How long is it legal to turn off hot water in the summer?

Legislation of the Russian Federation on the period of suspension of hot water supply

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Utilities can turn off hot water by law, but for no more than 8 hours a month. There is also an hourly limit. The supply of hot water or cold water is stopped for a total of no more than 4 hours a day.

There are amendments and reservations in this regard, which are prescribed by law in regulations. Moreover, it all depends on the time of year: winter or summer. During the hot period, preventive maintenance of the water supply is carried out, and pipe replacement is prescribed. It is allowed to increase the duration of blackout.

The management company can turn off hot water according to the law, although according to the requirements of SanPiN 2.1.4.2496-09 (as amended in 2020), the supply of the resource should not be stopped without reason. If the situation is emergency, then repairmen are required to fix the problem within eight hours. This is a maximum period of months.

The legislation provides exceptions to the rules:

1. Major renovation. The work is carried out according to plan, residents must be notified in advance.
2. Prolonged events during an emergency, for example, a pipe burst.
3. Prevention is carried out only in summer, but the reservation applies to hot water supply. Utilities are required to meet the deadline within 14 days.

All these nuances are regulated by Decree No. 354 of the Government of the Russian Federation; the permissible periods for interrupting the supply of hot water supply are indicated in Appendix 1, section II, clause 4. If the management organization violates the conditions, then the owner has the right to write a complaint and demand a recalculation in the receipt.

You can file a claim with Rospotrebnadzor. However, an application for recalculation of payment should be written to the housing office on whose balance sheet a private house or apartment building is located.

When disconnected without warning

If the hot water supply was suspended without any notification, outside of the schedule or for more days, the first step is to ask the management company and the emergency dispatch service. These structures are responsible for recording requests and providing the information residents need. It is worth noting that such a shutdown could occur due to unexpected breakdowns, a natural disaster, or other disruption to the normal operation of the network.

However, there are cases when hot water does not meet the required readings: warm or cold water appears, or rusty-colored liquid comes out of the tap, and the housing and communal services ignore your complaints. Then residents can file complaints with the housing and communal services department, the administration, the Office of the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection, the housing committee, or the district or regional prosecutor's office .

Considering the situation, a person who goes to court may receive compensation for an illegal and unexpected termination of hot water supply.

Why do you turn off hot water?

Government Decree No. 632, Section III, stipulates the reasons why the supply of hot water may be temporarily stopped. There are different situations when it is necessary to turn off hot water in winter. Most often, blackouts are associated with accidents and urgent repairs.

First of all, residents should be notified about this. The announcement indicates the causes of the accident and the time when the DHW supply will be restored. The duration of the daily break should not exceed four hours, but emergency situations do occur.

Watch the video: “Who turns off the hot water and why.”

Overhaul is not a salvation

Here we will have to upset the residents of our country - hot water outages will not stop in the next 10-15 years, that’s for sure. Preventative work, even for those houses that have new heating networks, will still be carried out according to schedule.

It is important to understand that pipes are exposed to high temperatures and wear out very quickly. So that citizens in the cold season are protected from sudden shutdowns of heat supply in case of accidents.

Why are shutdowns carried out in the summer? Here the answer is obvious; in the summer, buildings do not need heating, so pipe strength testing is carried out to the maximum. Here, the heat load on pipes, pumps and other important heat supply elements is immediately experienced.

There is no need to be indignant here, just remember how in the winter of 2020 there was a major breakthrough at houses located near the Kremlin in Moscow. Then all the apartments in the area were left without hot water and heating for several days. People were saved only by heaters.

Expert opinion

Golubev Denis Petrovich

Lawyer with 7 years of experience. Specialization: civil law. Author of dozens of articles in the media

There is one piece of good news, our government promises that in the near future the time frame for shutting off hot water supply will be reduced and will not be 10 days, but from one day to nine days. This is good news, since residents who do not have boilers or geysers do not need to constantly heat water in basins.

It is always disappointing to see an increase in tariffs for services. Since July 1, 2020, there has been another increase in prices, prices have increased by an average of 7 percent.

Standards for disconnecting DHW

The management company cannot turn off the hot water supply without permission. This is a direct violation, as evidenced by legislative acts.

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Standards for shutting off hot water:

1. Articles No. 12, 13 and 14 of the RF Housing Code define the powers of local government. The documents indicate that repair work cannot last more than two weeks.
2. The housing stock must be operated in accordance with Decree of the State Construction Committee of Russia No. 170 dated September 27, 2003 (as amended in 2020). The PP covers the technical side of the issue. Planned or urgent repairs cannot take more than 14 days. In this case, a notice is sent to residents.
3. Water supply must be supplied continuously, unless actions are contrary to the hygiene and safety requirements prescribed by Resolution No. 20 of 04/07/2009. (current version 2019).

In case of emergency situations, water is supplied from backup sources. They must be provided in advance. During an accident, the 14-day period may be extended. The standards are prescribed by Articles 13 and 20 of the RF Housing Code. State bodies are required to control the process in accordance with the law.

Reasons and reasons

The permissible duration of a hot water supply interruption is a maximum of two weeks. This will be legal if the utility companies have grounds. The organization has the right to turn off the water supply at any time during an emergency.

There are also secondary reasons:

1. Utility workers' mistake.
2. Unauthorized blackout.
3. Emergency situation on internal communications.
4. Emergency outside the MKD.
5. Natural disasters.

Please note: incorrect actions by the consumer can also become a factor in stopping the supply of hot water.

In what cases is a DHW shutdown considered an emergency?

The maximum period for shutting off hot water by law is 14 days. Most often, supply interruption occurs in emergency situations.

Emergency blackout allows you to minimize the damage caused by a pathogenic situation, for example:

• leaking pipes;
• damage to the water supply system;
• break in the main line;
• fire;
• incorrect connection.

If utilities are disconnected, then information about the duration of repairs can be found through the management company. Management Company is a supplier for MKD, but takes resources from Vodokanal. It happens that the reason is related to the main RSO.

Disabling DHW in winter and summer

During the summer, they have the right to turn off hot water in case of scheduled repairs or maintenance work. Many management companies schedule system diagnostics during the warm season, when most residents go on vacation or relax at their dachas.

Actions will be legal if the owners of an apartment building or village were notified in advance using notifications. The company must do this ten days before the start of work. The management company is also obliged to post a notice notifying that prevention will be carried out.

Permissible interruption in DHW supply

Some people do not know for how long hot water can be turned off according to the law and begin to write complaints to the management company.

In order not to be unfounded, it is worth considering health norms on this issue:

1. SNiP 2.04.02-84 (in the 2020 version) states that a break in any period should not exceed eight hours. Here we are talking about summing up the time for a month. That is, if utility workers turned off the water twice a week for 1 hour, then the norms were violated.
2. SanPin 2.1.4.2496-09 talks about safe resource indicators and requirements for drinking water. If an accident occurs and the water supply does not meet safety parameters, then repairmen are allowed not to restore the supply for two days until the situation changes.

Every management company is required to comply with these standards.

How long do they have the right to turn off hot water?

Hot water outages in Moscow will begin on May 13 and will last until September 1. According to utility workers, this year in 3,897 houses hot water will not be turned off at all (in 2012 there were half as many such houses - 1,730). In other houses, the shutdown period should not exceed ten days.

If there are no earthquakes with floods, no accidents, no notifications, no hot water, you need to act. By phone you can contact the Criminal Code or the emergency dispatch service (each district has its own department). You should be told the reason for the outage - maybe you just don’t know that there is a serious accident on the next street. For unknown reasons, your complaint is registered. Be sure to write down the operator's name and your complaint number. No later than two hours after your application, they should come to you with a check. On this basis, an inspection report is drawn up (one copy remains with you), with which you can apply for recalculation, since your consumer rights have been violated.

27 Apr 2020 yurisaktobe 164

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Nuances of turning off water with and without warning

Having considered how long hot water can be turned off by law, it is worth mentioning that there are nuances in this issue. For example, in winter, no management company has the right to carry out repair work unless required by law. Most often, such measures are associated with an emergency situation. According to the law, during an emergency, you can turn off the water supply for a maximum of 2 days, but no more.

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There are also specific deadlines for sending notice of planned termination and the responsibilities of individuals. If the housing office has arbitrarily turned off the hot water supply, then a person can complain not only to Rospotrebnadzor, but even write to the prosecutor’s office.

The state always stands for consumer protection and there are certain rules prescribed by law that not only officials, but also citizens are required to follow.

Deadlines for sending notice of water shutoff

Suspension of water supply according to the plan must be accompanied by a warning to all residents. This is required by paragraph No. 49 of the rules for the provision of housing and communal services. Citizens are notified ten days before the start of repair or maintenance work.

The right to stop water supply is stated in Article 21 of Federal Law No. 416. An exception is considered an emergency situation that does not depend on utilities or other structures.

Responsibility for violation of the rules of procedure

There are rules that even government authorities cannot violate without a good reason. Individuals and officials are responsible for this. Provisions that cannot be ignored are spelled out in Federal Law No. 416.

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The main points for which responsibility is imposed:

1. Poor water quality or interruption of supply.
2. Insufficient water supply.
3. Damage caused to residents or their property after an outage.
4. Unauthorized connection to the network.
5. Violation of a contract for the supply of a resource or causing moral harm.

Please note: such actions are prosecuted by law and are subject to penalties. In some cases, criminal liability is possible.

How long do they have the right to turn off hot water?

According to the law, utility workers can turn off water or heating in the entire house without warning only in two cases: if there is a threat of emergency situations on equipment or networks, in the event of emergencies or natural disasters.

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Housing and communal services articles Headings New for the week Housing and communal services information portal No. 1 is the first and only resource for the cities of Siberia, where you can find information about the housing and communal services of Siberian cities and Russia. The project covers the cities: Abakan, Barnaul, Kemerovo, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Tomsk and St. Petersburg.

How to obtain information about the planned termination of DHW supply at the address

To stop the water supply legally, the management company must have a reason - preventive or repair work. The management company must notify the residents using letters or a notice posted on the notice board.

Some utility organizations send SMS messages to all citizens living in the house. Other management companies have their own Internet portal where they post similar advertisements.

Vodokanal is obliged to provide detailed information in the public domain.

How to make a recalculation

When the supply of a resource is suspended, the person does not use it, so the payment must be recalculated. If the period is exceeded by one hour, then a tariff rate reduction of 0.15% is required. Changing the payment amount is necessary when, after repairs, cold water flows instead of hot water.

A difference of 3-4 degrees allows a person to write an application to the housing office and reduce the interest rate by 0.1%. If the DHW pressure is 25% lower, then the tariff rate will also be reduced by 0.1%.

Where to contact

Before drawing up an application, you need to find out where to send the document for recalculation or complaint.

The following authorities are worth considering:

1. Management company or housing and communal services.
2. Administrative building of the settlement.
3. GZHI.

If these organizations ignore the application, then you can go to the courts to restore justice. In this case, the management company will be obliged not only to recalculate, but also to compensate for moral damages and costs.

Application for recalculation for hot water

The letter is written to the director of the management company. The legislation establishes a special form. This document must be drawn up strictly according to the model.

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At the end of the application, put the personal signature of the owner and the date the form was filled out.

What documents are needed for the application?

The application is drawn up in two copies and must have attached documents. Their list includes:

1. An act that states that the metering devices have been verified.
2. A paper stating that there was no water for a certain period.
3. Verification document from the responsible authority.

Note: if a person has already paid for housing and communal services before recalculation, then the applicant must provide receipts.

When the faucet in the room is faulty or installed incorrectly, water may not flow. The lack of water supply is also often due to the fact that utility workers have detected an unauthorized connection to the pipe. In this case, the person is subject to a fine.

Watch the video: “Are scheduled hot water shutdowns necessary?”

Sometimes the domestic hot water supply stops due to the cancellation of the contract with the utility company. Even if bills are not paid, turning off water is prohibited. Therefore, the main reasons can be defined in four points: accident, major repairs according to plan, prevention and illegal connection to the pipeline.

The resource supplying organization is obliged to ensure an uninterrupted supply of water to houses connected to the centralized system. Regulatory acts approve the grounds and deadlines for turning off cold water according to the law. The utility service provider must adhere to the approved algorithm. We'll talk about this in our article today.

How long can water be turned off by law?

• in case of exceeding the permissible temporary duration of DHW shutdown, payment for utility services is reduced in the amount of 0.15% of the payment amount for each overdue hour. It is important to understand that recalculation is performed only under the item “Hot water supply” and in the absence of a water meter in the apartment;
• If hot water is turned off during the summer, the payment will be withdrawn in full. The main thing for meter owners to remember is that the hot water tap can supply water intended for hot water, but not heated to the standard temperature. The readings will be read and, as a result, you will be forced to pay for the consumed cubes of cold water at the price of hot water. It is the responsibility of the management company to close the valves on the supply line, but in order to avoid an unpleasant situation, it is better to close the apartment valve on the DHW riser.

In a situation where hot water is turned off, regardless of the reason for this situation, the first step for workers is to notify the residents of the house, indicating the reason and the approximate date for its elimination. A tenant who is not notified has the right to appeal the actions of public utilities.

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Reasons for turning off cold water supply

Most often, citizens can detect a lack of water for several reasons, these are:

• carrying out planned repairs in accordance with the approved schedule;
• unscheduled work in the event of an emergency in the intra-house system;
• repair of communications located outside the high-rise building.

If cold or hot water is turned off, citizens can call the dispatcher, and the responsible employee will report the reasons for stopping the supply of the resource and the approximate time frame for resuming the supply.

In addition, there are other situations when the water can be cut off:

• The water supply in one of the residential premises is in unsatisfactory condition. To avoid flooding of neighbors, temporary but urgent shutdown of utility systems and their repair are required;
• employees discovered an illegal connection to water communications. Unauthorized connection to the system is considered a violation of the law, and a fine is provided for this;
• Local authorities have issued an order to the utility service provider to stop water supply, and the latter is taking urgent measures to eliminate the identified violations.

Another problem is lack of funding

It is impossible to immediately replace old pipes with new ones in one city; this is a rather expensive undertaking. Not everyone even has the funds for local repairs and maintenance of heat supply in good condition. The most unpleasant thing is when a lack of finance is discovered already at the time of work, then some people can wait more than a month for water connection.

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Due to insufficient funding and the inability to replace old pipes, worn-out elements have to be constantly repaired. Of course, this cannot continue indefinitely, since such work is often done poorly and breakthroughs arise again. The increase in resource tariffs is closely related to the lack of external funding.

Many repair organizations do not want to modernize the entire utility sector of their activities for the reason that this will result in a sharp increase in tariffs for services. But the state, on the contrary, is trying to restrain such an increase, since people’s dissatisfaction will be inevitable.

Hot water will not be turned off in the summer in those apartment buildings that have their own boiler rooms and do not depend on the general heating supply.

Permissible duration of cold water shutdown

Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation dated May 6, 2011 No. 354 regulates the norms and requirements for cold water in the event of planned and unplanned situations of interruption of water supply.

Based on this document:

• consumers are not allowed to be left without water for more than 8 hours within one month;
• A one-time shutdown of cold water is allowed for a maximum of 4 hours.

These standards are approved in case of scheduled repairs. If emergency situations arise, the resource supplying organization is obliged to eliminate breakdowns as soon as possible. For such cases, standards for damage elimination are established depending on the complexity of the situation, the depth of the pipeline, as well as other factors influencing the solution of the problem.

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If planned events take longer, this indicates poor quality of service. In this case, the consumer may request a recalculation for the water consumed.

Citizens also have the right to demand a reduction in payment for services if the utility company does not comply with the contract for the provision of services. For example, if the pressure in the pipes has dropped by 25% or more.

The contract specifies the obligations of all parties that must be observed. The consumer must pay for the services received on time and in full. If he does not comply with this clause of the agreement, the resource supplying organization will charge penalties for late payments.

On the other hand, the supplier is obliged to fulfill its obligations regarding the quality of service provision. Therefore, any shutdowns of cold water must be carried out legally and carried out in accordance with established regulations and standards. The supplier will face financial sanctions for violating the contract.

We list the cases considered illegal:

• scheduled technical work is being carried out, but residents were not notified about this;
• Utility debtors had their water turned off for non-payment. This is illegal, in this case the organization must resolve the issue only by legal means, for example, charge penalties for non-payment, or go to court to resolve the problem;
• the supplier stopped supplying cold water or reduced the supply pressure without legal grounds for doing so;
• After troubleshooting (planned or emergency), the water was turned on for unknown reasons.

Legality of turning off water for non-payment

The legality of turning off water is determined by Government Decree No. 354 of May 6. 2011. This document is devoted to the rules for providing utility services to residents. Section 9 of the document is devoted to the procedure for suspending or restricting services.

According to the rules (clause 117), if payment is not made in full, CG may be disabled. Wherein

It is prohibited to turn off heating and cold water in an apartment building. That is, in an apartment building, utilities can only turn off hot water.

In addition, disconnection of services, including water, should not lead to damage to property in the house and violation of the rights of other utility consumers who do not have payment arrears. Also, such a disconnection should not violate the requirements for normal living of residents in the premises (clause 122 of the Rules).

Emergency shutdown of cold water

If a breakdown is detected in the water supply system, the resource supplying organization is obliged to take immediate measures to identify the causes. Utilities are also obliged to eliminate violations and carry out repairs as soon as possible. All efforts of the organization must be aimed at eliminating the accident. The time to solve the problem and carry out repairs is regulated by SNiP 2.04.02-84.

Reasons for an emergency shutdown of water supply, in addition to a pipeline break and other damage to the system:

During the period of restriction of water supply through the central system, the utility organization is obliged to provide a supply of drinking water in special automobile tanks. The volume of water should be delivered taking into account consumption standards per person. But there is one drawback - the time for water delivery is not specified.

At the same time, during planned outages, utility companies warn consumers in advance about the outage. Citizens have time to prepare for the shutdown; they stock up on their own. In this case, drinking water tanks will deliver liquid only if the planned work lasts more than a day. In emergency situations, the organization is obliged to ensure the supply of water to meet the daily needs of citizens.