Suspension of gas supply: reasons for disconnecting from gas supply in an apartment building

Have you ever had to pay for gas at least once on time? Is it not true that one's own carelessness and bureaucratic procedures are unsettling? Consumers should know when they are in danger of being cut off and what to do after what happened. Forewarned - armed, so that all sides of the issue is best studied at a time and never again to doubt.

The article has links to legislation and practical information, so you will find out your rights and the optimal procedure. The main decisions are made by the state for people, and the latter share knowledge and experience. For each case of connecting and stopping gas supply, we have indicated a comprehensive set of options.

The quality of utilities is constantly being improved, but conflicts will always arise. Unpleasant cases with a gas outage occur for technical and financial reasons. So that this would be as small as possible and so that respectable citizens would not suffer, the gas sector is regulated at the highest level. People need to know about their rights and obligations, otherwise they will be unprepared for the problem, and even more so - to solve it.

Reasons to turn off the gas

Gas is not always paid on time, and there is nothing strange about it. A person can simply forget about receipts and the last day of the billing period.

The supply is stopped due to growing debt, as well as for technical and other reasons - when not everything depends on the company.

In the bill for gas consumed, one should read not only indicators, but also additional conditions - it will be possible to avoid "surprises"

Fuel suppliers regulate Art. 546 Civil Code (Civil Code) and the Cabinet of Ministers.Clear legislative and regulatory boundaries affect the market conditions positively, prevent conflict situations.

There are restrictions on gas outages for gas companies: there is a clear list of cases where its supply can be stopped without warning.

With consumer notice

This is normal practice, and it plays into the hands of all parties. A warning is made in writing.

Gas will not be stripped without notice if the situation corresponds to any of the following:

• the owners did not conclude an agreement on servicing the gas supply system;
• gas equipment does not meet technical standards, but there is no conclusion of a special commission on this subject;
• gas appliances and communications are not suitable for use in the region;
• tenants do not pay for gas for 2 months;
• owners do not allow inspectors to gas equipment;
• the client does not report the amount of fuel consumed, despite the fact that he is obliged to do this under the contract;
• the standard operating time of the equipment has expired.

The right to turn off the gas appears 20 days after the submission of such a notice. Not the best option for residents - sending by mail, but this is also practiced and delays occur.

A consumer may be left without gas at the most unpleasant moment, but his debt is unlikely to be a surprise to him.

Some residents are simply afraid of scammers dressed in uniforms - the example of an employee of Mosgaz shows how a real locksmith of gas equipment looks and what he should do

After a 20-day period, the fuel supply is stopped. In the worst case, they can be cut off from the gas supply system.

Gas outage

In some cases, the fuel supply is stopped without warning.

Intentional and emergency shutdowns occur due to serious equipment problems:

• a special commission established the non-compliance of gas appliances with technical requirements, as well as the likelihood of an accident;
• a gas leak has occurred;
• there are malfunctions in the gas communications of the house inside or outside;
• there was an accident at the gas distribution station.

When the problems associated with the first three points are resolved, tenants will receive the right to supply in full. The supplier will fulfill this condition within 3 business days.

First, the problem must be completely eliminated, after - report it gas company, and only then the term will begin to count down.

Allowing an authorized employee to gas equipment means taking care of our own safety, and temporarily shutting off gas is not such a big problem

After the incident, gas is supplied to the central system no later than 1 day later. Sometimes you have to wait another 2 days before it begins to arrive in full and with the right pressure.

For scheduled shutdowns for the purpose of prevention or repair, companies are given no more than 4 hours per month. Every hour over the limit means a decrease in prices for consumers by 0.15%.

Supplier Disconnect Procedure

The procedure and schedule for debt repayment and supplier rights are determined including paragraph 2 and paragraph 119 of Art. 345 of the Civil Code. Paragraph 2 refers to the suspension / suspension of gas supply, and 119 refers to a temporary suspension. The supplier must deliver Art. 549 Civil Code by postal order or in person. A fixed schedule of a possible shutdown is applied to the document.

After the first suspension, the company, for at least a month, does not have the right to stop deliveries on an ongoing basis. For customers, this period should be considered short, especially since the notification of the second restriction in the account is submitted only 3 days before its implementation.

Residents will simply miss it if they are on vacation or on a business trip. After arrival, they may see seals on gas equipment. This will mean that the shutdown has occurred.

Conscientious payers sometimes see cut-off communications on their apartment building - they can turn off both part of the house and the entire building

The suspension is made due to consumer debt or the absence of security guarantees for the supply. More precisely, the reason is non-payment or underpayment for the last 2 months or more, as well as actions or inaction of apartment owners.

Gas can be blocked for specific apartments, and after ignoring the second notification, they can be cut off from the gas network. The first option means a suspension or shutdown on an ongoing basis, the second - that then you will have to restore communications. Gas can be cut off and the entire apartment building (MKD).

Voluntary refusal of gas

Item 51 Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 549 states that consumers have the right to terminate gas supply agreements unilaterally. Clients only pay for all gas for which they have not yet paid, and work on turning off the equipment.

Consumers also inform all parties and responsible authorities. Failure is usually associated with a switch to electrical equipment.

The legislation does not allow the dismantling of gas equipment on its own, because this is a risk for the whole house: inconvenience, accidental shutdown of other apartments, in the worst case, an explosion. It is impossible to intervene in the operation of the system in a private building. Violation of this norm will result in a fine being added to expenses.

Over the past 10 years, electric stoves have partially replaced gas stoves, but there are enough minuses for electrical appliances: when there is no light, you can’t cook food

To suspend the gas supply to the apartment as quickly as possible and without violations, you should contact the HOA or the management company. The competent authorities will give information about the legality of certain manipulations. Right crop or carry gas pipes only employees with a license have it.

Where to start?

The first step is to contact the management company or HOA. They will help draw up an application for refusal of gas, talk about the nuances of replacing gas devices with electric ones. There you can also familiarize yourself with the procedure for stopping gas supply for residents of MKD.

Then you need to go to Gorgaz with a completed application and the following documents:

• passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation;
• receipts proving that there is no debt to pay for gas;
• documents for the apartment where gas is supplied.

Giving up gas is sometimes accompanied by difficulties. Apartment buildings are part of housing funds, so permission from the management company will be needed: employees usually meet them and help in resolving issues, but different things can happen. Without the consent of the co-owners of the apartment, the business will not budge at all.

How long will the shutdown take?

It will take a little more than a month if there is no delay.

The main process consists of 4 stages:

1. Inspection of equipment by a gas service worker.
2. Drawing up a drawing.
3. Conclusion of a contract for the performance of work.
4. Bill payment.

After that, the work itself begins - a purely technical moment. Pipe sections are removed, and the remaining holes are tightly welded. Arriving teams await an average of 20 days. At the same time, a more difficult stage in the coordination of documents takes 5 days.

The work of gas pipe dismantling specialists will also be slowed down by the transfer of housing to electrical equipment. These two processes usually go simultaneously.

Gas shutdown cost

The cost will vary from region to region. The price order can be found in the territorial branch of the gas service at the location of the MKD or on the official website. The gas supplier takes money for leaving the brigade and cutting the lowering to the gas device - the part of the pipe through which the fuel flows to the stove or other device.

Deviations in gas supply systems

We are talking about malfunctions in gas communications.They become the reason for the suspension of filing without warning and in a short time. Damage can be detected even after years.

The image shows simple rules for the use and care of gas appliances (stoves) to increase their service life

So, the problems and their causes:

• disturbances in the system as a result of equipment reorganization not according to the rules or due to unauthorized interference;
• incorrect operation of the system for automatically shutting off the fuel supply in excess of the permissible deviation limits - in cases where quick repair is not possible;
• equipment is understaffed or faulty and cannot be repaired;
• failure to comply with the requirements for the operation of gas appliances;
• unauthorized installation of gas pipelines with a loss of standards;
• connection to a common distribution system without permission;
• operation of gas appliances with fatal gas leakage.

The problem is indicated by the lack of draft in the smoke and ventilation ducts. Due to insufficient air flow, the gas burns in an incomplete volume.

Illegal shutdown of gas

It is worth familiarizing yourself with the legislative regulation in the field of gas supplies. For example, read Federal Law No 69 on 03/31/1999Government Decree No. 162 dated February 5, 1998 and Government Decree No. 549 dated July 21, 2008.

They also act with them PP number 354 and PP No. 410. Their contents were amended on 05/06/2011 and 05/14/2013, respectively, and the innovations affected the sphere of public utilities and safety measures during the operation of gas equipment.

Normative legal acts regulate the principles of supply and pricing, the issue of social guarantees. Contracts are laid and executed in accordance with these documents. The state accepted them, first of all, in the interests of domestic consumers.

Possible situations of illegal shutdown:

• disconnection from the gas distribution system on any basis not prescribed by law;
• disconnection by a party that does not appear in maintenance contracts;
• due to circumstances for which the gas company lies;
• based on debt from a small percentage of all subscribers;
• due to lack of access to equipment, if tenants were not at home;
• without mandatory notice;
• without meeting deadlines.

Long cutting during the heating season, which leads to damage to utilities and property, does not comply with the law. Provided that gas is the only heating option.

Due to damage during the heating season, especially in winter, the equipment may need expensive repairs, so the likelihood of a shutdown will be lower

The rights should be asserted first verbally and then in writing. The supplier can ignore the complaint, but then 3 options will immediately appear: the service for supervision of consumer protection, the prosecutor's office or the court if the damage has already been assessed.

Conditions and procedure for resuming gas supply

You can get gas again after eliminating all the reasons for which the supply was cut off. This takes up to 2 months if the problem is technical. The consumer eliminates all problems, repays the debt, and only then you can submit information and write an application to resume services.

The client should come to the office of the company, write an appeal in 2 copies. The application must contain:

• date, time and place of drawing up the document
• Provider details
• Name of the recipient or legal name if the customer is a company;
• reasons for the suspension of gas supply;
• a list of gas shutdown works and measures to eliminate the reasons that served this purpose - if the shutdown was not voluntary;
• date and time of all work, and you can also get this information from the supplier.

Receipts for payment for gas and measures for its voluntary shutdown are also added to the statement.

Government Decree Number 549 in p. 48 obliges the supplier company to start supplying gas within 5 days from the receipt of such treatment.

The action algorithm for connecting

First, they resolve the issue with the supplier and eliminate the cause of the shutdown. Repairmen perform their part of the work if there has been a breakdown, and the consumer has to control the process.

Solving the problem step by step:

1. We leave a request.
2. We pay for services on issued receipts.
3. We present to the contractor a certificate of payment.
4. We express wishes regarding the terms.

In the process of reconnecting to the gas network, there are subtleties. If the supply was discontinued by the company due to external factors, then the restoration should occur upon the solution of precisely these problems. He has no right to refuse to supply gas for other reasons.

Sometimes a third party is guilty: someone can throw snow from the roof and damage the pipe - then you should contact the Housing Office

Pricing is on the list of powers of a gas supplier, whether it be a state, municipal or private organization. This also applies to connection services. Apartment buildings serve mainly Gorgaz.

The payment of connection / disconnection is undertaken by the guilty party. Connection will be paid by Gorgaz if the damage happened due to emergency workers.

It happens that gas is cut off or cut off into a separate apartment, and the rest receive it. The owner will be able to use blue fuel again after he pays for the restoration of the gas system.

Unexpected disconnection from gas supply

In gas networks sometimes accidents, interruptions, freezing occur. A sudden stop of gas supply will most likely occur at an uncomfortable moment, although there is nothing good in a deliberate shutdown.

First of all, tenants have thoughts about security: they go to the neighbors and find out if an isolated incident occurred or not. As a rule, there is nothing to be afraid of, because supplying companies from time to time carry out scheduled repairs and replace equipment.

The reason for the shutdown can be scheduled work: the restoration of pipes and the laying of new gas lines takes from several hours to several days

If the reason for the shutdown is unknown, then you need to contact the emergency gas service (104, it is also possible through 112), the management company or the supplier. It is in this order, if no information was received from the previous instance.

The accident in the gas network will be told in the emergency service. Perhaps the reasons will also be reported. In any case, they should start checking.

The emergency service is obliged to inspect the gas pipeline in a short time, if it does not have information about the reasons for stopping traffic in pipes, it should take no more than 5 minutes to prepare for departure

Secondly, they turn to the Housing Office or the Housing and Utilities Department - this is what management companies call themselves. If it was not possible to find out by number 104, then the Criminal Code is likely to inform of the planned works and the corresponding notification. Apartment owners do not always receive a notice if it was not placed at the entrance to the entrance.

The service provider is unlikely to have to call. The first two instances notify of upcoming work, and may not know the answer to the remaining questions in the company itself. Especially if an accident occurred in a remote place. In which case, the supplier’s contact details can be found on the receipt.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

In what cases can gas be turned off, statistics of violations and features of service contracts:

Malfunctions, frequent cases in practice and recommendations on how to avoid them:

To receive the debt, the company can apply to the court, in order to then recover the lost amount together with the bailiffs:

Gas supply may be suspended for a 2-month delay or for safety reasons. At the same time, gas pipeline accidents are causing trouble for both customers and suppliers.To balance the rights of both market participants, laws and regulations were adopted. They were supplemented and improved.

To suspend the gas supply and its connection, there is a clear procedure. In addition, consumers and suppliers have legal grounds for specific steps. A multidisciplinary supervision service in the field of consumer protection is also functioning in Russia. This is one of the structures where you can complain if you turned off the gas or illegally refused to connect it.

Share your experiences in the comments and feel free to ask about the nuances. Your particular case may exactly match the situation of another visitor to the site. Tell us about how you solved the issue of gas supply or what steps are being taken to do this now.