Switching to individual heating in an apartment building: how to do it

The transition to individual heating in an apartment building is possible, but only in agreement with the administration of the city or other locality, as well as with the management company. Technically, it is almost always possible to implement it, but legally it is not so simple. How to do this and what documents will be required is described in detail in this material.

The legislative framework

Current legislation does not exclude individual heating in an apartment building. This is possible, but only in agreement with the municipal administration, for example, with the housing department (reason: Article 26 of the Housing Code).

It should be noted that technically making the transition to an individual heating system is much easier than legally. The fact is that unauthorized restructuring is strictly prohibited. In legislation, this is interpreted as “misregulation” of the network of an apartment building. As a result, the rights of other owners and tenants are violated (Article 7.21 of the Administrative Code). Disconnecting from the network on your own can lead to a number of negative consequences:

• overheat;
• improper heat distribution;
• insufficient heating;
• hydraulic failure and others.

Violation of the norm may result in a fine or administrative arrest for up to 15 days.Along with this, the citizen is obliged, at his own expense, to carry out work to bring the system to its previous state, and, if necessary, to compensate for damage to neighbors, the management company, or the organization servicing the heating network.

Another important point relates to paying for utilities. Even if you obtain permission for a gas boiler in an apartment building and disconnect from the general circuit, this does not exempt you from paying for heating. In accordance with paragraph 15 of Art. 14 Federal Law “On Heat Supply”, each owner is required to pay. Therefore, even if you have an autonomous system, this will have to be done monthly, as before.

Premises requirements

Redevelopment of the heating system in an apartment building begins with obtaining permission. However, before this it is necessary to determine whether the room meets the requirements for installing autonomous heating equipment:

1. Minimum area 4 square meters.
2. The standard height is at least 250 cm.
3. The presence of a door with an opening width of 80 cm.
4. The presence of one or more windows.
5. Distance of the boiler from the gas stove and heating appliances. There are no strict requirements here, but most often the generally accepted standard is used - at least 50 cm.
6. The boiler is mounted only to a load-bearing wall, and a minimum height of 150 cm from the floor surface is maintained.

It is important to understand that the boiler, like other elements, can be installed independently. However, only employees of Gorgaz or another service organization have the right to connect it.

Transition order

The transition to autonomous heating in an apartment building is carried out in 2 stages. First you need to get a refusal to use central heating, after which you need permission to install your own system.

To refuse, contact the management company or the HOA. Submit a written application of the established form, attaching several documents to it:

• documents for the apartment (purchase agreement, certificate of ownership or extract from the Unified State Register of Real Estate);
• technical certificate;
• reconstruction project (drawn up separately at the expense of the customer);
• written consent of each citizen registered in the apartment (their parents act on behalf of children under 13 years of age);
• consent of the organization’s housing department to install an individual heating system;
• consent of the authority for the protection of architectural monuments (if the house has a protected status).

Having received the documents, representatives of the management company consider the application within 30 working days and provide written consent or refusal. In the latter case, you can go to court to challenge it. If the decision is positive, you can begin choosing equipment, materials and the installation itself.