Gas equipment maintenance agreement: gas company selection features

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you had to hurry to look for specialists to conduct diagnostics or repair of gas equipment? Agree, it’s not very convenient every time to spend time looking for a suitable organization, especially when it comes to a serious breakdown in the gas system.

The only sure way out is to conclude a gas equipment maintenance contract with a gas supply company. But not every specialized organization that provides gas equipment maintenance services has a reputation as a reliable company.

We have identified the main selection criteria, on the basis of which you can conclude an agreement with qualified specialists. But first you need to figure out what is included in the concept of maintenance, who provides it and what is the payment for the service for the population.

Why is it necessary to conclude a contract?

Today, the conclusion of an agreement on servicing the gas system and devices is a mandatory procedure for every citizen of the Russian Federation.

The agreement between the client and the specialized company providing gas supply services implies systematic inspections of gas equipment inside the apartment.

Even with the slightest smell of gas, it is important to immediately contact the emergency dispatch service with a request to block the gas in a particular house

This allows you to timely identify a breakdown, for example, of a gas stove, and thereby prevent an emergency. Most of the emergencies are due to a malfunction of the gas equipment inside the apartment.

According to the law, the homeowner is required to sign an agreement on the repair and maintenance of gas equipment, regardless of whether he lives in it or not.Each homeowner is obliged to do this, because even if one of them does not conclude an agreement, there will be no security guarantee for all residents of the house.

Untimely diagnostics or repair of gas equipment often leads to ignoring serious malfunctions in the system, which can lead to disastrous consequences for all residents of the house. A signed contract with each owner of the apartment is a guarantee of serviceable equipment located in it.

We will help you choose a reliable company, cooperation with which will provide you with maximum safety while using gas equipment.

Classification of gas equipment

The organization with which the landlord enters into an agreement carries out all types of maintenance work on equipment inside the apartment building. All gas equipment can be divided into two parts.

Intra-home gas equipment (VDGO). It includes facade gas pipelines and risers with cranes located in the entrances. Housekeeping companies that independently enter into maintenance contracts with relevant organizations are responsible for the safety of the VDGO.

Residents of the house do not bear any responsibility for the domestic gas equipment.

In this case, the contract for the maintenance of domestic gas equipment is concluded between the house management company and a specialized organization

Gas Domestic Equipment (VKGO). This includes all gas-using equipment inside the apartment: piping, stoves and water heaters, boilers. According to the law, the owner of an apartment building or tenant is responsible for the technical condition of VKGO.

Residents of an apartment building are required to conclude an agreement with a specialized company. Payment for all scheduled and unscheduled maintenance work rests with the owner of the apartment, who is responsible for the safety of the installed equipment in the apartment.

If earlier the cost of servicing gas appliances was included in the cost of gas, today payment for this service is made to the account of a specialized organization.

What is included in equipment maintenance?

The verification of the VKGO is carried out by a specialized company with which the homeowner enters into an agreement for the maintenance of gas-powered equipment.

The list of duties of specialists of the authorized organization includes the following:

• visual inspection of gas equipment, including the gas pipeline and its fittings;
• leak test of pipe connections and cranes using soap emulsion or special equipment;
• adjustment of the burner ignition process to detect a malfunction in the system, mechanical cleaning of the burners from contamination;
• checking the performance of gas appliances, adjusting and lubricating devices designed to automatically shut off gas at the slightest deviation in equipment operation;
• inclusion of equipment for gas pressure checks and the presence of air impurities in the pipeline;
• traction check ventilation ductsinspection of connecting pipes with a smoke channel;
• briefing on the safe operation of gas appliances in everyday life.

With a gas equipment service life of no more than 15 years, a scheduled inspection by the company's specialists is carried out in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. If there are no requirements, it is recommended to carry out maintenance at least once every 3 years.

If a hardware malfunction is detected, it is recommended that you call the wizard, but in no case do repairs yourself

When using gas-powered equipment for more than 15 years, inspection is carried out once a year.

The VKGO list includes the following gas appliances:

• household stoves;
• heating boilers;
• water heaters;
• part of the wiring;
• fasteners, stopcocks.

The owner of the apartment is required to independently monitor the condition of the apartment equipment.

In the event of a malfunction, he is obliged to contact the gas equipment maintenance company and pay for all repair work.

How to choose the right company?

A contract for the maintenance of gas-powered equipment can be concluded with any specialized organization, for example, Gorgaz, which provides gas equipment maintenance services.

Without the availability of certification notice, the employee does not have the right to begin to fulfill his duties, therefore he is obliged to present the appropriate document to the client

If you have not yet decided which gas company is best to conclude an agreement on, for example, it will be useful for you to know that all work can only be carried out by specialized enterprises.

Before concluding an agreement, it is important to make sure that the company is in the register of notifications of the start of maintenance activities in your region.

There are two mandatory requirements for specialized enterprises:

1. The organization’s staff must include a dispatch service, where you can contact at any time of the day.
2. Company employees are required to pass certification in a timely manner, and on the basis of its results obtain a work permit.

Enormous competition forces many companies to offer their customers various tricks that allow them to stand out against the background of such organizations.

Therefore, before signing the contract, it is important to carefully read its contents so as not to become a client of an incompetent company.

Signing a maintenance contract

If you have decided on the choice of a gas company, and are confident in its reliability, then you will need to conclude a contract for regular maintenance of in-house equipment. The procedure for signing the contract is carried out in several stages.

This procedure is included in the list of the company's main services prescribed in the equipment maintenance contract, therefore it is mandatory

Employees of the company conduct a conversation with each tenant according to the rules for the safe use of gas appliances, after which he receives a subscription book at the place of residence. It fixes all gas appliances installed in the apartment, as well as instructing, inspections and repairs.

The archive will need to verify the compliance of the existing equipment with the registered list in the gas distribution company. It is at this stage that many residents have the greatest problems, since many of them independently replaced and repaired gas equipment, which is against the law.

Due to untimely renewal of gas equipment, customers often encounter inconsistency of the installed equipment with entries in the subscriber book.

Next, a maintenance contract is concluded between the homeowner and the core company. For this, a tenant of a multi-storey building will need to have a passport and documents for housing.

The contract is concluded for at least 3 years. The executive organization must check the equipment once a year, and on the basis of the results of the work performed, the client is issued an appropriate act.

Correct installation of gas equipment without unforeseen consequences can only be done by a qualified specialist, so do not try to do it yourself

Signing a contract with a gas company is a mandatory procedure for each homeowner. This is necessary to ensure safety during the operation of gas appliances for all residents.

When choosing a reliable company, it is important to pay attention to the availability of a document on successful certification by employees of the organization, as well as to make sure that the staff includes an emergency dispatch service.

Rights and obligations of the parties

Before signing the contract, the client should carefully study each clause of the agreement in order to clearly understand the rights and obligations of both parties.

First, you should consider the direct responsibilities of the company, which is included in the contract for the maintenance of gas equipment:

• provision of all services prescribed in the contract;
• direct responsibility for the quality of work done;
• round-the-clock acceptance of applications for emergencies by service employees;
• mobilization of employees and residents in the event of force majeure situations;
• providing employees with timely courses.

In case of violation of the obligations specified in the contract, the contractor is liable for the discrepancy in the quality of the services provided, losses and harm caused to the customer in the course of the work. The contractor is obliged to fully compensate the customer for all losses incurred.

To start cooperation with a specific organization, the owner of the apartment will need to carefully study each clause of the contract in order to clearly understand the rights and obligations of both parties

Before signing the contract, the subscriber will need to contact the office of the gas organization with an application and provide all the necessary information about the in-house equipment. The final stage is the signing of the contract for a period of 3 years, while for the period of the agreement the contractor does not have the right to increase the cost of the services provided.

In turn, the gas company is authorized to: provide the customer with an act on the maintenance provided, as well as require the customer to pay timely for the work performed.

Before signing an agreement with the first company you like, it is important to pay attention to its reputation, including the long-standing existence and pricing policy. The suspiciously low cost of the services provided becomes a bait for many customers, because of which the quality of the work performed often suffers.

At the conclusion of the contract, the homeowner has the right to demand an annex to the document, which contains a list of ongoing work. In case of failure to fulfill the obligations specified in the agreement on the part of the contractor, the client has the right not to sign the act and apply to the gas company with a claim. Payment for the maintenance of gas equipment is made only after the signing of the act.

Customer’s responsibilities include the following conditions:

• adhere to safety rules in the process of using gas appliances;
• not to impede employees of the organization to gas equipment;
• timely notify services of the need to turn off the gas;
• Do not repair or dismantle gas systems yourself;
• pay bills for work on time.

The homeowner must sign an agreement with any specialized organization that provides gas equipment maintenance services.

This is a guarantee of the correct operation of gas appliances inside the apartment, which ensures the safety of every tenant of the house.

Do not try to fix the gas leak problem yourself, but it’s important to respond promptly and call the gas company’s emergency dispatch service

In case of emergency, the owner of the apartment is obliged to inform the emergency dispatch service about this. Ignoring the fact of a gas leak endangers all residents of a multi-storey building, and entails catastrophic consequences.

So, the customer has the right to leave applications by emergency phone at any time of the day and request additional work to improve the condition of the equipment.

Both parties are required to adhere to the listed rules provided for in a written agreement. Otherwise, the contract provides for liability that a party who violates the established rules will bear.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

You can find out more information about why it is important to conclude a contract for gas equipment from the video:

The consequences of untimely conclusion of the contract can be radical:

Each resident of a multi-storey building is required to conclude a gas contract, even if he doubts whether it is a necessity. By signing an agreement with a specialized maintenance organization, you will be sure of the safe operation of gas appliances in your apartment. In addition, in the event of an emergency you do not have to worry about whether the gas company’s employees arrive on time.

If you have already had to conclude an agreement with a profile company, you can share your experience in the feedback form below. Ask your questions in the comments to the article and get a lot of useful information from our experts.