An unusual incident occurred in an apartment building in Chekhov, Moscow region, where heating was turned on during a heatwave. The issue, caused by damaged shut-off valves after maintenance, was resolved only after residents complained on social media. Experts attribute this situation to negligence by the management company and highlight systemic problems within the regional housing and communal services (HCS). Lawyers suggest that obtaining compensation for the inconvenience is highly unlikely.
Residents of a building in Chekhov, Moscow region, experienced heating being turned on during a heatwave when the outdoor temperature reached plus 33 degrees Celsius. The issue was only resolved after complaints were posted on social media, reaching the head of the district. This incident has brought to light certain systemic problems within the housing and communal services sector.
While a lack of heating during severe frosts is a common scenario, like the incident in Klimovsk (Podolsk district) last January when a heat pipe rupture left 170 homes without heating in -30°C temperatures, Chekhov saw the opposite. During heat exceeding 30°C, residents of building 101b on Moskovskaya Street found their radiators fully operational. Local resident Valentina calls this «surrealism, which, unfortunately, is nothing new here»:
I live in the private sector of Chekhov, but I talk to other residents. I see people facing problems with housing and communal services. In winter, people go without heating for weeks. Now, in this summer period, people are writing appeals to the administration about flooded basements – pipes have rotted, no work has been done for decades. And the problem that arose on Moskovskaya Street, when radiators were turned on in the heat, is not new. HCS problems are not given due attention. People suffer in their apartment buildings.
— Valentina, local resident
Residents affected by the heating during the heat attempted to complain to the management company. Angry messages were also sent to the social media accounts of the district head, Mikhail Sobakin. It was revealed that after maintenance work, when hot water was reintroduced, the shut-off valves were damaged. In other words, the barrier was breached, and hot water entered the radiators.
The culprit in this situation is obvious, says Dmitry Aristarkhov, director of the Prioritet management company in Moscow and the Moscow region:
According to our regulations, there is a spring inspection, and technical work is carried out on all engineering and internal systems. The management company is definitely to blame in this case; they clearly have shortcomings because all of this should have been identified, known, and measures taken. What are shut-off valves? They are good quality taps that are quite expensive. At the same time, there is always a technical possibility to weld something, temporarily shut it off, and so on. This is also the management company`s responsibility, and the chief engineer of the management company should have foreseen this, should have warned the management. Most likely, this was not done. Russian negligence is evident, which is still encountered. In this building, of course, people could have chosen a different company yesterday or the day before. There are likely companies on the market that would gladly come and manage the building with more dedication.
— Dmitry Aristarkhov, Director of Prioritet Management Company in Moscow and Moscow Region
Unfortunately, the problem is systemic and typical for all cities in the Moscow region traditionally known for dilapidated utility systems, including Serpukhov, Lukhovitsy, and Voskresensk. Obtaining any compensation is also unlikely, according to consumer rights lawyer Sergey Yemelyanov:
Naturally, one should complain to the management company. But the question is [about the result] — they will explain that it was an accidental activation, the person or persons responsible will be punished. In fact, I think that`s where it ends. Regarding compensation: in order to make any claims, one must have suffered some damage. And here, no damage occurred, except moral damage. Moral damage, strictly according to the Law `On Protection of Consumer Rights`, can theoretically be claimed, but practically – it`s unlikely. If someone suffered material damage, God forbid, someone was hospitalized due to this, then one can hope for something. But again, to make claims, a person must have a conclusion stating that the cause of their hospitalization was precisely overheating. Otherwise, this option won`t work.
— Sergey Yemelyanov, consumer rights lawyer
Business FM`s editorial team attempted to contact MBU `Chekhovskoye Blagoustroystvo,` which is supposed to be responsible for the condition of pipes in the Chekhov district. The organization does not have a website. The head of the district, Mikhail Sobakin, when announcing that the heating problem during the heatwave was resolved, also provided the number of the emergency service, not this MBU. The only number listed in the SPARK system is answered by a person who was the director of the organization five years ago.
