We recognise that in some situations, it is important we get out to a customer to complete a repair urgently. As a rule, we will treat any job as an emergency when there is a serious, immediate risk to someone’s health and safety or to the security of their home.
If you have a repair that could result in a serious injury or severe property damage, you should contact us and report your repair immediately. We will carry out your repair within 24 hours - for emergency repairs our priority is to make the situation safe.
Sometimes we are called out to fix something urgently that is not an emergency, costing money and stopping us from helping someone else in real need. If we are called out to an emergency which turns out not to be, customers may be recharged.
Emergency repairs include:
- Exposed electrical wires, broken sockets, or water leaking through electrical wiring or fittings.
- Gas leaks.
- Burst pipes or other serious leaks, where the water cannot be contained at the stop tap.
- Total failure of electricity, gas, or water supply (not caused by cuts to the service beyond their home).
- Any issue where there is an immediate danger of injury (for example for loose roof tiles or unsafe walls).
- Total failure of heating or hot water systems in colder months (we consider colder months as 31 October – 1 May) or when a vulnerable customer is affected.
- Hot water failure where there is no other suitable way to heat water.
- Carbon monoxide detector sounding.
- Communal fire alarm sounding continuously.
- Lift breakdown where there is no alternative lift in the block.
- Blocked toilets or drains - only when the blockage affects the only usable toilet in the property and the customer is unable to unblock it themselves. We will recharge the customer if the blockage is due to misuse.
- Repairs to communal doors where there is a risk to safety or security.
- Faulty access door locks where there is no other means of entry to their home. We will recharge the customer if the problem is caused by missing keys.
- When a home is not secure - for example, if a door is damaged in a break-in and will not close, if a ground floor window is jammed open, or if a lock will not operate. If the damage is caused as a result of a crime, the police should be notified and will supply a valid crime reference number. We will make the home safe and secure at the emergency visit, then agree a follow-on appointment. We will recharge if the damage is caused deliberately.
- Racist or other offensive graffiti.
Out of hours emergency repairs are reported to a third-party supplier who act on our behalf. We will make arrangements to have a range of operatives and contractors available to complete out of hours repairs.
We will attend an emergency repair the same day where possible, but always within 24 hours, no matter the day of the week or time of day.
Our repairs service may carry out an assessment first and then arrange an additional appointment to complete your repair. If we need to complete some further work after we have completed an emergency repair in your home, we will aim to do this as quickly as possible.
Sometimes we may need to charge you if your repair is found not to be an emergency. We will always explain our charges and give you more information.