It is important that any repairs are reported to the office as soon as you have noticed the issue.
We will contact your landlord to notify them of the repair and take their instruction, some landlords may instruct their own contractor.
We aim to attend any emergency repairs within 24 hours, any other repairs which are not classed as emergency we aim to instruct within 48 hours (excluding weekends).
As you will be aware we act on behalf of the owner of the property you have rented as managing agents, unless it is an emergency we have no authority to authorise any quotes without the landlord’s permission.
Should you have an emergency repair when our office is closed please call our office, our voicemail will provide you the details of our emergency contractors.
WHAT IS AN EMERGENCY?
An emergency is something that cannot wait until we open, if you call a tradesman unnecessarily you may be held liable for the costs involved. Emergencies are classed as no heating or hot water, loss of electricity and water coming into or leaking from your property, any repairs out with these are not emergencies and should be reported to the office when open.
HEATING OR HOT WATER NOT WORKING
There are some things you should try before calling the emergency contractor.
If your boiler is showing an error code you can search this code and make of boiler which will give you an idea of the issue.
1. Check the pressure on the boiler, if this is low pressure this should be topped up, this is the responsibility of the tenant.
2. You should reset the boiler, there should be instructions on how to do this on the boiler but if not the manual will be available online by searching make and model.
3. If you have a pre-payment meter please ensure you have credit in the meter, if there is an issue with the meter itself, you will need to contact your supplier.
These are simple thinks that should be done before calling the contractor.
LOSS OF ELECTRICITY
Full loss of electricity usually means a power cut. Check with your neighbours first, if they also have no electricity call the distributor for your area on 105. If you have a pre-payment meter please ensure there is credit within the meter. If there is an issue with the meter itself, you will need to contact your supplier.
Lights/sockets can often be tripped by a light bulb blowing or an appliance being faulty and tripping the circuit. Locate the fuse box and check the switches, they should all be up, if any are down flick it on.
WATER COMING INTO YOUR PROPERTY
Firstly inform the upstairs neighbour and ask that they arrange for a plumber to attend to as the leak is likely to be coming from their property.
If you cannot make contact with the neighbour and the water ingress is becoming excessive contact our office. In the event we are closed you should contact environmental health who should send emergency service to enter the property and turn of the water, THIS SHOULD ONLY BE DONE IN AN EMERGENCY. If the leak is not excessive please place something under to catch any water until you are able to report this, you should contact us as soon as our office opens to make us aware of any leaks so we can assess any damage.
WATER LEAK FROM YOUR PROPERTY GOING DOWNSTAIRS
Check no water is running (ie bath/shower/taps) and all appliances are off. Locate the stop cock (usually located under sink or by utility meters) and turn off any water supply. Contact our office in the first instance. If you cannot locate the stop cock and if we are closed you will be provided with the contact details of an emergency plumber.
Please note that an emergency a plumber will merely turn off water at the mains they will not source or repair the problem as they need to submit a quote for any work.
GENERAL MAINTENANCE FAQ’s
As a tenant you are responsible for general housekeeping, changing light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries, topping up boiler pressure and gardening.
Loss of electricity
Full loss of electricity usually means a power cut, check with your neighbours, if they have no electricity phone the distributor for your area.
WHITE GOOD/APPLIANCE BREAKDOWN
Refer to manufacturer’s instructions in the first instance, if the manual has not been left in the property this should be available online by searching make and model of the appliance.
Please note that any misuse of items, such as washing machines being overloaded or items found to be stuck in them may result in you being held liable for the cost.
Washing machine’s should be maintained by running a clean cycle and emptying the filter regularly.
Please note white goods or appliance breakdowns are not classed as emergency but will aim to resolve these issues as quickly as possible.
SHOWER NOT WORKING
Firstly establish whether the shower is electric or mains operated (hot water comes from the boiler), if it electric check that the fuse has not tripped on the fuse board, if it is mains operated check boiler pressure is not low or has an error code.
BLOCKED DRAINS
Blockages must be first be attended to by the tenant by using a strong drain cleaner and/or plunger. If this does not alleviate the issue then contact our office.
Most drainage and waste issues are general maintenance for occupants.
Please note that if debris ie foodstuffs or hygiene items are the cause, you may be charged for this call out.
LOST KEYS
Should you lose your keys please contact our office as we may hold a spare set, if we hold a spare set you will be asked to show ID and leave a £20 deposit which will be returned when you have got new keys cut and returned our management set. Please note that we do not hold a spare set of keys for every property, should locks require to be changed or the door forced open you will be liable for the cost of this.
