Local authorities have notified citizens about the beginning of the heating season. Where should I go if your apartment is not heated as it should be?
This is definitely a violation of your rights. The management company must provide heat in your apartment. If she doesn’t do it – no matter for what reason – you need to fix the violations and ensure that they are eliminated.
According to Resolution No. 354 dated 05/06/2011 (as amended. dated 07/29/2023) “On the provision of public utilities to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings” communal heating services are provided around the clock during the heating period uninterrupted or with interruptions not exceeding the duration corresponding to the requirements for the quality of public services.
It happens that the apartment is cold, but the Criminal Code and supervisory authorities refuse to recognize this as a violation. The law has precise standards for temperature, humidity, ventilation and air cleanliness. Optimal, as well as maximum and minimum indicators have been established. If you violate them, you have the right to file a complaint and request a recalculation.
For each hour of deviation of the air temperature in the living room in total during the billing period when this happened, the amount of utility bills is reduced by 0.15%.
For example, you paid 698 rubles for the heat in the apartment. If the temperature in your apartment has been +17 ° C all this month instead of the standard +20 ° C, then by removing the night hours, when such a cold snap will not be considered a violation, we will get 19 hours of microclimate violations per day. 19 x 0.15% x 3 = 8.5% – this is how much your heat fee per day should be reduced, in rubles it is 1.9 rubles. For a month, you are entitled to the following recalculation: 1.9 rubles x 30 = 57 rubles.
Probably, this is not the amount that covers the suffering from the cold and which is worth insisting on. But if the problem has not been solved for years and deviations from the norm are more significant, then it makes sense to require such a recalculation.
Heating hotlines operate in many regions, for example, the hotline number in Moscow is 8-800-100-23-29.
In addition, you can report a problem through the public services portal. The appeal will be sent to the supervisory authority.
When a representative of the management company arrives at your signal, he must inspect the heating system and determine what the cause of the malfunction may be, record in writing that there is no heat at the time of his arrival, while it is necessary to specify specific indications (temperature). Measurements are made using a ball thermometer.
He also draws up an act in two copies, one of which remains with the owner of the apartment. This document is needed so that you can apply for a recalculation of the heating fee or defend your interests in court if the case comes to it.
After that, you need to prepare a written claim (if there is no heat in the whole house, a collective one) to the address of the management organization. Attach a copy of the prepared act to it, as well as copies of receipts confirming that you have paid for services and have no debt. You can also file a complaint with Rospotrebnadzor or the territorial department of housing inspection. We recommend that you inform the management company about your intentions, this often helps to solve the problem quickly.
Marina Sibirtseva.
Photo: LEGION-MEDIA
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