company knows how to present surprises. Or maybe it’s not a matter of their irresponsibility, but a banal breakdown? Read the article about why batteries may not heat up, and also about where to complain if the heating is simply not turned on for you.
The issue of the beginning of the heating season is regulated by 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.”
The heating season period is set individually for each region. It depends on the temperature level outside the window. At what temperature do you turn on the heating in apartments? Apply heat to residential buildings obliged if the outside temperature is below 8°C for five days in a row.
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When the approximate start date of the heating season is behind, and the radiators in the apartment are cold, there may be several reasons for this.
- The heating problem is only in your apartment. Find out from your neighbors whether their heating works. If it is confirmed that the breakdown occurred on you, call a specialist for diagnostics and repairs.
- An unexpected emergency occurred that delayed connecting your home to the heat supply. In this case, the entire house or even the area will not have heating.
- The utility service or management company is delaying the start of the heating season.
The solution to the last problem will be discussed further.
Where can I complain if the heating is not turned on?
According to the Rules for the provision of utility services, interruptions in the heating supply are possible when the season has already begun. The periods for which interruptions are permissible are clearly regulated:
- no more than 24 hours per month;
- if the air temperature in the apartment is above 12°C - maximum 16 hours in a row;
- if the temperature in the apartment is 10-12°C - maximum 8 hours in a row;
- if the temperature in the apartment is 8-10°C - maximum 4 hours in a row.
If the above standards are not met, the amount of payment for heating is reduced for each extra hour by 0.15%.
If there is no heat, first of all, you should find out the reasons. To do this, call the dispatch service and leave a request about the lack of heating with a request to take appropriate measures. Specialists are required to determine the cause and inform you about it within one to two days.
If the problems are related to a technical breakdown, a specialist must come to the site. Your application will be confirmed by a corresponding act drawn up in two copies. One is for you, the second remains with the specialist. In this case, all heating problems are solved in a short time.
You also have the right to contact:
- management company;
- housing inspection;
- your apartment building's association, if you have one.
If, after taking the measures you have taken, the heating is still not turned on, you can complain to higher authorities. Among them:
- Rospotrebnadzor;
- prosecutor's office;
- municipality;
- judicial authorities.
It is not in the interests of public utilities to refer the issue to higher authorities for resolution. Therefore, before you write a complaint, inform them of your intention. It is likely that heating problems will be resolved very quickly.
The heating was not turned on: complaint and subsequent actions
If filing a complaint is unavoidable, it is written as follows:
- At the top right are your personal details and the name of the organization to which the claim is being sent. You should leave your contact phone number so that you can be contacted promptly to resolve the issue.
- The complaint must describe the situation in as much detail as possible. Write down what measures you took before filing a complaint, where you went, and who you contacted. Attach copies of supporting documents, if available.
- Then, state all your demands and ask them to take action in the current situation. You can threaten to go to the courts.
- Please provide a personal signature and the current date.
There is no established complaint template. If you find it difficult to draw up a document, you can contact a housing lawyer.
The complaint may be handed over to an authorized person in person. In this case, you need to obtain from him a document confirming the receipt of the claim. You can also send a complaint by registered mail or electronically on the official website of the organization.
After solving the heating problem, be sure to draw up a statement sent to the management company with a request to recalculate for the time when you actually did not use utilities. Utilities will not recalculate the payment amount on their own initiative; it must come from you.
Now you know how and where to complain if you didn’t turn on the heating when the season has already begun. If difficulties arise, contact a lawyer for advice and assistance in resolving the issue.
