In our building, during the summer of 2026, they cut off the electricity several times for the whole day supposedly due to emergency repairs, but they were done during working hours without any warning. The fridge broke down, the food spoiled. The management company says these were planned maintenance works and they're not responsible. What rights do I have?
You can demand it, but it's complicated. The management company is required to notify residents of power cuts at least 24 hours in advance (it's in the common property maintenance regulations), and if they didn't do that, you have grounds for a compensation claim for damages. The main catch: you need proof - photos of spoiled food, receipts for purchases, and ideally a specialist's report on what caused the fridge to break (whether it failed on its own or specifically because of the power cut). Without that, the management company will just brush off your claim, even if you're technically right under the law.
At my dacha, I've run into sudden power outages more than once, and it's always been a real headache. When they cut the electricity without warning for a whole day - that's completely unacceptable, especially in the heat when the fridge is running full blast.
By law, the management company has to notify residents in advance about outages, even if it's scheduled maintenance work. Usually they need to give 3-5 days' notice - it gets posted in the entryway or communicated some other way. If that didn't happen, that's already a violation. And if the outages weren't planned at all and it was an emergency, then the management company is even more responsible for compensating damages, because they caused them.
As for compensation: first, send a written complaint to the management company describing what losses you incurred (spoiled food, damage to the fridge), attach receipts and photos as proof. Make sure to note that the outage happened without proper notice. If the management company refuses - go to the housing inspection authority or Rospotrebnadzor, they can force the company to pay damages. The last resort is taking it to court, but there you'll need to prove direct cause-and-effect between the management company's actions and your losses. Document everything: chat screenshots, receipts, statements from neighbors.
The main thing is to demand documents: a notice of disconnection (it should be provided 3-5 days in advance) and a report on emergency work. If the management company can't provide an official notice, that means the disconnection was illegal, and you have the right to claim damages through court or a complaint to the management company. Take photos of spoiled food and keep receipts for your purchases - these are evidence of direct damage.
Life hack: send the management company a letter (preferably registered with delivery confirmation) demanding that they provide a report of completed work and a schedule of planned disconnections for the next month. After that, they should be obligated to notify you in advance. This way you'll protect yourself going forward and create a paper trail for court if needed.
I agree with the guys about the documents, but I'll add one more thing: even if the management company says it was an emergency situation, they were still required to notify you within two hours of the outage starting - that's also in the regulations. Without that notification and without advance notice, you have every right to demand compensation for damages (spoiled food, refrigerator repairs) through a claim or court. The main thing is to gather all the evidence: photos of the spoiled food, receipts, repair invoices, statements from neighbors confirming the outage.
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