Unwillingness to pay for utility bills leads enterprising citizens to the idea of unauthorized connection to centralized water supply networks. But such a plumbing adventure in one unpleasant moment will result in major problems and financial costs. Unauthorized connection is illegal. It can also lead to the destruction of the water supply and the violation of the safety of water supply. Violators are subject to stringent penalties.
Who connects to water networks
Connection to the aquifer of the settlement is necessary if the premises have been reconstructed, or a new house has been commissioned. Since the work of the central water supply network is supervised by employees of public utilities, in particular, Vodokanal, they are also involved in its introduction into the work of the new line. But with sufficient experience in carrying out such work, a new user, having officially completed all the documents, can, by agreement with the specialists of the water and utilities sector, do it on his own. Technicians in any case will come to check the result of his work.
In order to legally connect to the city or town water supply system, you must obtain permits. First of all, these are the technical conditions for the introduction of a new line issued by the water and utilities sector of the settlement. To obtain them, you must provide the appropriate authority:
- passport;
- application for the development of technical specifications (copies and original);
- copies of the situational and urban development plan;
- copies and the original balance of water consumption and sanitation under the project.
If commissioning is required by the entrepreneur, constituent documents of the organization and confirmation of the authorized rights of the head of the company are needed.
The second permission to enter a new water branch is given by local authorities, if there is a valid communal service report on the technical possibility of connecting to the network.
When a connection is considered a violation
According to the official Rules for the provision of public utilities, approved by a decree of the Government of the Russian Federation in 2016, the violator of the law is the one who did not coordinate the water supply with the water and utilities.
According to the Code of Administrative Offenses of Russia, a private person or an entrepreneur who owns an object with unauthorized washing from a common pipeline and such a house is managed can bear responsibility for illegal tapping into a municipal water supply.
It is forbidden to arbitrarily change the design of the mains of networks, make illegal insertions even in your own house or apartment, change the indicators of accounting devices.
Responsibility will also be borne by a person who uses wastewater without appropriate metering devices. Since in this case it is difficult to determine how much water he used for free, the penalty is calculated according to the maximum consumption indicators multiplied by the number of days from the moment of unauthorized tapping.
Penalties for unauthorized connection to the water supply
Illegal connection to the water supply network, no matter how it is hidden, is soon detected. This threatens with an unpleasant trial and administrative punishment. When the fact of the insert is found out, representatives of the water and utilities sector draw up an act on the unlawful use of water. The same thing happens with a legitimate connection, if all the specifications have not been observed.
The document indicates:
- address where the offense was discovered;
- date and time of the survey;
- a clear description of the use case.
The passport data of the owner of the house or the details of the company that carried out the unaccounted use of water are also registered.
Representatives of the communal service initiate legal proceedings. If violations are proven, access to water will be limited. The entrepreneurial “connector” is facing financial losses:
- For individuals, penalties of up to 1,500 rubles are imposed as punishment for unconditional consumption of water resources.
- The penalty for illegal connection to the water supply from legal entities is up to 30,000 rubles.
The amounts are indicated for the fact of the insert.
Counting the illegal use of water resources will be carried out as if all the taps were open all the time until the trial. The average pipe throughput is taken into account. It can leak there for tens, or even hundreds of thousands of rubles. If the time interval could not be identified, the calculation is done for six months.
The management company may also file a claim with the court. This faces an additional fine. Incorrect installation of your own drainage line can lead to disruption of the system, a breakthrough or insufficient water pressure. Neighbors in an apartment building have the right to apply to the judiciary and request compensation for damage, including moral damage. The probability that the judge will decide in their favor is very high.
The financial consequences resulting from unauthorized connection to the water supply system are much higher than the amounts paid for water.
If an emergency caused by the offender caused not only damage to property, but also damage to human health, he could face a real term of imprisonment. This is considered a felony.
Avoiding responsibility for self-connectivity
Not always those who started using water for free are malicious violators. There are times when a property with an inset has been left in the inheritance or acquired. In this case, you can avoid punishment and legitimize unauthorized connections.
It is required to contact the supervisory authorities (Vodokanal) with a message about the identified problem. Go to the subscriber department. Take with you:
- passport;
- statement of the property owner;
- certificate of ownership of housing or an extract from Rosreestr;
- data sheet;
- all documents on water supply and sanitation in the premises, if any.
If you did not know that the water in the house was connected illegally, and are a respectable payer for utilities, there will be no penalty. If it turns out that the insert was made without violating the Sanitary Rules and Norms, they will not cut off the water, legalize the line to the house or apartment. To do this, you will need to collect permits.
As practice shows, a favorable solution to the problem is possible if the landlord did not know that the water in his taps was illegal and, despite this, paid all bills for it on average. It is quite difficult to prove non-involvement in a scam with water, especially if a lot of time has passed since the purchase of a home. But such precedents exist in judicial practice.
If the court recognized the person as a violator, but he does not agree with this, or the amount of payments assigned seems excessive, he can file a counterclaim to reduce it or to cancel the penalties. However, in most cases, the court’s decision on such cases does not change, so it’s better not to risk it and buy water, rather than steal it.
