Today, fines for gas, and more precisely for violation of safety measures and dishonesty in its consumption, can be obtained not only for some action, but also for inaction. The reason is that Russian law is quite strict about violators in this area. Moreover, the amount of compensation can be quite serious.
You, like most gas consumers, have no desire to "get paid for money", right? Moreover, it is not difficult to avoid fines - for this you need to know your rights and obligations prescribed at the legislative level. We will consider these issues in detail in our article, paying attention to the size of fines and the rules for their calculation.
What can a consumer be fined for?
Domestic legislation gives the right to subject consumers to fines in various situations.
But all of them can be conditionally divided into 2 categories:
- violation of established safety rules when using gas, special gas equipment (boilers, stoves, etc.);
- violation of accounting, payment for consumption "Blue" fuel.
And in order to avoid punishment, you should own the nuances that are enough in each of the categories.
Gas and the equipment that supplies it are traditionally a source of danger. Especially with careless handling. What the state has to fight by massively punishing consumers with fines
No. 1 - violation of safety rules
The Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation (the Code of Administrative Offenses is abbreviated as such) says that persons who do not comply with the rules for maintaining gas boilers, stoves, columns, meters and any other gas equipment can be punished.
Namely, they do not adhere to the deadlines, the frequency of performing the procedures established by the governing documents for maintenance, repair or the performance of necessary work on gas equipment. This also includes reluctance to receive the right services.
Moreover, fines for improper use of gas in an apartment are identical to fines, which are imposed for improper use of gas by citizens living in private houses.
To avoid fines when using gas, it is necessary to comply with the requirements established for this area. Namely, to ensure the safe use of equipment by regularly performing procedures for its maintenance, repair, and, if necessary, replacement
Regulates this area of legislation Article 9.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses.
This article of the Code states that the violation is:
- Refusal to sign an agreement according to which maintenance, repair of all gas equipment is performed. The perpetrator will have to pay a fine for the specified act, the amount of which is 1-2 thousand rubles.
- Failure to comply with the frequency, timing, quality standards of the repair, maintenance of any gas equipment. For such an offense, you will have to transfer 1-2 thousand rubles to the budget.
- Non-admission of specialists of gas organizations for carrying out the prescribed procedures for maintenance, repair of any gas equipment. This clause is considered valid if the landlord has been notified of upcoming work, moreover, in the prescribed manner, that is, in writing. For the specified act punishable by a fine, the amount of which is 1-2 thousand rubles.
- Evasion of replacement of gas equipment installed in housing, if such a procedure is mandatory. For example, this clause takes effect if the stove, boiler or any other device is technically faulty and the owner of the premises has been notified, but he does not take effective measures to eliminate the danger. The penalty for the described act is 1-2 thousand rubles.
Moreover, in any of the above cases, it is not always possible to get off with exceptionally small amounts.
The most important thing is that consumers should understand: the most terrible consequence of unsafe gas use is not fines, but a significant threat to the life, health of relatives, friends and other people living nearby
As p. 5, Same Article 9.23 of the Code of Administrative Offenses requires tighter measures to be taken against violators if they do not wish to timely, efficiently perform maintenance, repairs, and replacement of a boiler or other equipment. They also do not provide access to it for specialists and their actions pose a threat to the lives of other people. In this case, you will have to pay 10-30 thousand rubles.
Besides, in p. 6 it is said that any repeated offense entails a fine, the amount of which is 2-5 thousand rubles.
The legislation allows punishing violators at once in several respects. Therefore, it is possible that with repeated punishment and the existence of a threat to the lives of other residents, you will have to pay up to 30 thousand rubles in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 5 and up to 5 thousand on the basis of paragraph 6 of the Code of Administrative Offenses. As a result, the amount of recovery can reach 35 thousand rubles.
No. 2 - violation of accounting or payment
You should be aware that much more severe fines are expected for violation of the accounting or payment procedures for gas consumers than for neglect of safety.
Penalty for illegal connection to gas
In such situations, the symbolic Art. 7.19 Administrative Code. Since it is specified in it what the size of the penalty for illegal connection of the consumer to gas should be. And it says that the landlord will have to pay 10-15 thousand rubles in favor of the state.
Moreover, it must be understood that unauthorized connection includes such acts as replacing boilers, connecting stoves without permission, redevelopment with the movement of any gas appliances.
And also independent shutdown or replacement of counters, any other interventions in their work. For example, the use of magnets to reduce gas consumption.
Today, moderate fines are imposed for the unsafe use of gas equipment. The main task of which is to enlighten consumers. But the Russians do not draw conclusions, as evidenced by statistics stating that in a number of regions every third owner of gas equipment uses it incorrectly. Therefore, on the sidelines of the gas service, the State Duma, there are rumors about an imminent and impressive increase in fines
An important point is that at the same time as the amount of the fine, you will have to pay the cost of the “blue” fuel consumed without permission. And at not the best prices. But this will only happen if the responsible persons reveal irrefutable facts that indicate the theft. The offense is considered to be committed at the time of completion of unauthorized actions.
So, the penalty for any unauthorized connection of gas after the disconnection procedure (if for any reason the household / apartment was disconnected) is imposed in the amount of 10-15 thousand rubles if the act was committed for the first time. Such punishment is spelled out in Art. 7.19 Administrative Code.
With any repeated attempt, you will have to pay up to 80 thousand rubles. Moreover, the punishment will be carried out in accordance with the norms set out in the Criminal Code, namely in its article 215.3. And if you reconnect to the main gas pipeline, the fine will amount to up to 200 thousand rubles.
The most serious consequences for consumers arise after revealing the facts of illegal connection to gas pipelines, and especially if the fact of illegal selection of energy carrier, that is, theft, is proved. In such cases, fines can amount to tens, or even hundreds of thousands of rubles. The reason is that such acts are socially dangerous. For example, according to statistics, gas companies lose up to 6% of their profits due to illegal gas consumption, which forces lawmakers to regularly raise fines
If unauthorized connection led to damage to the design of the gas pipeline and other equipment, then the amount of penalties can reach 400-500 thousand rubles.
The listed fines imposed in accordance with the aforementioned article of the Criminal Code can be replaced by payments in an amount equal to the salary to any other income of the culprit for a certain period (from 6 to 18 months).
Penalties for theft of gas
If it is established that unauthorized connection to any gas pipeline was made with the aim of illegal selection of “blue” fuel and the fact is proved, then the punishment will be carried out according to the requirements UK Article 158 para. 3. It is said that the theft of gas is punishable by a fine amounting to 100-500 thousand. A fixed amount can be replaced by a penalty in the amount of wages for 1-3 years.
In addition, the legislation allows limiting the guilty freedom for a period of one and a half years with the simultaneous payment of a fine in the amount of wages from 1 to 6 months.
We talked about the intricacies of official gasification of a country house in the following material.
It is worth reminding that the illegal use of gas and equipment can lead to a situation where even a large fine will not work. And this happens regularly, and because of unscrupulous consumers, people die regularly. Confirmation of this in the photo, which was taken in Fryazino, immediately after the explosion in the apartment, which occurred due to the fault of the owner of the house
If an unauthorized connection led to the theft of gas in the so-called especially large amounts, then the size of the fine can reach a million rubles. And at the same time, the culprit can be limited in freedom (up to 2 years). The same will be the penalty if the act was committed by an organized group.
In both cases, a fixed amount can be replaced by a fine, the amount of which will be equal to the income of the perpetrator for a certain period (up to 5 years). At the same time, restriction of freedom up to 18 months is possible.
Since the severity of the punishment depends on the amount of illegally taken gas, you should also know that Art. 158 indicates:
- large theft - when the damage is done in an amount exceeding 250 thousand rubles;
- extra large size theft of "blue" fuel is considered more than a million rubles.
Moreover, the law does not matter where the unauthorized selection took place - in an apartment or a private house - the penalty for gas will be the same. That is, only the presence of intent and the severity of the deed are taken into account.
Penalty Rules
If the gas consumer does not provide the proper level of security, then representatives of the gas service who will reveal the violation can impose a fine. At the same time, the owner of the premises must be notified in writing of the penalty.
An unlawful connection may be the usual replacement of one gas boiler, stove, or any other device with a new one, any interference with the operation of control and measuring equipment, including meters. In any case, the amount of the fine will definitely be impressive. But the most difficult will be for violators, if it is proved that they acted with selfish intent
In cases with unauthorized connection to any gas pipelines, only police officers have the right to record the violation.
And only courts should charge fines for illegal use of gas, special equipment in any private house, apartment.Well, the decision of any person in charge can be challenged.
The video attached below will help to understand why in recent years the amount of fines in Russia has increased significantly. And also to understand how cases of unauthorized connection, illegal gas sampling are revealed and what happens for this:
Having watched the following video material, you can make sure that unauthorized connection to any pipeline is an illegal and very dangerous act that you have to pay for, at least financially:
The use of gas equipment should be safe for the homeowner, his household and those around him. Therefore, for the use of faulty equipment, its untimely maintenance, fines are threatened, the amount of which and the collection procedure are clearly prescribed in the legislation.
But even tougher in Russia are people who are trying to act dishonestly, trying to arbitrarily connect to pipelines and steal gas.
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