Sealing water meters: to pay or not to pay?. Articles of the company "STMMART"

What is a seal and why is it on the meter?

The metering device is considered officially valid only after sealing. The seal protects against illegal access. It is a round seal of small diameter, usually no more than 3 cm. It is made of metal and plastic. Magnetic seals or tapes for the water meter can also be used. Special standards regulate what the seal on the water meter should look like.

Mechanical lead seals consist of a lead plate with a hole for a wire.
Mechanical plastic fillings are lightweight and sometimes melt when exposed to high temperatures.
Rotary locks are a more complex type of seal with laser engraving.
Antimagnetic seals-stickers. The design is applied to the sticker using paint containing metal particles. If you bring a magnet to the counter, the drawing will “float”, and this can no longer be corrected.

Sealing water meters allows organizations responsible for water supply to secure the readings of water meters and make them reliable.

How to seal a water meter when first installing or replacing

Having decided who will seal the water meter - the management company or the water utility, you can fill out an application and wait for the procedure to be completed. To put a seal on the meter, the subscriber must prepare all the documentation and also be sure that the device is installed in accordance with all existing legal rules. After submitting the application, a technician visits the designated apartment and carries out the sealing procedure.

During initial installation, the application must be filled out as follows:

owner details – passport information, apartment address;
owner contact information;
planned date of commissioning of the water meter, its serial number;
certificate of installation of a water meter;
information about the company installing the water meter;
the latest readings of the device, if it has already been used;
date of the next verification of the device.

When replacing the device, the same data is indicated, only the water consumption readings are not taken into account. If the device is replaced, the indicators are reset to zero and after commissioning they are counted from zero. The filling itself is simple: the master uses a special device called a seal. It has a small hole through which the wire is threaded. This wire is also threaded through the eyelet in the meter. Then the seal is fixed at the bonding site.

We recommend. You cannot open, tear or cut the seal yourself in order to manipulate the meter. Such actions are punishable by law and entail a fine; you will have to reinstall the seal, this time at a cost.

Order and procedure

Sealing the water meter is necessary in the following cases:

The meter is installed for the first time;
The seal is damaged;
After the next verification;
After water meter repair.

When sealing a water meter, two seals are installed - for hot and cold water. One is enough for a universal counter.

The water meter must have a printed passport. Otherwise the product is invalid. The document contains a serial number. It must be checked against the registered number on the case.

You can install the water meter yourself, or you can call a specialist. Then you need to do the sealing.

How to seal a water meter

First you need to find out which organization is doing the filling in a particular house. The products are sealed by an official organization that supplies water to homes, charges a fee for it and can draw up documentation for the procedure. These are homeowners' associations, water utilities, management companies.

submit applications for sealing of the water meter to the appropriate service;
you will be given a date for installing the filling;
The technician will check the correct installation, the functionality of the water meter, and the availability of documents (passports for the water meter);
sealing the device;
the owner is given an acceptance certificate.

What you will need to apply:

complete information about the person submitting the application, his phone number, passport;
the desired day on which the meter will be put into operation;
water meter serial number;
installation address;
installation data;
readings of the previous meter at the time of installation of the new one;
date of scheduled verification (it is in the passport).

What documents are needed: a copy of the device’s passport (sometimes the original is required), a verification certificate (if the meter is not new, but after the next verification).

It is important to note that if the owner recently purchased an apartment and meters are installed in it, there is no need to do a new seal. Replacement is required when there is no passport and certificates confirming verification and sealing.

When the technician arrives, you need to check the following:

make sure that the specialist came specifically from the service involved in water supply;
ask for a license to perform the procedure;
he should have samples and forms for filling out documents.

When the above has been verified, you can allow the technician to put a seal on the meter. It also checks the integrity of the product.

diagnostics of equipment, its first launch;
printing installation;
issuing documents.

The installer is responsible for whether the water meter is sealed correctly.

Regulatory acts and documents

There is no separate law on fillings. In 2011, the law “On water supply and sanitation” (Federal Law 416) was adopted; a new version appeared in 2021. The frequency of inspections and sealing periods are regulated by this law.

According to the rules, the homeowner receives a sealing application form and fills it out.

When the application is reviewed by the services, the master arrives. Upon completion of the procedure, he issues an acceptance certificate in two copies - for the owner of the apartment and the organization involved in water supply. The owner must carefully study the act - the basic data must be recorded in it. The documents are then signed by both parties.

What should be stated in the acceptance certificate:

date of filling;
Full name of the inspector who performed the procedure;
company name, contacts;
installation address;
day of inspection, recorded values;
device number, information from the passport;
water supply unit diagram;
serial number of the seal.

Two acts are signed - the first certificate is given to the owner, and the second is transferred to the appropriate service. All information is entered into an electronic database, with the help of which the amount for water supply is then calculated.

Paid or free

According to Federal Law 416, starting from 2021, sealing of water meters is carried out at the expense of companies providing utility services and free of charge for the consumer.

The owner pays only in one case. If the seal is unusable (broken or torn), paid sealing of the meters is carried out. The cost of installation and re-sealing is paid by the party at fault in the incident.

approximate cost

Meters should be installed free of charge. The owner must pay when it is damaged due to his fault. The cost of sealing one meter starts from 300 rubles. The maximum price is 2000 rubles. Accordingly, sealing two devices will cost twice as much. How much it costs to seal a water meter depends on the city of residence and the company providing the service.

Persons involved in sealing water meters

You need to contact the Criminal Code or RSO to have your water meter sealed.
Independent work is prohibited. The procedure is performed by employees of a licensed organization. When submitting an application, you must request to present a certificate. Such companies often cooperate with management companies, homeowners' associations and TSN. In some cases, management organizations additionally receive certificates for carrying out such work. The resource is supplied to the residential premises of apartment buildings in two ways:

Cold water supply to a heating boiler or gas water heater. In this case, the installation of only one IPU is required - HVS.
The apartment is supplied with two mains - hot and cold water supply. The seal is installed on 2 devices.

DHW

Before the start of the activities, the employee analyzes compliance with the installation standards of the IPU. If the procedure is performed for the first time, then the integrity and operability of the metering device is established. Additionally, technical passports are requested.

After installation of the device, an employee of the RSO or management company issues a certificate to the owner. The document must contain information:

the date of the;
information about the inspector and consumer;
apartment address;
IPU type and number;
indications at the time of installation;
day for next verification;
water supply unit diagram;
seal identifiers.

Sample act of sealing a water meter

HVS

Regarding the question of who should seal the water meter, it should be noted that such companies can be different organizations. Experts recommend that consumers request supporting documents - certificates, licenses. Based on the results of the work, an act is issued, a copy of which is transferred to the RSO.

To prevent problems, you should choose a company carefully. In some cases, the procedure is performed on a paid basis. Therefore, before concluding a contract, you need to check:

Licensing of activities for sealing domestic hot water and hot water supply devices. The owner receives guarantees about the legality of the events.
The company provides after-sales service and a guarantee for the manipulations performed, including when replacing the IPU.
Correct execution of documentation for the ordered procedures - contract for the installation of the IPU, verification certificate, etc.

Note: the employee is required to visit the apartment upon application no later than five days from the date of registration of the application. The maximum period is 15 days.

Upon completion of the procedure, a document is issued - a sealing certificate. The text of the document should contain information similar to that for installing the device on a hot water supply. If the master is absent at the time specified in the application, the owner has the right to continue to use the resource. The consumer pays for consumption based on readings taken from old meters. Imposing penalties for late payments is illegal.

If there is no filling

If there is no seal, there will be no penalties for the homeowner. You just have to pay not according to the meter, but according to the standard tariff.

If you pay according to the readings of the meter, then during subsequent verification you may encounter other problems. The actual absence of a seal (subject to its availability according to the documentation) will be regarded as illegal interference with the operation of the device. The operation of the device will be completed, and the owner will have to pay a large amount. The new calculation will take into account the capacity of the water supply system and the round-the-clock use of the meter from the moment of intervention until the day the problem is eliminated. If the date is not set, the recalculation will be made from the last check.

Responsibility in case of violation of norms

Have you had problems due to a damaged seal on your meter?

Not really

You can carry out the wiring, install circuit breakers and mount switches with sockets yourself, but only specialized organizations have the right to seal the electric meter. It is strictly prohibited to seal the electric meter yourself.

Article 19.2 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation for deliberate removal of a seal implies a fine of 100-300 rubles.

But that’s not all - if a broken seal is discovered during an inspection and it is proven that the consumer did it intentionally, then the amount of penalties may amount to the average annual cost of the electricity supply service.

Responsibility for a broken seal

For breaking the seal, the company may demand payment of an amount without taking into account the meter. The reference number is the date of filing the application or the last day of checking the meter.

The fine for a broken seal on a water meter is calculated as follows: the throughput of the water supply system is multiplied by the number of calendar days when the seal was not installed. This amount is paid by the owner.

If the seal was damaged accidentally, you need to proceed according to the following algorithm:

write a statement about the fact that the seal was removed;
apply for a new filling;
wait for the inspector to arrive to reseal it.

The application must indicate the reason for the situation. The inspector will check the device and make a decision whether an illegal attempt was made to change the readings. Then he must replace the filling with a new one.

If no unauthorized access is detected during the preparation of the report, the owner will not have to pay a fine. In this case, the testimony must correspond to reality. Payment is made only for refilling.

The seal is an element for correctly calculating resource consumption. Plastic or metal products are used. The seal is attached to a wire, sometimes knots are tied on a fishing line behind the seal. The installation is carried out by special structures associated with water supply. Sealing is done free of charge if the owner himself was not the cause of the broken seal. The absence of a seal can result in high costs for water supply services. If the seal is accidentally broken, you should contact the appropriate services and write a statement.

Questions and answers on the topic

Consumer liability for failure or other violation

Attention. The legislation of the Russian Federation provides for liability for breaking or breaking a seal.

So, if the violation of the seal was intentional, then responsibility for this can be expressed by a warning or a fine.

The amount of the fine depends on the person who committed the offense. For individuals, its amount will be from one hundred to three hundred rubles, and for legal entities - from three hundred to five hundred rubles in accordance with Article 19.2 of the Code of Administrative Violations of the Russian Federation of December 30, 2001 N 195-FZ (hereinafter referred to as the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation).

Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation Article 19.2. Intentional damage or disruption of the seal (seal)

Intentional damage or disruption of a seal affixed by an authorized official, with the exception of cases provided for in Part 2 of Article 11.15 and Article 16.11 of this Code -

entails a warning or the imposition of an administrative fine on citizens in the amount of one hundred to three hundred rubles;
for officials - from three hundred to five hundred rubles.

In cases where the fact of illegal withdrawal of water is discovered and recorded, the owner of the property is subject to liability in accordance with Article 7.27 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. In this case, the amount of penalties depends on how much resources were stolen. According to the law, the fine is calculated at five times the amount seized. In addition, administrative arrest for up to fifteen days or correctional labor for up to ten to fifty hours is possible.

In case of large volumes of theft, exceeding two and a half thousand rubles, criminal liability arises under the one hundred and fifty-eighth article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation of June 13, 1996 N 63-FZ (hereinafter referred to as the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

Unscrupulous residents who illegally connected to the water supply or use magnets may receive a fine of up to three hundred thousand rubles or imprisonment for a period of two years in accordance with Article One Hundred and Sixty-Fifth of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

Along with a fine in situations where the seal is broken, the water supply organization may require payment of the amount without taking into account the meter. The day from which the period of operation of a meter without a seal will be counted can be determined either by the date of the last check of the meter, or by the date of filing an application for the installation of a new seal.

Important! The payment amount is calculated as the product of the meter's capacity, the service life of the meter without a seal (number of calendar days) and the water tariff.

In the event that a seal was accidentally broken, it is necessary to write a statement about the fact that the seal was broken and submit an application for a new seal. In the application, it is important to indicate the reason why the seal failed. An inspector from a water supply organization who comes upon request will check the device and determine whether an attempt was made to illegally change the meter readings. After this, he will install a new filling.

If the inspector has not established the fact of an attempt to illegally change the testimony, then the owner will not have to pay a fine. You will only need to pay a fee for the new sealing.

Answer

Re-sealing of metering devices is free. An exception is established only if the seal is broken by the consumer not for the purpose of repairing the meter. Since in your case the seal was broken for repairs, resealing will be free.

The rationale for this position is given below in the materials of the “Lawyer System”

Letter of the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia dated December 13, 2013 No. KA/50647/13 “Explanations on the possibility of charging fees for registration of individual metering devices”

“In accordance with Article 13 of the Federal Law of November 23, 2009 No. 261-FZ “On Energy Saving and on Increasing Energy Efficiency and on Amendments to Certain Legislative Acts of the Russian Federation” (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Energy Saving), produced, transmitted, consumed energy resources are subject to mandatory accounting using metering devices for energy resources used.

Part 9 of Article 13 of the Law on Energy Saving establishes that from July 1, 2010, organizations that supply water, natural gas, thermal energy, electrical energy or their transmission and whose engineering support networks have direct connection to the networks that are part of the engineering - technical equipment of facilities that are subject, in accordance with the requirements of this article, to be equipped with metering devices for used energy resources (hereinafter referred to as resource supply organizations), are obliged to carry out activities for the installation, replacement, operation of metering devices for used energy resources, the supply or transmission of which they carry out.

Thus, when determining business entities that are obliged, in accordance with the requirements of the Energy Saving Law, to carry out activities related to the installation, replacement and (or) operation of energy metering devices, it is necessary to simultaneously establish the mandatory presence of the following conditions:

— organizations supply or transmit water, natural gas, thermal energy, electrical energy;

— networks of engineering and technical support of organizations have a direct connection to the networks that are part of the engineering and technical equipment of facilities that are subject to being equipped with metering devices for energy resources used.

These organizations do not have the right to refuse persons who have applied to them to enter into an agreement regulating the conditions for the installation, replacement and (or) operation of metering devices for the energy resources used, the supply or transmission of which they carry out.

Order of the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation dated 04/07/2010 No. 149 approved the Procedure for concluding and essential terms of the agreement governing the conditions for the installation, replacement and (or) operation of metering devices for energy resources used (hereinafter referred to as the Procedure). The procedure for putting the installed meter into operation is an essential condition of such an agreement (clause 13 of the Procedure). In this case, the price of such an agreement is determined by agreement of the parties.

Meanwhile, in accordance with paragraph 5 of Article 20 of the Federal Law of December 7, 2011 No. 416-FZ “On Water Supply and Water Disposal” (hereinafter referred to as the Law on Water Supply and Water Disposal), water and wastewater meters are placed by the subscriber, the organization operating water supply or sewerage networks, at the border of the balance sheet of the networks, the border of the operational responsibility of the subscriber, the specified organizations or in another place in accordance with the agreements specified in Part 1 of Article 7, Part 1 of Article 11, Part 5 of Article 12 of the Law on Water Supply and Sanitation, connection agreements ( technological connection). Water and wastewater metering devices installed to determine the amount of water supplied to the subscriber under a water supply agreement, wastewater discharged by the subscriber under a water disposal agreement, are sealed by organizations that provide hot water supply, cold water supply and (or) wastewater disposal and with which the specified agreements have been concluded, without charging fees from the subscriber, except for cases when the sealing of the relevant metering devices is carried out by such an organization again due to the violation of the seal due to the fault of the subscriber or third parties.

Do I have to pay money to re-seal the water meter?

Resolution No. 167, they refuse to seal water meters without paying for the verification of devices, which must be done when putting it into operation. There is a practice when residents are forced to pay for certain hydraulic tests performed after installation of metering units, but in reality these are not carried out. Sealing costs from 200 to 600 rubles. for each device depending on the region of residence. A significant portion of homeowners, who do not know whether meter sealing is paid or free, pay the required amounts, and organizations illegally take advantage of this. Often, for citizens who have studied the legislation and refuse to pay money for this service, the company does not seal the installed metering units and charges for water based on average consumption per person.

What happens if the seal is broken?

After replacing the meter, as well as installing the seal, the user undertakes to comply with the law. Violation of the integrity of the seal leads to liability. Even if the subscriber has not reported violations to the appropriate organization, inspectors will discover them when checking the meter - if the wire is torn off or cut, then this is considered non-compliance with the rules.

Unscrupulous consumers may resort to various tricks to reduce their utility bills.

A broken filling has the following external signs:

The plastic seal is completely susceptible to breakage.
If a sticker seal is used, an inscription appears on it.
If the “Expert” protective device is used, the body is susceptible to cracking.
When using anti-magnetic tape, it will change color.
In a conventional seal, the wire or twine winding is broken.

In total, there are three types of violations: standard breaking of the seal, without interfering with the operation of the device, connection without using the meter, illegal use of magnets. The minimum fine will be 200 rubles, but this figure varies depending on the city. If the seal was broken and the subscriber connected the water supply bypassing the water meter, the penalty increases. It is at least 1000 rubles. With the additional use of magnets, the fine will be 200-300 thousand rubles, the subscriber may be punished with imprisonment.

Free sealing of water meters according to the law

According to the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of May 6, 2011 No. 354, sealing is carried out by the Management Company if the services consumed are paid to the supplier through it. In case of direct payment, installation is carried out by the organization providing the resource.

Important: if the application was submitted within the established time frame, and the employee did not seal it within 15 days, then the homeowner has the right to make payment according to the readings of the water meter, regardless of the presence of the seal. Moreover, the countdown date is considered to be the time of filing the application. Who can avoid installing water meters? Currently, there is no liability for failure to install meters.

Free sealing of water meters: law

Namely, the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “On the procedure for providing utility services to citizens” No. 307 of May 23, 2006 provided for the obligation of utility organizations to seal individual metering devices, but the issue of payment was not specified in them. At its core, sealing is the installation of a unique disposable device on a metering device (the seal itself and the sealing rope), which is designed to control unauthorized access to the equipment.

In accordance with paragraph 41 of the Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 167 of February 12, 1999 “On approval of the rules for the use of public water supply and sewerage systems in the Russian Federation”: acceptance into operation of a metering unit is carried out with the participation of a representative of the water supply and sewerage organization.

Hobbies

Free sealing of water meters is the responsibility of the company that provides you with this service. The only exception to the rules may be the failure of the seal due to the fault of the owner of the apartment or house.

Regulatory acts In 2011, the Federal Law on Water Supply was adopted. The edition at the end of 2016 changed it, including the paragraph regarding the sealing of water meters.

Since the beginning of 2021, metering devices have been sealed at the expense of the organization (most often it is a housing and communal services company or a management company). Subscribers are charged only if the seal is broken or damaged due to the fault of the property owner.

When is sealing of an electric meter required?

It is necessary to seal the electricity meter in St. Petersburg and the region in the following cases:

initial installation of an electricity meter in an apartment or private house;
when reinstalling the meter to another location;
replacement and verification of the electric meter also require re-sealing;
if the electric meter needs repairs, which requires removing the seal;
if the seal shows signs of damage.

Important! The electric meter must be sealed within a month after its installation or replacement. Before sealing, electricity charges are calculated based on daily averages.

Sealing of water meters - how much does it cost, who should seal?

The specialist will not seal the meters in this case.

Meters in specialized stores are sold with accessories. If they are unavailable, separate purchase is allowed.
The shut-off valve must have an eyelet necessary for installing a seal. If it is missing, filling will not be possible. Both metal and metal-plastic shut-off valves are provided.
Measuring instruments must have technical passports. The series on the counter and in the document must match.
If the meter is installed outside the city, it must be placed in a well-lit and heated room.

Sealing of water meters: paid or free?

On approval of the Rules for cold water supply and sanitation and on amendments to certain acts of the Government of the Russian Federation” f) sealing of water and wastewater metering devices; Articles, comments, answers to questions: Sealing of water metering devices Situation: Is it legal to charge a fee for sealing individual metering devices? (“Electronic magazine “ABC of Law”, 2018) Metering devices are also sealed free of charge by organizations providing hot and cold water supply and sanitation water. However, re-sealing in connection with a broken seal due to the fault of the subscriber or third parties is done at the subscriber’s expense (clause 5 of article 20 of the Law of December 7, 2011 N 416-FZ; clause 51 of the Rules, approved by Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of September 4, 2013 N 776).

Free sealing of the water meter in accordance with Law 416

carrying out repair work carried out at the initiative of residents and requiring the removal of the seal;
unauthorized intervention by the apartment owner in the operation of metering devices resulting in damage to the seals.

There is one point regarding the verification of newly purchased and installed meters.

At the moment, there are no federal or regional laws that would require charging fees for commissioning water meters. Commercial registration, including sealing, is completely free.

Sealing is carried out in two cases: during installation and after verification of metering devices. If a seal is required when installing a meter for the first time, then in case of verification you need to ask how legal this service is at the moment.

Government Resolution No. 354 states that verification of IMU (individual metering devices) is a mandatory procedure that must be performed at the expense of the owner. According to the law, the owners of metering devices are citizens, owners of housing and those private enterprises that control the consumption of various resources. The frequency of verification of water meters varies.

When is it necessary to seal the meter?

The law requires sealing to be carried out in the following cases:

Initial installation.
End of service life of the water meter.
The device has become faulty.
The ball valve was broken.
The integrity of the water meter was accidentally compromised.
Replacement of valves and taps responsible for water supply is required.
There was an accident.
Initially, there was no seal, and there was no passport for the metering device.

During the initial installation, the technician from the management company fills out all the paperwork for the water meter, and if he has the appropriate authority, he seals it. If the plumber does not have the right to seal the meter, then after installing it, they call an inspector from the city water utility. The technician carefully inspects the device for correct installation, then places a seal.

When the meter's service life comes to an end, it is also important to seal it. To do this, the water meter must be replaced or verified. These actions are carried out by a representative of the water utility or the relevant organization. The water meter is checked on site or dismantled and taken to a service center. After installing the device, a seal is made in its place.

In case of unintentional damage to the water meter, in case of an accident in the water supply system, in case of breakdown of ball valves, valves and other components of the water supply system, the meter is sealed. When carrying out repair work, you will most likely need to dismantle the water meter. Therefore, after its installation, you need to call a specialist to carry out legal commissioning and sealing.

For reference: if there is no seal on the meter initially, then you need to hurry. During inspection, the apartment owner may receive a fine for failure to fulfill obligations before the law. All documents and passports must be provided to organizations that keep records of water consumption readings.

Sealing of water meters

For theft exceeding 2.5 thousand rubles, criminal punishment is provided under Art. 158 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. See also: Payment for heating - calculation of the cost of heating in an apartment building In case of damage to the seal or its absence, consumption is calculated from the average tariff multiplied by the number of days during which the resource was illegally used. The countdown begins from the moment the seal is broken or from the date of the last verification of the device.

Important: in some cases, the fine and the accrued amount can be disputed. For example, as a result of cleaning, a seal broke.

The owner of the property reported the problem on the same day and invited a specialist to carry out a sealing. The employee showed up only 16 days later. Throughout the entire period, the amount was calculated at the average rate. Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation “Rules for the provision of utility services to owners and users of premises in apartment buildings and residential buildings” No. 354 dated 05/06/2011. : the contractor is obliged to carry out, at the request of the consumer, the commissioning of an installed individual, common (apartment) or room metering device that complies with the legislation of the Russian Federation on ensuring the uniformity of measurements, even if such an individual or common (apartment) metering device differs in functionality from the collective (common house) ) the metering device with which the apartment building is equipped, no later than the month following the date of its installation, and also begin calculating the amount of payment for utility services based on the readings of the commissioned metering device, starting from the 1st day of the month following month of putting the meter into operation.

What to do if the seal on the water meter is broken. Unmetered water consumption

When registering a water meter, a representative of the service company seals it and writes down the seal number in the report (by the way, now many resource supply companies install anti-magnetic seals on the water meter), and also records the current meter readings.

The seal is installed in order to prevent unauthorized persons from interfering with the operation of the device for the purpose of illegal use of water.

But sometimes circumstances develop in such a way that the seal on the water meter was torn off without malicious intent.

What to do next, and will there be a fine for this?

What is considered unaccounted for water use, and what is the punishment for it?

Before moving on to the problem of a broken seal, you need to figure out what is considered unmetered use of water, and what is interference in the operation of the meter or unauthorized consumption.

Unmetered water consumption is the consumption of water in the absence of metering devices (there may be various reasons - the meter is out of order, was never installed).

Illegal water consumption (as well as interference with the operation of the meter) is considered under the following conditions:

Each subscriber using water must enter into an agreement with the company providing such service. Consumption of water in the absence of such an agreement is an unauthorized connection.
Unauthorized connection of a home water supply to the central system without the appropriate documentation authorizing these actions is considered illegal.
Interference with the operation of a water meter is considered to be: the presence of mechanical damage to the water meter, loose fitting of the indicator glass, or violation of the integrity of the seal.

However, not every unmetered water consumption is punishable by large fines: if the meter simply fails for reasons beyond the control of the consumer, then the supplier makes a calculation based on the average consumption of the utility resource over the last 6 months.
In other cases (in case of unauthorized connection, breaking the seal and failure to report this fact, or interfering with the operation of the meter), this is punishable by a fine.

Punishment for illegal use of water

With the rise in prices for utility bills, cases of water theft have become more frequent. Supply companies began to actively fight against unaccounted consumption. If unaccounted use of water is detected, especially during unauthorized connection, the subscriber has the right to take the following actions:

a representative of the resource supply or management company draws up a report on unauthorized connection to water supply systems or a report on interference with the operation of the metering unit;
The cost of consumed water is recalculated for the last 3 months or from the date of the last inspection based on the power of unauthorized connected equipment (for unauthorized connection) or based on ten times the water consumption standards.

What does the subscriber face if the seal is accidentally broken?

An ordinary seal in the form of a lead or plastic stamp is hung by the inspector on the meter using a thin wire, fishing line or thread. Sometimes they rot on their own due to dampness. It happens that a person accidentally gets caught on a seal or children can tear it off. There are many options.

The legislation does not provide for a fine for accidentally breaking a seal from a metering station; however, there are some pitfalls. If the subscriber lives in an apartment building where a HOA has been created, the amount of the fine may be separately displayed in the contract. In other cases, the service provider is guided by current legislation.

If the seal was accidentally broken, the subscriber must immediately report the fact of the seal breaking and the current readings at the time of its breaking to the resource supplying organization (HOA or management company).

In this case, failure of the seal will be regarded as a breakdown of the water meter. In accordance with 59 Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 354 of 05/06/2011, the subscriber is allowed to recover the cost of the resource based on the average monthly volume of water consumption during the period of absence of the seal.

If you do not notify the water supplier about the seal being broken, and this fact is revealed during the inspection, then the calculation will be made for cases of interference with the operation of the metering unit - based on ten times the volume.

What to do with an accidentally broken seal so as not to be accused of interfering with the operation of the meter?

To avoid charges of interfering with the operation of the water meter after an accidentally broken seal, you must contact the service provider before repairing your apartment or replacing plumbing. Even if the old water supply is supposed to be replaced, a company representative will document the removal of the seal, as well as the meter, and the whole process will be painless and without consequences.

If a seal accidentally breaks, you should not put the problem on hold and immediately contact the appropriate water meter service organization. This could be a management company, HOA, water utility or other service company.

The most correct way would be to submit a written application in two copies. One of them remains with the subscriber. The application shows the reason and time of the seal failure, and also stipulates the date of arrival of a representative to carry out a new seal. The second copy of the application will be useful to the subscriber if the controller fails to appear on time. The document will not give the right to charge a fee for using water without a meter based on ten times the standard.

If it is impossible to visit the company in person, one copy of the application can be sent by registered mail with mandatory notification of receipt. In any case, a timely submitted application relieves the subscriber of a fine for accidentally breaking the seal. If, after checking the metering unit and payment receipts for previous months of water use, no violations are revealed, the apartment owner will only have to pay for a new sealing of his water meter.

Based on your application, a representative of the resource supply company will easily seal the cold water or hot water meter and the problem will be solved.

Still have questions? Do you want answers to them?

Here you can ask a question free of charge to the experts or lawyers of the gkh-konsultant.ru portal.

Do I need to pay for re-sealing water meters?

If the negotiations did not lead to anything and they demand money from you for the seals, it is worth writing an official letter - a complaint to the management of the company in 2 copies and be sure to register it, keeping 1 copy for yourself. After this, you can submit an application to the prosecutor's office and proceed to trial.

In order to receive as many documents as possible proving the offense, you can agree to the conditions of the management company and pay for the sealing. In addition, unsealed meters will not be accepted for operation, and charges for water consumption will be carried out “on average,” which leads to overpayment for the service.

Sep 10, 2019adminlawsexp

voice

Article rating