A pipe burst, the neighbors were flooded, who is to blame?

In this article, I want to tell you how to act if an apartment is flooded due to a burst riser, because in any case, most residential property owners are at a loss when faced with such a situation, they think that they will have to carry out repairs in their apartment at their own expense and compensate for the damage to their neighbors, but this not this way. Yes, there are cases when the negligence of the owners themselves leads to such accidents and breakthroughs, but I will tell you that the owner of the residential premises in which the breakthrough occurred is not always to blame for a riser breakthrough, and then I will tell you about your actions in such a situation.

The reasons why the flood occurred and what to do if you flooded your neighbors

If you notice a flood due to a broken pipe, you must turn off the water. And also immediately turn off the electricity and call the emergency service from your management company. Then find out whose fault the flood occurred, who lives in the apartment below, and whether you flooded them.

Factors that could lead to a pipe burst:

Faulty or emergency condition of heating devices, pipes, all this can lead to leakage.
Water hammer caused by high pressure.

As a result, an emergency situation occurs in which you need to know how to behave:

Notify the management company
If they do not come, then to the city emergency service
Take a photo or video of the breakthrough site as evidence
Rescue things and equipment.

We find out the causes of the accident

What could have caused the leak?

Manufacturing defect.
The installation was completed with errors.
Rust.
The pipe was damaged during repairs.
Pressure surge.

What exactly is the cause of the accident can be determined by an expert examination. An examination can be ordered by a court (if the case has reached it), or you can invite an expert yourself. For example, specialists from the Federation of Forensic Experts have the right to conduct an examination.

What to do to avoid such accidents?

No one is immune from pipe bursts. Most of our houses were built during the Soviet Union. Sewage, plumbing and heating systems, of course, wear out. But you can still take some actions yourself:

Buy all plumbing fixtures, as well as materials for installation, in stores where you will be given a warranty card and a receipt.
Replace pipes only in the presence of representatives of the housing office.
Monitor the condition of the pipes and risers in your apartment yourself, even if you rent it.

Who is to blame if a pipe bursts and the neighbors are flooded?

To figure out who is to blame, you need to know whose property is the apartment of the flooded.

1. If the apartment is not privatized, then you perform the duties of a renter of housing, and the responsibilities for the operation and repair of equipment belong to the landlord, that is, the state, which, in turn, transfers these powers to the management company.

Important!! It turns out that all expenses must be borne by the management company

It is difficult to prove the guilt of the management company, since the tenant should monitor the serviceability of the devices and promptly submit an application for their replacement to the management company. If you notice that the pipe is already in unusable condition, then you need to immediately contact their specialist. All work must be carried out at your expense, but by their employees.

2. In the case when the apartment belongs to you under a share agreement, then until you pay the last installment, all the blame for flooding also lies on the shoulders of the management company.

3. If the apartment is privatized, then it is your property

Therefore, all the blame will fall on you and the costs of compensating the damage to your neighbors, too, but the company’s employees are required to come to you twice a year to inspect the serviceability of the equipment, and if you did not let them in, and they documented this, then it will be impossible to accurately lay the blame on them.

We can talk about a peaceful settlement of the issue if the participants on both sides agree on the amount of damage. Of course, the issue is resolved if the culprit immediately hands over the money, which is enough to carry out repairs and restore the damaged equipment .

Legal regulation regarding the breakdown of the riser

The riser is equal to the common property of the house. This is confirmed at the legislative level and is regulated by the fifth paragraph of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of August 13, 2006 No. 491.

In addition, all engineering communications carried out inside a particular residential building also belong to this type of property. to ensure that intra-house property is properly maintained (paragraph 42 of the above-mentioned official document). The document also stipulates that everyone who provides services to the public for the maintenance of multi-apartment residential buildings (management structure or other persons) is fully responsible to the apartment owners for the improper maintenance of common property.

the management company is responsible for an emergency breakthrough of the riser or destruction of its branch to the locking mechanism . Separate consideration is required for situations where the owner, on his own initiative and without the appropriate permitting documentation, carried out repair work in a residential area, which resulted in an accident.

Causes of the accident

Most of the housing and communal services stock is characterized by a high degree of deterioration. The reason for this may be the improper performance of official duties by an employee of the management organization, who must monitor residential buildings.

Untimely repair of equipment and poor-quality repair of existing communications that serve to provide public services (water supply, central heating, sewerage, etc.) can lead to an emergency situation in the owners’ apartments.

The riser structure looks like this:

Your actions if your neighbors refuse a peaceful settlement of the issue

In this case, the following measures must be taken:

Record the damage on paper by drawing up a report in the presence of your neighbors; everything must be described in detail
Also, do not forget that in addition to damaged ceilings, walls and floors, equipment could be damaged, so collect as many photographs as possible of the damage caused.
You can film the flood so that the scale of what happened can be clearly seen, take photographs

Important!! If the management company is still to blame, then most likely the best solution to the problem is to go to court, but there you will have to deal with their trained lawyer who will prove their innocence in every possible way.

If the apartment is municipal

The question arises, who compensates for damage when residential premises are transferred to municipal rental?

Know! The user of such premises is the responsible person for carrying out routine repairs of the premises. However, such a person is not obliged to repair or replace pipes.

This is due to the fact that repair or replacement of pipes is a type of major repair, which, in accordance with civil law, is carried out by the owner of the property at his own expense.

Therefore, repairs of such equipment are carried out at the expense of municipal authorities, public organizations or enterprises.

Watch the video. The water riser in the apartment burst, who is to blame?

How to draw up an act correctly?

This document does not have a specific form; it is drawn up in writing in the presence of witnesses, owners of the property that was flooded and citizens living above, if they are guilty.

The act must reflect:

date, time when the flooding occurred
reasons for what happened
what were the consequences
assess the approximate extent of the damage or will subsequently have to make an expert assessment.

If the neighbors who flooded you refuse to sign the act, this should also be reflected by signing the victims and witnesses. The act is required in court, in addition to the statement of claim.

Who to call if there is a pipe break?

If the pipes have burst thoroughly, and there is not enough time for independent repairs, first of all it is necessary to call plumbers . The best option is for one of the family members to dial the phone number, while the others try to fix the problem using available means.
If such a situation happened during working hours on a weekday, then you need to call the housing department, or directly to a plumber who works under this organization.

Advice: the phone number of the Housing Office can often be found written on the entrance doors.

If pipes burst at night or on the weekend, you need to call the emergency service of your local water utility.

Advice: emergency phone numbers should be written out in advance, so that in the event of a water pipe break, you don’t have to waste time searching for numbers through help desks.

The first step is to call emergency services

Expert procedure after the flood

Important!! If the neighbors did not want to come to an amicable agreement, then you will have to spend money on an expert assessment of what happened . The report is completed in about 10 days.

The expert’s assessment consists not only of damage caused by damage to the ceiling, wallpaper and wet walls; all property that was damaged is also included in the list. And then the neighbors who did not want to resolve the issue peacefully will have to answer for all the losses.

The report must be of a certain type, and the organization must have a license to carry out assessment activities.

After receiving the expert assessment report, you can submit documents to the court. The package should contain:

statement of claim;
documents on ownership of the apartment;
a flood report drawn up by you or a representative of the management company;
a similar document from an independent expert;
photographs and videos of the damaged apartment;
estimate of work to eliminate damage from the flood.

For a lawsuit with a management company, if it is to blame for the flood, a similar package of documents is needed, only the statement of claim is drawn up in a different form. On the part of the Criminal Code, a professional lawyer will act against you, who will use any excuse to ruin the case. Therefore, make sure that all documents are drawn up and executed in accordance with the rules.

Important!! The court may recommend that the problem be resolved amicably: you reduce the amount of your claims, and the defendant voluntarily pays it.

You can accept the offer or refuse. In the second case, the final decision about who is right and who is wrong and how much money needs to be paid will remain with the judge.

Along with a claim for compensation for damage to the home, many try to receive compensation for moral damage. As a rule, the court rejects such claims, since moral damage is not affected to the extent that it is subject to compensation. The best way out of a flood situation is to pay the insurance company if you have taken care of insurance in advance.

Judicial practice on compensation for damage caused by a burst riser

The case was heard by the Oktyabrsky District Court of Samara . By decision of February 27, 2021, in case No. 2-561/2021, a decision was made to compensate the owner of the apartment for damages caused. The owner of the residential premises filed a claim in court. He acted as a plaintiff.

His demand was to recover money from the management organization (acting as a defendant) for monetary compensation for damage caused to property as a result of a break in the riser. The defendant did not admit his guilt, despite the fact that the communications related to common property for which he was responsible.

The defendant justified his position by the fact that the plaintiff did not agree on the reconstruction of the pipes in the apartment. The court made the following decision in the case under consideration. Since the defendant performed his duties to inspect the risers improperly, the management company must compensate 50% of the damage caused in favor of the plaintiff.

Examples of court decisions in cases of flooding of apartments

Practice shows that in rare cases, the management organization responsible for the damage caused voluntarily agrees to compensate the losses incurred in full. In this case, further resolution of the conflict situation will be dealt with by the court. The owner will have to prove that he is not the culprit of the accident. As a rule, the case is considered over three court hearings.

Examples of decisions where the apartment owner’s requirements were satisfied:

Lefortovo District Court of Moscow: Decision of October 20, 2019 in case No. 2-3413/2019;
Vologda District Court: Decision of September 18, 2021 in case No. 2-1214/2019;
Nazarovsky District Court of the Krasnoyarsk Territory: Decision of September 17, 2021 in case No. 2-1083/2020;
Central District Court of Chelyabinsk: Decision of September 25, 2020 in case No. 2-1297/2020;
Kirov City Court of the Murmansk Region: Decision of September 26, 2021 in case No. 2-660/2021;
Industrial District Court of Samara: Decision of September 20, 2021 in case No. 2-4175/2021.

Important! In addition to compensation for actual damage, it is possible to file a claim for compensation for moral damage. In judicial practice, there are examples of satisfying such claims based on flooding of premises.

Thus, if the riser breaks down, you should immediately plan your actions. It is necessary to identify the cause of the accident and correctly analyze the situation. Then you should draw up an application and send it to the management organization.

The doorbell that has become a classic, the cry: “You are flooding us!” or a water fountain right at the entrance - unpleasant, but often inevitable features of Russian home ownership. There is nothing good about ankle-deep water. But the further consequences of a broken heating pipe can spoil your mood and hit your budget much more seriously.

However, forewarned is forearmed! Let's figure out what to do, who is to blame and “where to run” in the event of a flood.

Causes of a pipe burst

There are few of them, but each one determines the further actions of the victims and the search for the culprit.

• Poor state of communications, dilapidated house • Faulty condition of heating devices and shut-off valves • Incorrect installation and connection of heating devices, lack of professional sealant • Defects in equipment, pipes • Water hammer due to a sharp increase in pressure

It is also important to take into account the time of year when the breakthrough occurred.

— If this is the heating season, then there may be several reasons for the breakthrough, it all depends on the specific case. The reason is determined based on the results of a commission inspection and examination.

— If the accident occurred outside the heating season, then there are no options. The cause of a pipe break is incorrect hydraulic testing. Internal networks were not disconnected from the mains, and since the coolant is supplied under high pressure, the pipes or radiators simply could not withstand the pressure. In 90% of cases, this is a human factor, and the blame falls on the management company or heating point.

PIPE BREACH POINT

Localization of the accident is a matter of principle. This is understandable even without studying the regulatory and legislative framework. There can be two options here:

- Internal accident.

The difference is clear even intuitively. Supply and return pipes, valves, fittings, pump, pressure sensors - all this applies to common property.

That is, to the area of direct responsibility of the management company. If the breakthrough happened in the basement or entrance, it is up to your management company to deal with it exclusively.

But if a flood occurs directly in the apartment, the resident should act quickly and clearly.

Your actions

1. Determine the location of the breakthrough. The problem may be your neighbors, who live several floors above. If the “heroes of the occasion” are in touch or at home, you can greatly reduce losses and future problems.

2. At the same time, report the pipe break to the management company. And immediately - to the city emergency service, especially if boiling water is pouring from the pipe (from the ceiling). For this purpose, always keep the numbers of the Criminal Code and emergency services at hand.

In Moscow, you can use the “Houses of Moscow” service, which contains up-to-date information about the maintenance of apartment buildings - https://dom.mos.ru. There is a category for the areas of responsibility of the State Budgetary Institution, telephone numbers of a 24-hour control room and other useful information.

But it’s better, we repeat, to Google your contacts in advance and write them down.

3. Record everything on your phone’s camera - the location of the pipe break, the actions of specialists, in general, everything that happens.

4. Do not stop the leak yourself and do not rush to eliminate the consequences. This is dangerous because... During the heating season, the water temperature in the pipes exceeds 55 °C. It was also not enough to get burns.

5. When the crew eliminates the accident, carefully record the damage to property. Compensation for filling the apartment depends on this.

First, you record the losses yourself, and then call a commission from the management company, which must conduct an inspection of the property within 3 days and issue an inspection report. You have the right to invite independent experts (by paying for their services) to assess the damage. The expert assessment will serve as evidence of material claims against the culprit of the accident during the trial.

Who is guilty?

According to Article 15 of the Civil Code, the victim has the right to compensation for losses (and even lost benefits).

But identifying the person through whose fault these losses occurred is the most difficult stage.

Resolution of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 491 of August 13, 2006, as amended on November 23, 2021, will help us figure it out.

According to this document, the common intra-house property includes a heating system along with risers, radiators, control and shut-off valves, common house heat energy meters and other equipment on these networks.

That is, the management company servicing the house is responsible for the state of communications. By law, the management company is obliged to check the equipment twice a year and, at its own expense, fix problems and/or replace damaged radiators, pipes, etc.

What happens - is the management company always to blame for a flood? Is it the management company that will compensate for the damage to the apartment owner, as well as to the neighbors who suffered from a pipe break? Not so simple.

Firstly, to annually check the condition of communications, management specialists need access to the apartment, of which residents are notified in advance. If plumbers and mechanics were not allowed into the apartment, this fact (recorded) removes any responsibility from the management company and shifts it to the owner of the property.

Secondly, when pipes or radiators rupture, the important question is, have they been replaced? If the apartment has pipes and batteries from the developer, then the management company is responsible for the leak and compensates for the damage. If the residents changed the pipes and batteries on their own, without notifying or involving specialists from the management company, without using sealing threads and pastes, then the blame falls on the owner of the apartment. Therefore, when repairing and replacing communications, ideally you should contact your management company rather than a third-party organization.

When collaborating with an outside repair team, always enter into an agreement, keep receipts and warranties for equipment and materials. This way you can prove the guilt of third parties (workers or seller) if the cause of the accident is improper assembly and installation of the system or a defect.

A heating pipe rupture and everything that follows is a controversial case in legal practice. Each case is considered individually, and the decision - under equal conditions in apartment buildings - can be made both in favor of the management company and in favor of the owner. It's hard to guess here. Contradictions on the issue start from the top - in regulations and documents.

As we have already written, Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 491 dated August 13, 2006 classifies radiators installed in an apartment, as well as control and shut-off valves, as common property. The Housing Code of the Russian Federation speaks about this, in particular Article 36, clause 3, part 1.

At the same time, there is a decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation dated September 22, 2009 (No. GKPI09-725), which excludes radiators with shutdown devices in apartments from the common property of the house.

This is such a paradox. For a positive outcome of the case, contact lawyers with experience in handling cases in the housing and communal services sector.

What to do next?

Unfortunately, it is rarely possible to peacefully resolve the issue of who is to blame and how much damages will be paid. If the fault, based on the results of the examination, falls on the management company, it is obliged, within 30 days from the date of presentation of the demand, to compensate losses not only to the owner of the “emergency” apartment, but also to his injured neighbors. Otherwise, the owner files a claim in court indicating the amount of damage to him and his neighbors. Additionally, you can request compensation for legal expenses and moral damages.

To go to court you must have the following documents:

• Inspection report of the apartment where flooding was recorded • Expert assessment of the damage caused • Photos and videos showing the location of the pipe break and the consequences

The more documents - acts, examinations, conclusions - you take with you, the easier it will be to prove the guilt of the Criminal Code or a third party.

If the owner is responsible for the flood, there is no need to bring the situation to court. You can and should reach an amicable agreement with your neighbors, out of court.

You enter into a peace agreement on the voluntary repayment of the amount of material damage, which records the data (name, address, telephone numbers) of both parties, the date and time of the incident, and the amount of damages compensated. Couldn't you reach an agreement? Then there is only one way out - court. Based on the results of the meetings, the judge will make an objective decision on the amount and timing of payment.

Of course, no one is immune from force majeure, but you can still avoid unpleasant situations. Monitor the condition of your home, change communications in a timely manner, and inform specialists about malfunctions. In an effort to save on the simplest repairs, there is a high chance of spending ten times more. And not only money, but time and nerves.

To be confident in your home's pipes and avoid any adverse consequences, use modern pipe sealing materials! You can buy them directly on our website directly from the manufacturer at affordable prices.

Comments

April 25, 2017
Natalya

Hello! Help me with this question. I live in a four-story, two-story house. All apartments have been privatized. We pay monthly for the maintenance and repair of housing. A month ago, a water pipe burst below the house; the neighbors below did not notice right away. Therefore, our water bill came to us very high. The housing and communal services told us that if we don’t pay, they will sue us. Who is right?

0 0 Reply

April 25, 2017

Mikhail (o-trubah.ru) ➜Natalia

It all depends on whose jurisdiction the pipe on which the burst occurred is located. If the site was located outside the house, and even more so outside the apartments, then with a high probability the housing and communal services are trying to blame the excess water consumption on the residents. But other situations are possible, so it’s worth at least: Finding out who is responsible for the technical condition of the pipe damaged by a burst. In any case, consult a lawyer.

0 0 Reply

Puddles on the roads

State Unitary Enterprise Mosvodostok is responsible for eliminating puddles on roads and in yards. In total, the organization services more than 110 thousand water intake wells. According to the regulations, they are cleaned throughout the year. In places where water is likely to accumulate (low places), this should be done at least twice a month, as well as after each snowfall or rain. In places where large puddles have formed, emergency teams are on duty to pump out water and ensure that it does not accumulate. For the work, specialized pumping equipment is used, and the wells are cleaned manually.

Now, during the sudden melting of snow, about 370 emergency teams are involved in the work - about 1,000 people and 239 units of special equipment. The work is being carried out around the clock: the dispatch service of Mosvodostok received almost 160 complaints about the accumulation of water on the capital’s streets. More than half of the applications have already been processed.

If you find a large puddle on the road, you can contact the central dispatch service of the enterprise and leave a request to call a team by phone or contact the “Our City” portal.

Detailed instructions on how and to whom to report flooding on roads can be found on the mos.ru portal in the “City Advisor” section.

Causes of pipe bursts

Most mistakes are made during installation. The most typical include:

Use of pipes, fittings and installation tools from various manufacturers. Even compliance with GOST is not a guarantee in this case. GOST limits only the maximum permissible deviations of the diameter from the wall thickness of pipelines in a larger direction.
Uneven pipe cut edge before installing connections.
The use of unsuitable sealants and adhesives that have a destructive chemical effect on pipes and fittings.
Contamination of the connecting surfaces of fittings and pipes.
Incomplete installation of connections, when mounting rings or thread-clamping adapters are not pushed onto the cut end of the pipe all the way, and also when the end of the pipes is not pushed onto the fitting all the way.
Disproportionate force applied to the manual installation tool.
Installation of pipes adjacent to the fitting with a deviation from the axis of the fitting, resulting in a bending or torsional force transmitted to the fitting.

The main mistake when installing polymer pipes is failure to follow the basic installation rules. Be sure to ensure that pipes and fittings are not subjected to excessive mechanical stress. If any element of the pipeline has even minor damage, it is better to replace it. It is advisable to even unpack the pipe coil without cutting the packaging with a knife. To avoid damage in places where it passes through building structures, it is necessary to lay the pipe in a corrugated sleeve. If you install pipes in winter, remember that welding is carried out only at above-zero temperatures (minimum 5 °C). And of course, do not forget that both tools and pipes must be clean.

Ivan Khripunov

Technical Specialist

Fixation of polymer pipes must be carried out using special fixing elements, clamps and clips. Photo: Uponor

When installing polymer and metal-plastic pipelines, it is important to protect the pipes from mechanical damage. Photo: Uponor. Pipes should not experience bending or tensile loads; deviation from the fitting axis is prohibited

Photo: Viega

Pipes should not experience bending or tensile loads; Deviation from the fitting axis is prohibited. Photo: Viega

It also gets to the pipes during operation. Freezing, exposure to ultraviolet radiation, exceeding the maximum permissible pressure during hydraulic tests - all this can lead to pipe failure.

General recommendations

If there is a sewerage break, you must shut off the water supply, and you must also stop using the toilet and sinks in the damaged area; try to clear the blockage with a flexible metal cable;
If the DHW system leaks, shut off the water supply using the shut-off valve at the outlet from the common riser. Promptly collect water from the floor surface, trying to prevent leaks into the underlying rooms;
If heating pipelines break, the first thing you need to do is close the Mayevsky taps on the heating devices (stop taps). Take measures to prevent flooding of neighbors below in the event of a breakthrough of coolant on risers and pipelines.

Having familiarized yourself with this material, you will now be able, without getting confused if your sewer system breaks, or there is a leak in heating or water supply pipes, to take timely measures and prevent adverse consequences for yourself and others.

Preventive measures

So that the question does not arise: “what to do if a pipe bursts?” and this situation did not turn out to be an emergency for residents of apartments or private houses, it is necessary to occasionally check the condition of the heating system pipes, as well as water pipes.

Any pipeline failure is preceded by some symptoms, for example the following:

if the system has steel pipes, then in some places the paint on them begins to peel off over time, this is a sign that rust plays an important role in this place;
if drops of water appear on the pipe itself or at the joints, this indicates that it is necessary to take action and look for the cause of their appearance.

Of course, you can’t have enough repair materials and spare parts for all life situations, but it is advisable to have a small coil of wire and a piece of rubber from an old car inner tube. The question “A pipe burst, what should I do?” will never take you by surprise.

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Dream Interpretation - Smoke pipe

Seeing yourself in the role of a stove maker or chimney sweep, building or cleaning a chimney - to well-being and victory over competitors

If you have seen a chimney in your own home, you need to pay attention to the condition in which it was. A whole, cleanly bleached pipe - to the well-being and prosperity of your family

If the chimney smoked heavily, the dream foreshadows conflicts and discord in the family. In this case, imagine that you are cleaning the chimney and the pipe stops smoking. Seeing that a pipe has collapsed is a very bad sign. The dream foreshadows a serious illness or even the death of the head of the family. Imagine that you call a stove repairman and he will restore the collapsed areas and strengthen the entire pipe. You have nothing to fear anymore. Sitting on a pipe means an unusually interesting event will happen in your life soon. Whitewashing a pipe means you have work ahead of you that will bring you financial profit and aesthetic pleasure. Seeing a factory chimney means hard, poorly paid work. If you dreamed of a factory chimney, imagine that you are getting into a car and driving away from this place (see Car).

How to lay pipes correctly

Here the recommendations will be the simplest: installers must strictly follow the rules for laying pipes of one type or another and be careful when working. Do not use excessive force, and when working, use only serviceable tools. Some types of fittings require special tools, which can be expensive. But you shouldn't give it up. In extreme cases, the instrument can be rented.

Some fairly common mistakes include installing pipes without taking into account their temperature coefficients of linear expansion. For polymer materials it is quite high. If, for example, the supply line from the collector to the heating device runs in a straight line and its length exceeds 5 m, then temperature deformations will be fully transmitted to the connection point to the heating device. You can avoid this with some simple techniques.

1. Lay the connections from the collector to the heating device in ledges with a 90° rotation, leaving a straight section in front of the radiator of no more than 1.5 m.

2. Fix the connection unit to the ceiling.

3. Flare the end of the connecting tubes to the radiator.

When laying polymer pipelines openly, thermal expansions should be calculated and compensated using L- and U-shaped compensators, fixing gutters and fixed supports, or use metal-polymer pipelines.

Sergei Bulkin

Head of the technical support group for the Engineering Systems direction at REHAU

Everyone is stalling for time, but you continue to drown? Instructions on how to stir up a management company

An important block for residents of the old building. Many management companies take on bad houses in order to receive money and invest minimally back. If this is your situation, get ready to deal with delays.

Here are your instructions:

Record all calls and requests
. Enable call recording on your phone. Collect as much evidence as possible that the management company is not doing its job well.
Leave a written appeal to the Criminal Code
. Write an application to fix the leak and create a commission. Indicate the standard deadlines there - 12 hours to prepare the report and up to 3 days to eliminate the leak. Inform the employee who will accept the application about the deadline.
Call the city's housing and communal services hotline
. Government control rooms operate in the regions. Briefly describe the problem and ask them to take control of the situation.
Call Rospotrebnadzor and the housing inspectorate
. Leave your request there. They often refuse to accept applications over the phone. Therefore, go to the website and leave an email with a brief description of the problem. Ideally, if the resource of the regulatory authority supports authorization through “State Services”. This makes the application more formal and allows for surprise inspections of the service organization.
Leave a request to GIS Housing and Communal Services
. You need an account on the State Services website. This application will be considered for 30 days. Consider it a backup option when the management company resists.

You can even write to the prosecutor's office. There is little direct benefit from them. They forward the request to the right authority, but take control of it and write to you about it. Be sure to indicate at the end of the application something like: “Please check for legality...” and list what the prosecutor’s office needs to look into.

If the manager cares about her reputation and account balance, then she will move on the 3rd point. The further you go, the larger the fines and the longer the checks.

Author's personal experience: A plastic ceiling is your protector from serious damage due to a leak.
The water is distributed over the joints and drains slowly. Minimal risk of instant flooding of the room I fought with a very stubborn management company. At first I tried to solve all the problems peacefully - gave extra time, did not put pressure. At a certain point, the management company finally let go of the situation. She stopped even trying to find out the source of the leak. I sent applications to this list. I started calling the regulatory authorities almost every day and checking on the development of the situation. The leak was repaired in about 2 working weeks. The housing inspectorate took control of the situation and began calling me back every few days. The management company changed the site foreman and worked out all possible sources of the problem. Conclusion: become an inconvenient customer. Call all regulatory authorities. Leave complaints. Write as many statements as possible. Call the hotlines and the control room of the management company every day. Be annoying, then your problem will become a priority. For particularly difficult cases, use the portal “RosZhKH” or “Angry Citizen”. This is a last chance weapon. Automated services for generating and sending applications to all authorities. This way you will involve everyone in the case: supervisory authorities, the regional government, the prosecutor’s office

Half of the statements will be transferred between authorities, but you will attract attention to the problem.