If a property management company cuts off water, electricity, heating, or gas to coerce payment of property fees, lodge a complaint with local housing authorities: property managers can only issue notices, sue, or arbitrate for unpaid fees

Property management companies are legally forbidden from cutting off electricity, water, gas, or heating to compel payment of property management fees; if encountered, complain to the local housing administrative bureau. Conversely, if the property company provides contractual services, owners cannot refuse payment on grounds that they "didn't use the service," and managers can sue for arrears. Unauthorized fee increases or duplicate charges can be lawfully withheld.

Zero financial outlay. Filing an administrative complaint or telephone report takes several dozen minutes. If the management company refuses to comply and you seek tort damages for incurred losses, litigation is required.

Article 944 of the Civil Code establishes three clear legal principles: (1) "The property service provider shall not coerce payment of property service fees by interrupting the supply of electricity, water, heat, gas, or other utilities"; (2) Where the property service provider has rendered services pursuant to contract, owners may not refuse payment on grounds of "not accepting or having no need to accept" services; and (3) Where an owner fails to pay on time, the provider may demand payment within a reasonable cure period; if still unpaid, the provider may institute litigation or arbitration. The Regulations on Property Management mandate that owners' committees urge delinquent owners to pay, and property enterprises may file court lawsuits upon expiration. Homeowners can file administrative complaints with real estate administrative departments of local people's governments at or above the county level, which are mandated to process complaints promptly. Furthermore, Supreme People's Court judicial interpretations confirm that if a property service company unilaterally expands billing scopes, elevates fee standards, or imposes duplicate fees in violation of contracts or laws, courts must support the owner's refusal to pay such illicit fees and must support lawsuits demanding refunds of unauthorized fees already paid.

The law prohibits property managers from cutting off utilities as debt-collection leverage. Delinquency in paying utility companies directly for water, power, or gas is governed differently: after notice and reasonable cure periods, statutory utility providers can suspend supply according to administrative regulations with advance warning. Regulations require utility companies to bill end users directly. If unauthorized utility cutoffs inflict direct damages (e.g. frozen pipes, ruined refrigeration, spoiled goods), recover damages via court lawsuit. First-instance ordinary procedure takes at least 6 months, and summary procedure 3 months, with unrecoverable attorney fees. Landlord lockouts or utility cutoffs in rental disputes are addressed in Chapter 15, Rule 2. Benefit is categorized as Moderate.

全国人大 (2020). 民法典（第九百四十四条；第六百五十四、六百五十六条）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/spp/fl/202006/t20200602_463888.shtml；国务院 (2018 第三次修订). 物业管理条例（第五、四十四、四十八、六十四条）. https://flk.npc.gov.cn/detail?id=ff8080816f3cbb3c016f40daebf30779；最高人民法院 (2020). 关于修改《最高人民法院关于在民事审判工作中适用〈中华人民共和国工会法〉若干问题的解释》等二十七件民事类司法解释的决定（法释〔2020〕17 号，第十四项修改物业服务纠纷解释原第五条，条文顺序调整后为第二条：「物业服务人违反物业服务合同约定或者法律、法规、部门规章规定，擅自扩大收费范围、提高收费标准或者重复收费，业主以违规收费为由提出抗辩的，人民法院应予支持。业主请求物业服务人退还其已经收取的违规费用的，人民法院应予支持。」）. https://www.court.gov.cn/fabu/xiangqing/282621.html