What is an emergency repair?
We provide a 24/7 emergency repairs service. If you need an emergency repair we'll usually attend the same day, but always within 24 hours.
We prioritise emergency repairs based on urgency and the risks to those in your home or to the public. Sometimes, we may ask to carry out a video call to assess (and possibly fix) the problem remotely. If we can't resolve the issue this way, it will still help us to understand more about the repair.
We are sensitive to vulnerabilities so please let us know – or remind us – of any circumstances we should be aware of, when you call to report an emergency repair.
To report an emergency repair, please call us on 0300 5000 926*. You can ring the same number for emergency situations which may arise in your new-build home relating to defects.
If you are a key worker or student, please contact your local Accommodation Office.
If you are a tenant, the following are considered an emergency
(The repairs we’re responsible for are different if you’re a shared owner or leaseholder.)
If you smell gas or suspect you have a gas or carbon monoxide leak (if an alarm is sounding):
- DO call 0800 111 999 immediately (the Gas Network Provider freephone number)
- DO put out naked flames (including cigarettes)
- DO open all doors and windows
- DO shut off your gas supply at the meter (this is usually located outside, where the gas pipes enter your property)
- DO get medical advice if a carbon monoxide alarm is sounding
- DON'T strike matches or light a cigarette
- DON'T turn electrical switches on or off
And please call us immediately.
If your heating is not working during the winter months (14 October to 14 March), firstly, please check your key or card meter, to see if it’s in credit. If not, you can top-up using your key or card.
Otherwise, please call us.
If you have a gas meter, firstly, please check your key or card meter, to see if it’s in credit. If not, you can top-up using your key or card.
Otherwise, please call us.
If you have a complete electrical failure, please check the following:
- Have your neighbours got power? If not, it’s probably a power cut. You can call 105 free to report this – they’ll put you through to your local electricity network operator who can help.
- If your neighbours have power, try checking your fuse board to see if one of the breakers has tripped (if safe to do so). This happens as a built in safety feature when a light bulb or a fuse in a plug or appliance blows. If that’s what’s happened, you can replace the bulb or fuse in the plug (or disconnect the appliance), and then reset the breaker by clicking it back to the on position.
- Watch a video on resetting trip switches on your fuse box
.
If you still have no power, please call us.
Please call us immediately if:
- Your home isn't secure and you're worried for your safety.
- There's a problem with the main door entry system in a supported housing scheme.
- The police have asked us to attend for another reason.
Please note, if you’ve locked yourself out, it’s up to you to contact a locksmith. If you prefer, we can fit a new lock, but please be aware we'll charge for this service and you'll need to pay up front.
It is not an emergency and may not be covered if your key has snapped in the lock, you have forgotten your keys, or your door has dropped.
If you have no working toilet in your home:
Please call us immediately.
We'll attend as soon as possible for all lift breakdowns or if there's a problem with your stairlift. And we'll prioritise any breakdowns in schemes for older people, or where someone's trapped and the fire brigade are called to assist.
Please call us immediately.
If someone is stuck, please ask them to follow any instructions in the lift or given by the operator.
If you have severe flooding, water running into your electrics or a major roof leak that’s causing internal damage:
- Try to contain the leak (if it’s possible and safe to do so).
- Isolate the water supply if you can.
Please call us immediately.
You may be able to isolate the water supply by shutting off the stopcock (usually located under your kitchen sink). There’s more information about this on our plumbing page.
This includes incidents that could seriously damage your health or the property, such as risk to life or a ceiling falling down.
Please call us immediately.
Advice for other major issues in your home
You may be able to resolve the following repairs issues yourself, but please contact us if they become an emergency.
If your toilet becomes blocked, please try to clear this yourself first. If you’re unable to clear the blockage, please let us know when you report this to us.
You should never flush items other than toilet paper down your toilet - this includes sanitary products and wet wipes, even if it states on the packaging that they are ‘flushable’.
If you report a blocked toilet, we will need to check with you that you have not flushed any items you should not have done, and that you will accept a charge for the visit if this is found to be the cause of the blockage.
If you have no heating, please check first if this is affecting all the radiators in your home. If it is only one or two, please try to bleed those radiators before calling us. Our video guide on bleeding a radiator shows how to do this and it is a regular part of home maintenance.
Before you report an issue, please also make sure you are using your heating thermostats correctly (our room thermostat video may help you to check if you are).
Depending on your heating and hot water systems, you should also check the pressure on your boiler. If it is low, you will need to top it up - watch our operating a boiler video guide to find out how to do this.
You can also look to see if there are any error codes displayed on your boiler. If you do need to report a problem, we may be able to help you resolve the issue without an engineer's visit - depending on the code.
See if you can find the source of the leak - to find out if it is only when items such as the shower, bath or sink are in use. If the leak is coming from your shower, bath or sink, please refrain from using them and report this to us as soon as possible.
If the leak is coming from an item like a washing machine or dishwasher, you can temporarily isolate the water supply to that appliance using the isolation valve. You will find this valve on the pipework near the appliance: you are looking for a lever or a small flat raised area where you can insert a flat screwdriver (or coin or blunt knife) to turn the mechanism.
Our kitchen appliances video includes some useful information on this.
You can also find lots more repairs and maintenance advice in our maintenance guides section, including a series of helpful video guides.
*Calls cost no more than calls to geographic numbers (01 or 02) and must be included in inclusive minutes and discount schemes in the same way. (Calls from landlines and mobiles are included in free call packages).