How to refuse gas in an apartment and a private house: legal aspects

Amir Gumarov
Checked by a specialist: Amir Gumarov
Author: Tatyana Zakharova
Last update: September 2019

Despite the obvious economic benefits, many owners of apartments in MKD and private houses plan to abandon gas and completely switch to electrical equipment. The reasons for this are different: features of redevelopment, safety of residents, soot and dirt from the work of gas equipment, the need for constant maintenance.

Having started the refusal procedure, it is important to comply with legal provisions. Next we will tell you how to refuse gas in an apartment or a country house without violating legal requirements.

Rules for shutting off gas in MKD

Being the owner of gas equipment - stoves, boilers, columns - you need to know the rules for the installation, operation and maintenance of equipment. But not all the nuances lie in the area of ​​responsibility of homeowners, some of the issues are decided by the service organization - the city or district gas service.

If you have a desire to refuse gas equipment, you need to know who to contact, what documents will be required for this, and how long will the dismantling work take. We will consider the main provisions and laws that will help you to go through all stages without consequences.

Who is responsible for gas supply?

If you have already installed a stove or gas column, then you are obliged to monitor the state of the gas equipment, timely signal about its breakdowns and the need for repair, timely conclude or extend service agreement.

Gorgaz specialist checks the condition of the oven
It is better to entrust the installation and dismantling work to the representatives of Gorgaz - it is safer, faster, more professional. In this case, the gas service becomes a responsible executor and guarantees the correct operation of the equipment

On behalf of the owner may be the HOA, ZhSK, UK or another organization that provides utilities, but suppliers are still more likely to enter into service agreements directly with the owners of the apartments.

Intra-gas equipment requiring attention include:

  • cookers, boilers, boilers, convectors - any technical models that use natural or bottled gas;
  • metering devices;
  • gas pipelines multi-apartment buildings located inside or outside, connected to gas distribution stations or balloon installations.

The owners of apartments or the Criminal Code (Homeowners' Association, housing cooperative) are responsible for the common property located on the areas of a residential building. As for gas, here they are responsible for the pipes and fittings of the in-house engineering system.

The obligations of the consumer to conclude a contract for the maintenance of gas intra-house equipment are specified in Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of July 21, 2008 No. 549 ed. dated (July 21, 2008), clause 21 on the “Rules for the supply of gas to ensure the household needs of citizens”.

Gas installation for supplying MKD
The supplier is obliged, according to paragraph 3 of the same Rules, to fulfill the terms of the contract by supplying apartment owners in the MKD with natural gas from the gas distribution system or liquefied gas from balloon installations

Many residents are interested in whether it is possible to refuse to use gas in the apartment if the entire house is connected to the mains. To resolve this issue, you will have to contact all authorities - from the management company to the supplier.

Legal base

When collecting documents to start the gas shutdown procedure, controversial issues with the supplier may arise. You will find all the answers in the "Rules for the supply of gas to ensure the household needs of citizens", a link to which we gave a little higher.

If the problems relate to the payment of services or debts, the maintenance of common property - an intra-home gas pipeline, the main provisions are set out in Housing Code.

You can find any materials on gas supply, including transportation, pricing policies, and supplier warranties in Federal Law "On Gas Supply in the Russian Federation" No. 69-F3 from 03/31/1999.

Today on the agenda is the issue of banning the use of gas in the MKD. The initiative has been put forward and is being considered by experts, but they have not yet come to a single decision.

Gas explosion in MKD
The reason for the ban was frequent accidents in apartment buildings related to gas equipment and often resulting in explosions and deaths

It is proposed to install appliances with power instead of gas-powered appliances. They want to make a replacement in all regions, except for places where, for climatic or other reasons, you cannot use any other type of fuel.

When else can turn off the gas?

They can stop the gas supply to the apartment at the request of the owner, and through his fault. Consider both options.

If the owner of the apartment himself wanted terminate the gas supply agreement, and at the same time, work in all instances is well established, the procedure will not take much time.

It is carried out in two stages:

  1. Collection of documents.
  2. Dismantling work.

The Gas Supply Rules, paragraph 51, sets out the conditions under which the homeowner, who is also one of the parties to the gas supply agreement, can terminate the agreement.

So, to terminate the contract you will need:

  • Full payment for fuel supply, confirmed by receipt or check for the last month.
  • Receipt for payment of services for disconnecting in-house gas equipment from the common gas network. The work must be performed by the company with which the contract is concluded.
  • The act of dismantling with the address, date and signatures of both parties.

It is not always required to turn off permanently, sometimes you just need to suspend the fuel supply for a while. This happens if the owner of the apartment leaves home for a long time - for example, to work on a rotational basis or on a business trip abroad.

Shutdown gas equipment
Overhaul of an apartment with a complete redevelopment, installation of underfloor heating, replacement of electrical wiring, wall relocation in some cases also requires shutting off the gas main for safety reasons

There is such a thing as conservation of the apartment - when the owner moves to another city and has not yet decided what to do with the previous housing.

Unfortunately, the fuel is turned off not only on their own. Sometimes consumers consciously or not violate the rules of operation of the equipment, in connection with which the supplier company suspends the gas supply, blocking the pipeline before entering the apartment.

Here are just a few reasons for the gas supply interruption due to consumer fault:

  • Non-payment - gas shutdown is legitimate if there is no money transfer for 2 consecutive months.
  • Failure to allow representatives of the service organization to routinely inspect equipment or metering devices.
  • Violation of the rules for the operation of equipment - for example, the illegal installation of propane cylinders in an apartment.
  • The use of equipment that does not comply with the technical characteristics or standards set forth in the legal documentation.

If a contract is missing or incorrectly drawn up, the supplier may also shut off the gas. The suspension of gas supply to the consumer is notified for 40, and then a second time and 20 days before the shutdown. They can block the trunk without warning only if an emergency has occurred.

Entrance gas leak test
Sometimes during an inspection or by accident, a gas leak is detected in the entrance, in the adjacent territory or in the apartment. In this case, they can also block the fuel supply to the MCD

If the safety of the residents of the house is threatened by the danger associated with faulty equipment, they shut off the gas immediately, without warning, and after eliminating the breakdown, the whole house is again connected to the mains.

Shutdown procedure

Suppose that you finally decided to get rid of gas equipment and replace it with electrical equipment, how to refuse connected gas in an apartment building? First you need to find out which organizations will have to visit and what documents need to be provided.

UK employee advises visitor
Details can be found in the management company or in another organization responsible for paying utility bills. Usually there is a certain procedure established by law

It is better to start from the territorial site of the company Gazprom. To terminate the contract, you must submit a written statement established sample. The collected documents are attached to the application - gas and gas shutdown receiptscopies may also be required.

You must have with you passport for personal identification. May require ownership documents.

A problem may arise if not all apartment owners agree with the decision of one of the residents. To get permission from the Criminal Code, you will have to persuade everyone who is in shared or common ownership.

The duration of the shutdown procedure depends on how quickly you collect and pay the receipts, as well as the responsiveness of Gorgaz employees.

After submitting the application, they act in the following order:

  • appoint a time for visiting the apartment, convenient for everyone;
  • come and make a sketch in place;
  • conclude a contract for dismantling;
  • invoice for payment of services.

After you provide the receipt, the craftsmen come, dismantle the equipment, cut off the gas pipe, make a hole.

The approval process is fast, and the brigade’s departure may be delayed - it all depends on how busy the specialists are.

Disconnect the gas stove hose
You can turn off and remove the gas stove yourself, but you can’t do it yourself to dismantle the gas pipeline, moreover, do welding work

If you plan to use electrical equipment, we recommend that the dismantling and installation of new equipment be carried out in parallel to maintain the conditions for a full stay in the apartment.

Remember that according to LCD RF (Art. 26) and Resolution of the Gorstroy of the Russian Federation No. 170 of 09/27/2003 installation of home electrical equipment instead of gas is considered the reorganization of a dwelling - an apartment or a house, which means that it is necessary to coordinate the replacement with the local authorities.

Instructions for owners of private houses

There are many reasons for shutting off gas in private houses, located mostly in villages, summer cottages and cottage villages. The most common are the reconstruction of the house or its transfer from the place of permanent residence to the country house, which tenants visit seasonally.

Consider how to legally refuse gas in a private house. Guided by failure should all be the same Gas Supply Rules, paragraph 51. It is necessary to prove that there are no debts for payment, and to disconnect the house equipment at your own expense.

You need to start the same way - by writing an application to a gas distribution organization providing fuel and network maintenance. Only specialists have the right to insert or dismantle equipment.

Remember that all work on connecting / disconnecting fuel is carried out at the expense of the owner of the house. If you want to often perform such procedures, you have to fork out. The prices in the country differ, therefore it is better to contact the regional branch of Gazprom to clarify the cost of events.

Gas pipe cut in the village
The place of pruning is most often chosen after the meter. Cut the pipe, weld a hole or install a plug - if it is planned to reconnect in the future

When connecting the house to the gas main, all work was also carried out at the expense of the owner, therefore, any equipment - above-ground or underground branch of the gas pipeline, pipe out, wiring - will leave in their places.

Gas Resumption Procedure

If for any personal reasons, the owners of the apartment or house want to reconnect the gas home equipment, you must re-write the application to the gas distribution department at the place of registration of housing.

A common example: former owners leave, preserve the house, then sell it, and new owners want to connect to natural gas again. They need to submit an application, after which the service organization will prepare invoices for payment.

Gas service specialist checks the boiler
After payment, representatives of the gas service will leave for the place, check the connection conditions, equipment health, and then make a new insert

If the gas capacities of the new owners increase, then they will have to change meter. Usually, after paying all bills, the connection is made within 5 days - according to Decree 549, paragraph 48.

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Why is it important to trust the installation of gas appliances only to gas workers:

It is not difficult to agree on measures to shut off the gas, if you followed the operating rules, paid on time, and entered into an agreement according to all the rules. But before the final decision, still think about whether you need gas in the future - now it is the cheapest of all existing fuels in Russia.

If you do not need to use gas from time to time, just install a meter and pay for the amount actually used.

If you have questions about the topic of the article or you can supplement our material with interesting information, please leave your comments.

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