The State Duma proposed allowing gas workers to freely enter apartments.

Employees of the gas service in Russia may be given the right, by court order, to freely enter residents' apartments to check gas equipment if the owner had previously refused to let them inside. This was announced on December 6 by Sergey Kolunov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

The bill granting such powers to gas companies was adopted by the State Duma in the first reading on February 26. It is currently being finalized for the second reading with the participation of federal authorities, regions and experts.

According to the proposed changes, gas service organizations will be able to go to court if residents refuse to let them in to check the equipment. It is important that the cases under consideration will have a shortened period of only 12 days, and court decisions will be immediately enforceable. Kolunov noted that in case of refusal, the gas workers will be able to go to court, and according to his decision, together with the police or the Federal Bailiff Service, they will be able to freely enter the apartment for inspection.

"We understand that residents should be warned about the date and time of arrival of gas workers. Therefore, in accordance with the draft law, the Russian government will establish a separate procedure for notifying residents of the upcoming inspection," he said in an interview with RIA Novosti

The notification will be sent both electronically and in paper form, at least twice. This will avoid situations where residents are unaware of the inspection and cannot provide access for specialists.

Kolunov stressed that this initiative was developed with the aim of improving the safety of citizens. Referring to the data of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, he said that since 2019, there has been an increase in the number of gas explosions and the number of dead and injured from them. In the period from July 2024 to July 2025 alone, 73 people died and 187 were injured as a result of domestic gas explosions in Russia.

The news is being updated