Where to go and call if there is no heating: practical advice

If problems arise with the heat supply, they must be addressed immediately, especially in winter. The first thing you need to determine is the temperature in the apartment.This determines where to go if there is no heating.

To urgently solve the problem, you need to call the management company, as well as the dispatch service of the service provider. If this method fails to solve the problem, you should resort to more radical methods, which we will discuss in our material.

Identifying a Heat Problem

While a specialist is on the way, you can find out the reason yourself. For measurements you will need a regular room thermometer. The measurement error will be high, but it is necessary to determine only the approximate temperature difference in the rooms. If the temperature is below normal, then you need to understand the reasons and understand how to get rid of the problem.

To determine the approximate temperature values, you need to put your hand on the riser and the register, which is located in the next room. This method is suitable for private homes. If a heating problem occurs in a building with many apartments, then it is necessary to interview the closest neighbors.

If the riser is hot and the heating devices are not warm, most likely air has entered the system. In this case, the problem will be solved within a few hours. In addition to gas contamination, the cause may be imbalance in the system or failure of the radiator. If neighbors do not have similar problems, then the reason is in the condition of the pipes and appliances in the apartment.

If the temperature values ​​are the same, this indicates problems with the supply of thermal energy throughout the house. In this case, you need to check with your neighbors if they have similar problems.Most often, equal temperature readings confirm the presence of problems in general communications.

Don't count on a quick resolution to the problem. It is better to connect an electric heater rather than wait for the temperature to drop to critical levels. Read about how to choose a good heater for your home in the following material.

No later than two hours after calling the dispatch service, a specialist should arrive. In addition to identifying a malfunction in the heat supply system, he is obliged to take readings and record in writing the lack of heating supply.

His responsibilities include drawing up the act. This document is drawn up in two identical copies, one for the owner.

According to the law, the management company is responsible for the common property of the house, to which heating registers and interior pipes do not apply. The owner of the apartment is responsible for their condition. In this case, you will have to carry out repairs at your own expense.

Why is the act needed?

The document confirms the poor quality of services provided and is the basis for the thermal energy consumer to appeal to the court, supervisory authorities, and also receive a recalculation.

For an act to have legal force, the following requirements must be met:

1. Avoid artificially increasing the temperature in the apartment under study.
2. Convene the composition of the commission.
3. Alert the housing service representative and service provider.

Directly on the day the report is drawn up, all heating devices must be turned off. When drawing up the document, the absence of heating supply services is recorded, so factors influencing measurements must be excluded.

The commission must measure the room temperature and compare it with standards, taking into account environmental temperature fluctuations. The air in the room must be heated to 18 degrees Celsius. Minor deviations are allowed within a range of 2 degrees up or down.

Heat supply standards

The text of GOST indicates the standards and permissible deviations from it when supplying heat to different types of premises.

It is necessary to measure the background temperature not only in living rooms. In a restroom located separate from the bathroom, the thermometer should not show less than 18 degrees Celsius. On the landing the temperature should not be much lower than 16 degrees Celsius

Throughout the entire season, when heating is supplied, heat must be supplied to consumers uninterruptedly.

Government Decree No. 354 establishes the following possible interruptions in the supply of heating to residential buildings:

• The decrease in temperature cannot exceed a total of 24 hours per month.
• Reducing the room temperature to 8 -10 degrees should not exceed 4 hours (at a time).
• Reducing the room temperature to 10 -12 degrees should not exceed 8 hours (at a time).
• Reducing the room temperature to 13 -16 degrees should not exceed 12 hours (at a time).

If the service provider does not comply with these standards, he is financially liable to consumers. For each hour of delay beyond the permissible period specified in the resolution, the service fee is reduced by 0.15%.

If multiple violations occur, the supplier may face administrative or criminal liability, depending on the severity of the consequences. You can read more about the parameters of a comfortable microclimate in residential premises In this article.

If the specialist does not arrive

The fact that a representative of the heat supply supplier fails to appear when called should not go unnoticed. It is necessary to repeat the call to the dispatch service and report a violation of the procedure for providing services.Demand clarification and indicate your intention to write complaints to the authorities monitoring their activities and higher authorities.

An explanation of the basis for the delay should be requested. It is necessary to insist on the immediate dispatch of a specialist to inspect the communications and remind him of his obligation to draw up a report.

It would be a good idea to record the conversation with the dispatcher; he does not need to be warned that a recording is being made. These recordings will serve as evidence in court.

After talking with the dispatcher, you need to dial the number of the chief engineer or director and briefly outline the essence of the situation, clearly stating the address and reason for the accumulated claims. Report the lack of response to the request addressed to the dispatch service, mention your intentions to file complaints against the organization with the supervisory authorities.

It is necessary to demand that the problem be corrected as soon as possible and ensure that a specialist comes to inspect the heating system. It is necessary to mention the preparation of a collective complaint if all residents of the house have a problem with the heating supply. In most cases, this will be enough to attract the attention of utility companies.

You will also be interested in knowing what to do and where to call if the power was turned off.

What to do if there is no heating?

After the specialist arrives and receives the certificate, it is necessary to make copies of the document. They are needed based on the number of planned requests.

Next, you need to take a sample and prepare the text of the claim. The content should reflect the essence of the problem, a brief summary of the situation and a proposal to resolve the issue pre-trial. If you have health problems during the heating shutdown period, you need to indicate this fact

Additionally, you can write that in addition to recalculation, payment of legal costs and compensation for moral damage received, you will demand a penalty. Write that you plan to rent an apartment and through the court you will demand compensation for rent expenses.

It is not profitable for a private company to bring a dispute to trial. For this reason, claims are often satisfied out of court. It is necessary to prepare two copies of claims.

Copies of documents must be attached to the claim:

1. Certificate of lack of heating.
2. A copy of the service agreement.
3. Copies of receipts for timely payment of utilities.
4. Certificate from a medical institution.

The specified package of documents must be sent to the service provider by mail. This must be done by registered mail with notification. When the letter is delivered, the sender will receive a notification that the addressee has received the letter.

If there is no time for postage, then the documents must be personally delivered to the utility service provider. You need to come to the manager’s reception area and file a complaint, talk and come to an agreement

It is important to ensure that both copies of the claim are marked and registered as incoming documentation. This must be done regardless of what agreement has been reached.

A response should be received in writing within 2-3 days. If the heating supply has not been restored, you need to move on to the next step.

Where to write complaints?

There is no need to wait for the three-day period to expire. The heating issue must be resolved by all available means. One of them is to file administrative complaints with regulatory authorities, including by telephone. The first step is to prepare the text of the complaint.They can be sent by mail or online.

Here is a list of organizations to call about heating:

1. Territorial department of housing inspection.
2. Rospotrebnadzor.

If you file a complaint by mail, you must attach to the application copies of documents that confirm the illegality of the actions of the management company or service provider. It is necessary to attach a copy of the report on the lack of heating and an appeal to the organization, which remained unanswered.

Option No. 1 - contacting the housing inspectorate

Utility workers are afraid of citizens turning to the housing inspectorate, so before submitting a request for an inspection, call the head of the management company. Offer to reconsider your claim, having first mentioned the registration number; perhaps the problem will be resolved at this stage.

If there is no reaction, then you need to write an application to the housing inspectorate using this sample. It needs to be supplemented with personal data, the address of residence, as well as the location of the management company. The complaint must be sent by registered mail with notification

If you send a complaint via the Internet, then first you need to go to the website of the housing inspectorate, to which the location of the management company is located.

Next, the process will be described using the example of the State Housing Property Department of Moscow.

On the website you need to find a section where citizens’ requests are accepted. It is located on the main page. Next, you need to click on the “Appeals from Citizens” section and select “Electronic Reception” from the list that opens.

On the page that opens, you need to pause and study the rules for submitting an electronic appeal. After reading the submission rules, you must click on the link below the rules.

After this, a form will open that needs to be filled out.

At the bottom of the form you need to attach scanned documents, as well as write the text of the appeal. The text cannot exceed 4,000 characters. The size of the attached file cannot exceed 50 MB. It is acceptable to attach photos

It is imperative to indicate the method for receiving a response from the State Housing Inspectorate. The result of the application will be sent by email if you indicate this in the application. It is possible to receive a response by registered mail, but in this case you will have to wait much longer for the result. On average, it takes from 2 to 5 days to process one complaint.

After processing the application, the State Housing Property Inspectorate will check the activities of the management company. If violations are confirmed, the State Housing Property Committee may revoke the license issued to the management company. Without it, the organization will not be able to continue its activities. .

Option No. 2 - complaint to Rospotrebnadzor

You can write an appeal using the text that was compiled for the complaint to the State Housing Inspectorate. It is necessary to make minor corrections, indicating a violation of consumer rights, since the management company does not fulfill its duties.

The text of the complaint must reflect the request for an inspection. Next, attach copies of documents to the text of the complaint and send them by registered mail.

You can also write to Rospotrebnadzor on its official website or through the government services portal. The complaint process will be shown using the second method. To do this, you need to be registered on the appropriate portal.

You need to log into your personal account and click on the “Service Catalog” tab. From the list that opens, you must select the “Authorities” section. This tab contains the necessary supervisory authority

In the list of services that opens, you must select the fifth item from the top.After this, you will be taken to a tab with information about the service, where at the bottom there will be a link to go to the organization’s website. On the website you need to find an electronic reception, and then select the territorial department of Rospotrebnadzor. The system will take you to the desired site where you need to fill out the form.

Option No. 3 - lawsuit

Another effective way to force the management company to fulfill its obligations is to file an administrative claim in court. To do this, you need to use the services of a lawyer who has experience in courts with management companies. It is very important to find a specialist who understands housing law.

He needs to show all receipts, documents, requests and recordings of conversations. Together with a lawyer, it is necessary to draw up a claim, which will stipulate all claims against the company. In addition, the text of the document must contain demands for reimbursement of costs incurred by the consumer due to the lack of heating.

An example text of the statement of claim is as follows. The claim must be accompanied by a list of documents confirming material expenses. If exacerbations of chronic diseases occurred during the shutdown period, you should attach a certificate from a medical institution

If problems with heat supply arise in an apartment building, then you need to involve your neighbors and write a collective statement. The claims of owners and responsible tenants will most likely be satisfied by the court. The defendant will be required to comply with the court decision.

Option No. 4 - application to the local prosecutor's office

If the heating situation has not returned to normal, you must contact the prosecutor's office.In addition to the management company, inspections will also be carried out on requests that remained unanswered by the supervisory authorities.

You can only submit an application to the prosecutor's office in person. To do this, you need to find out the address and come with ready-made documents. You need to write an application for an urgent inspection at the management company. Copies of unanswered requests must be attached to the application.

Option No. 5 - contacting the President's reception

If there is no response from the prosecutor's office, you need to write to the president's reception. This can be done on the website by filling out the electronic form. Once a complaint is received, it will be reviewed and a decision will be made to order inspections, forwarding it to the relevant supervisory authorities.

You can write a collective appeal. To draw up a complaint, you can use an existing sample or write it in any form. You need to attach photographs and copies of supporting documents, this will reduce the time to receive a response.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Interview with the head of the State Housing Inspectorate:

The video explains how to get your money back for lost heat:

The following video briefly shows how the temperature in residential buildings is monitored:

Problems that arise with the supply of heat to residential buildings must be resolved by the management company in a routine manner. If an organization ignores its direct responsibilities, it can be forced.

Utility customers rarely take their case to court hearings, although this provides an incentive for the utility company to comply with its responsibilities. In addition to compensation for costs, you may be required to check the validity of the accrued rent. If violations are discovered, a recalculation will be required by court decision.

Did you have any questions while studying the material? Found any inaccuracies or have valuable information you can share with site visitors? Leave your comments and ask questions in the block below.