Report an Emergency
For non-urgent maintenance issues
Please go back to the Property Management page and click on ‘Report a non-emergency issue’
Who to contact
During office hours
- Our office hours are 9am-6pm Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm Sat
- For managed properties please call our offices on 01923 237771 or 020 8428 0540
- If you usually contact your landlord for maintenance, then please contact them directly.
Outside office hours
- For managed properties please our offices on 01923 237771 or 020 8428 0540 and choose option 1 for property management.
- If you usually contact your landlord for maintenance, then please contact them directly.
What is an emergency?
An emergency repair is a repair that is necessary to alleviate, remove or reduce risk to the safety, security, or health of a tenant, the general public, or the property.
When our offices are closed, the use of common sense is needed when making the decision to call out a contractor out of hours.
The contact numbers supplied to you within your welcome pack should only be used in an emergency when our offices are closed. If you cannot contact the contractor provided then please contact another contractor to visit the property, ensuring you follow a common sense approach to avoid unnecessarily inflated costs for the landlord.
A contractor will increase their rates out of hours, therefore, if you can wait until the next working day your landlord will appreciate it.
As a tenant, you have a duty to minimize expenses to your landlord. Before calling an emergency contractor, please check any manuals you’ve been supplied with.
If the problem has arisen because of tenant misuse, then you will be liable for the works.
No heating or hot water
Please contact us immediately by calling 01923 237771 or 020 8428 0540 and select option 1 for property management.
Please be aware that a plumber will only attend out of hours during uncomfortably cold temperatures if they believe the materials/parts they will require are available to fix the issue.
If a contractor attends an emergency call-out, out of normal working hours, and determines that the problem is not an emergency and that it could have been dealt with during normal office hours then you may be responsible for the increased cost incurred.
Water - Burst or Frozen Pipes
The following steps describe what you should do as soon as you discover a burst pipe:
- Turn off the water supply
- Turn off the main stop tap
- Turn off the stopcock in your cold-water tank if you have one, it is usually found in the attic or loft.
- Drain the system by turning on all your cold taps.
- If water has been leaking through for some time and the ceilings are bulging – be careful, rooms may not be safe to enter.
- If you notice the leak quickly, please try to catch any dripping water in buckets.
- If you can see the ceiling is starting to bulge, please puncture a hole in the ceiling with a screwdriver to let the water out.
- Turn off water heating systems
- Switch off the central heating, immersion heater, and any other water heating systems.
- If the central heating uses solid fuel, let this die out.
- When the water heating has shut down, turn on the hot taps to help drain the system.
- Then call 01923 237771 or 020 8428 0540 and select option 1 for property management.
- Turn off the electrics
- If water leaks near your electrics or electrical appliances, switch off the mains immediately.
- If it is wet, don’t touch them!
Preventing Burst Pipes - Winter Care
In very cold weather the heating will need to be on low or set to come on a couple of times a day, especially if you’re going away. Most modern boilers have a frost protection thermostat, which turns on automatically if the temperature drops to a level that will cause your pipes to freeze
Contact details for the supply of your water are Affinity Water on 0345 357 2402
Gas Emergency
What do I do if I smell gas or suspect a gas leak?
If you smell gas or suspect a gas leak, you should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately – contact them 24/7 on 0800 111 999. For those who are deaf or hearing impaired and have a Minicom or Textphone, the number to call is 0800 371 787.
Electrical - No lights or Power
Be prepared when there’s a power shortage in your home. You may find the trouble is caused by your power supply – contact your Electrical Supplier to check first.
You can instruct an electrician to attend if:
- You have checked the fuse box and checked that the switches have not tripped.
- If you have contacted the Electricity Board to ensure they have not turned off the power in the street/building.
Failed front door lock
Please contact our office if you cannot enter your home because the front door lock has stopped working. If our offices are closed, contact Abbey Locks on 0800 0520773 or contact them through their website www.abbeylocks.co.uk.
Please note – The landlord will not be responsible for the cost of a locksmith if you have either lost, misplaced, shut your front door keys inside the property, or left them in the back of the lock.
If the works are identified to be the landlord’s responsibility you will need to provide a receipt detailing the work that has been completed and we will arrange with the landlord to refund the costs.
Broken windows or doors following a break-in
You can instruct a handyman to attend:
- To temporarily board up the window/make the property safe and will re-attend during working hours to replace glass/doors etc. (This can often be arranged via the police when attending the crime location)
You must first report damage to the police and obtain a crime reference number.
Speak to a lettings expert
Give us a call and a property managers will be more than happy to help…
