What counts as an emergency repair?

An emergency repair is an issue that creates an immediate risk to people, security or the property, or where delay could cause serious damage.

Use the guidance below to decide who to contact first.

Fire or smoke

Call 999 immediately.

Get out, stay out and call 999. Do not investigate the cause or stop to collect belongings.

If you live in a block of flats, follow the building’s fire safety instructions and any directions from the Fire and Rescue Service.

If smoke, heat or fire is affecting your home, or the emergency services tell you to leave, act immediately.

Never re-enter a building until the Fire and Rescue Service says it is safe.

Once everyone is safe, contact The Housing Inspector if the property needs urgent attention.

Know your fire escape plan

Make sure everyone in the household knows how to leave safely before an emergency happens.

Know your main escape route, an alternative route, where keys are kept, and whether anyone may need help to leave.

Important: communal corridors, staircases and fire doors must be kept clear and fire doors should never be wedged open.

Gas leak or suspected carbon monoxide

Call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999.

This number is available 24 hours a day and is free to call.

If you smell gas, follow these steps:

– do not smoke or use naked flames;

– do not switch electrical switches on or off;

– open doors and windows;

– turn off the gas supply at the meter if it is safe to do so — do not enter a cellar to do this; and

– call 0800 111 999.

If anyone is seriously unwell or there is immediate danger, call 999.

Once the property and occupants are safe, contact The Housing Inspector.

Do not wait for us before calling the National Gas Emergency Service.

Serious water leak or flooding

If water is escaping quickly:

1. Stop the water if it is safe

Turn off the internal stopcock if you know where it is and can reach it safely.

2. Stay away from electricity

If water is affecting electrical fittings, sockets, appliances or the consumer unit, do not touch electrical equipment or stand in water to reach it.

3. Contact us straight away – 07879 471035

Send photographs or video if safe to do so.

If the leak is from a public water main or outside the property, contact the relevant water company as well as letting us know.

Knowing where your stopcock is before an emergency happens can prevent a relatively small leak becoming a major one.

Property insecure or damaged door/window

If a door or window has been damaged and the property cannot be secured, contact us urgently:

07879 471035

If the damage is connected with a burglary, attempted burglary or crime in progress, contact the police first.

Keep children and animals away from broken glass.

Do not attempt to remove large pieces of glass that remain attached to a frame and do not make permanent alterations to doors, windows or frames.

A temporary make-safe repair may be arranged until the proper repair can be completed.

Locked out of your property

If you are locked out of a property managed by The Housing Inspector, contact:

07879 471035

We may hold management keys or be able to help arrange access.

You may be asked to provide identification or other evidence that you are entitled to enter the property.

Where a locksmith is required because keys have been lost, left inside or otherwise become unavailable through the tenant’s actions, the cost may be payable by the tenant.

If somebody is inside the property and at immediate risk — for example a young child or vulnerable person — call 999.

No heating or hot water

Report a complete loss of heating or hot water as soon as possible:

Email: thehousinginspector@gmail.com
Urgent repair line: 07879 471035

Tell us:

– whether both heating and hot water have failed;

– what the boiler/display is showing;

– whether there is electricity to the boiler; and

– whether you have already tried the normal controls.

Please do not dismantle or attempt to repair a boiler yourself.

Tell us immediately if the household includes someone whose age, disability, health or other circumstances mean the loss of heating creates a particular risk. That helps us prioritise the response appropriately.

Power cut or electrical emergency

First check whether neighbouring properties are also without electricity.

If other properties are affected

Call 105 or use PowerCut105 to contact your local electricity network operator.

105 is the free national number for power cuts in Great Britain. If you see fallen power lines or damaged electrical equipment, stay well clear and call 105. If there is an immediate danger to life, call 999.

If only your property is affected

If it is safe to do so, look at the consumer unit/fuse box to see whether a circuit has tripped.

Do not repeatedly reset a circuit that continues to trip. That may indicate an electrical fault.

Contact The Housing Inspector:

07879 471035

During a power cut:

– keep fridge and freezer doors closed;

– unplug sensitive equipment where appropriate;

– leave one light switched on so you know when power returns;

– conserve mobile-phone battery; and

– check on vulnerable people nearby where it is safe to do so.

Vulnerability and additional support

Some households may need extra support during a property emergency.

Please tell us if anyone in the household may need additional consideration because of age, disability, health, pregnancy, mobility, communication needs or another vulnerability.

This helps us understand the urgency and respond appropriately.

Electricity network operators also operate a Priority Services Register for people who may need extra support during power interruptions.

Not sure whether it is an emergency?

If somebody is in immediate danger → call 999.

If you smell gas → call 0800 111 999.

If there is a power network emergency → call 105.

If it is an urgent problem with a property we manage → call 07879 471035

If it can safely wait and there is no immediate risk to people or the property, please contact us through our normal repair/enquiry route.

Still not sure? Tell us what is happening.

We would rather understand the situation early than allow a manageable problem to become a bigger one.

Useful emergency contacts

Emergency services — 999
Fire, police or ambulance where there is immediate danger.

National Gas Emergency Service — 0800 111 999
Gas leak or suspected gas / carbon monoxide emergency.

Electricity emergency / power cut — 105
Connects you to your local electricity network operator.

The Housing Inspector — 07879 471035
Urgent property/repair matters for properties we manage.

thehousinginspector@gmail.com
Non-emergency reporting and follow-up.