In winter, during cold weather, the most pressing questions are where to complain about the lack of heating, as well as how to write a complaint about the lack of heating. Heating is one of the most important services provided by utilities during cold weather. Therefore, utilities must prepare for the heating season long before the start of the season.
During the heating season, each apartment must have heating. But sooner or later, every citizen faces problems related to heat supply. Therefore, residents need to have an idea of where to go if there is no heating in the apartment.
Why there is no heating: reason
You notice that your heating has been turned off.
Who should I call if I have a problem like this? Let's first define the reasons.
There are three problems that cause batteries to stay cold:
- Failure on a local scale (one apartment, one floor, one entrance).
- Failure at the main highway level.
- Heating season is delayed.
First , you need to find out: is it cold only in your place, only on your floor, or in the whole house. Just ask your neighbors how they are doing with their temperature. If everything is in order in their apartments, they will have to solve the problem alone.
Second , follow your local media. The press usually reports the beginning of the heating season. Check to see if there is a notice at the entrance notifying you that there is no heat yet. All this will indicate that there is a disruption of the heat supply schedule by utility companies.
If heat appears and then disappears throughout the house, there is most likely an accident on the highway.
It is important to find out the reason before applying, since this determines where the complaint will be sent.
For example, the thermal power plant is not responsible for the condition of the pipes and radiators of the house. And the local management company will not be able to fix the break in the city highway.
Permissible heat standards
In accordance with GOST R 51617-2000 “Housing and communal services. General technical conditions", the air temperature in heated residential premises should be as follows:
- in living rooms - 18°C (in corner rooms - 2 degrees more),
- in the kitchen - 18°C,
- in the bathroom and shared toilet - 25°C,
- in a private restroom - 18°C,
- on the staircase - 16°C.
The same standards are contained in another document - Government Decree No. 354 of 05/06/2011, concerning the conditions for the provision of public services to citizens. Appendix 1 of this act prescribes the following obligation - providing uninterrupted heating throughout the heating season. True, the possibility of interruptions in the heat supply is also stipulated here, but they should be very short:
- no more than 24 hours per month;
- no more than 16 hours continuously, if the temperature in the apartment is not lower than 12°C;
- no more than 8 hours continuously at a temperature of 10-12°C;
- no more than 4 hours continuously at a temperature of 8-10°C.
In case of non-compliance with these standards, the heating fee must be reduced for each extra hour by 0.15% of the amount due for the period in which the violation occurred.
Necessity of written application
Many people don't tend to complain at all. They hate the thought of writing statements or calling management companies.
Such peace-loving citizens usually obediently wait for those responsible to fix the problem.
But this is the wrong position! The Housing and Communal Services itself assigns the obligation to the owner of the living space to report problems with heating.
In the event that utility companies do not receive reports of problems, they have the right to include the full payment for heating in the receipt for the next month, even if there was no heat at all. This is exactly what happens often.
Therefore, it is necessary to send a complaint, but in different situations, to different organizations. Next, let's look at who and when.
Written complaint to services
When there is no heat in one apartment
Sample complaint to the management company for lack of heating
Let's consider where to complain and who to contact if there is no heating.
The addressee, in this case, is the management company (MC), the directorate of the single customer (DEZ - the successor to the housing office), or the chairman of the HOA (if the owner is a member of the homeowners association).
In rare cases, when service agreements were concluded without intermediaries, with the energy supplier, you need to contact him directly.
Since the causes of the problem may be related to the pipes and radiators in your apartment, you can simply call the necessary service and ask them to sort it out. But even a simple call is an appeal that is recorded in documents. Ask to name the number under which your application was entered in the accounting journal and the name of the person who accepted it (write down the data).
In response, conscientious workers must send a specialist as soon as possible to find the breakdown and, if possible, fix it.
And only if the call is not responded to, you need to make a written complaint. It happens that the contract specifies special conditions for filing such applications (read the contract, perhaps claims are accepted only by mail, or only at the head office, etc.) This is done in two copies.
A copy will remain with you, on it:
- a note about acceptance is made, the entry number is written;
- the surname and signature of the person who received is put;
- admission date and time;
- organization stamp.
There is an option to send a complaint by mail with a notification (especially if the employee refuses to accept), but the clock often counts, and the mail is slow. So it’s better to go to the organization yourself or use email.
You can use a ready-made complaint sample, but the organization is obliged to accept a statement in any form.
Like, the neighbors have heat, but I, in my apartment, don’t. It is necessary to indicate the date from which there is no heating and the time.
Request official temperature measurements. It should also be noted that on such and such a date you called the company and asked to fix everything, but did not receive an answer, so this request is repeated.
From the moment the complaint is filed, the Criminal Code will have exactly three days to fix the problem. Note:
- When a specialist visits you, he will have to take measurements in all rooms. The thermometer should be located 1.5 meters from the floor and no closer than a meter to the external walls.
- An inspection report will be drawn up in two copies. The first remains with the homeowner, the second - with the company.
- If there are disagreements with the inspector regarding the measurement results, the inspection is repeated, but an employee from the Housing Inspectorate is invited to it (it controls the work of the management company).
- If the specialist does not come, you need to invite your neighbors and draw up your report with them, in which you need to indicate the temperature measurements you took yourself. And also indicate that the specialist was not with you, since he did not show up.
But, most likely, your complaint will be taken seriously and the problem will be fixed quickly. Upon completion of all work, a document will be drawn up that you will have to sign. Do not sign this document until heat begins to flow in full.
Stock up in advance with the telephone numbers of all companies servicing your home. Be sure to have the email address of the management company or HOA at hand, as well as the Housing Inspectorate hotline, which accepts calls during the heating season!
When there is no heat in the whole house
If the problem is more global, the complaint must be sent to both the management company (or HOA) and the City Housing Inspectorate. Your statement can speed up troubleshooting and also protect you from being charged for services that were not provided.
According to the law, utility companies have from 3 days to a week to eliminate emergencies. If after this period the heat does not appear, you can file a claim with higher authorities.
Possible causes of cold batteries
Before you go to complain to certain authorities, you should first understand the reason why problems with heat supply arose. There may be no heating in the following cases:
- The reason may lie in the heating system inside the apartment. It is necessary to find out whether the neighbors' living quarters are heated. If yes, then the problem arose directly in the apartment itself. To fix the problem, it will be enough to call a plumber.
- It may also happen that the heating season has already begun, but heat is not being supplied to residential premises. In this case, it is worth contacting the appropriate authorities, having first collected evidence of the lack of heating in the building.
- If neighbors are undergoing renovation work, for example, the existing heating system is being improved (additional sections are connected, and so on).
- Another reason for the cold in the apartment is breakdowns at the central station. In this case, the entire residential complex, and sometimes the entire neighborhood, will suffer.
Once the cause has been established, you can complain about the lack of heating to the competent authorities. It is better to do this immediately.
In this video you will learn why the heating does not turn on everywhere at the same time:
Request to government agencies
Appeal about failure of the management organization to fulfill its obligations
Management companies also have control and this should not be forgotten.
And if this organization systematically causes complaints, or ignores citizens’ requests (or simply unsubscribes without correcting the situation), complaints can be sent to other regulatory organizations.
Namely:
- In State housing inspection of the area.
- To the regional department of Rospotrebnadzor. You will need to indicate the name and legal address of the specific management company. The response to the complaint will be an expert inspection, following which the Criminal Code will be obliged to eliminate all violations under threat of fines.
- To regional and city authorities, the governor (contact details can be found on the official website of the administration in your city).
- The prosecutor with a request to initiate a case against an unscrupulous manager (Article 7.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses).
- Go to court to recover damages (for example, sharply increased electricity bills due to having to use heaters).
Samples of complaints and complaints can always be found on the websites of the relevant organizations, as well as on information boards in reception areas.
At the time of writing a complaint to Rospotrebnadzor or self-government bodies, there should already be copies of documents on hand that would confirm the failure of the management company to fulfill its obligations. A copy of the agreement that was drawn up between the owners and the management company is also attached.
A long-burning boiler has a lot of advantages and one significant drawback - high cost. Therefore, it makes sense to make such a unit yourself. Do-it-yourself long-burning solid fuel boiler: drawings and assembly procedure.
What the Leningradka heating system is, you will find out here.
Supply ventilation in an apartment significantly improves the room climate, but if the supply air contains dirt and impurities, this will not have a positive effect on the health of the apartment’s inhabitants. In this article https://microklimat.pro/sistemy-ventilyacii/pritochnaya-v-kvartire-s-filtraciej.html we will look at supply systems with filtration.
Drawing up a complaint
Once the place for filing the complaint has been determined, it is necessary to correctly draw up an appeal to the appropriate authority. The document must be written in accordance with the necessary legal rules. You can find sample complaints on the Internet. It should be composed as follows:
- The name of the government organization to which the claim is being submitted is indicated in the upper right corner. Next, indicate the last name, first name, patronymic and residential address of the resident. It is also necessary to indicate contact phone numbers for feedback.
- The central part of the document outlines the essence of the problem. The date the heating supply was stopped should be indicated here, as well as the measures that were taken to resolve the situation. Copies of all important documents related to the case should be attached to the complaint.
- The conclusion specifies the requirements for taking appropriate measures to eliminate problems with heat supply. It can also be noted that if the problem continues to remain unresolved, then the complaint will be sent to the court.
- At the end of the application, the date and signature of the person filing the claim is indicated.
If you do not have experience filing such complaints, it is recommended that you contact a lawyer. Consultation with a specialist will help you understand this issue faster; he will tell you where to complain about the lack of heating in each specific case.