What is classed as an emergency?
Emergency definition: ‘A serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.’
In property terms, this could be a gas leak, loss of power or a water leak that is causing damage to the property and that you have not been able to contain (i.e. by turning off the stop cock / valve).
When something like this happens, you must contact Edwards & Plumb Property immediately. We have contractors on hand and will provide advice on what to do to ensure you, the property and its contents are safe.
Please read on for more information on what you should do in an emergency.
Police / fire / ambulance (emergency services)
CALL 999
Smell gas?
If you smell gas or your carbon monoxide alarm is activated:
- Do not use electrical switches or naked flames.
- Turn off the gas at the mains tap if you can. The mains tap is usually located near the gas meter. Do not enter if the gas leak is in a cellar or basement.
- Leave the property immediately.
- Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 and follow their instructions.
- Contact Edwards & Plumb Property Management to inform us of the situation.
Important: Carbon monoxide is odourless. If your alarm sounds, you must act quickly.
Water leaks
- Assess if the situation is minor or major.
- If there is a major leak and water is freely flowing, you should turn off the water at the stopcock or valve to minimise the risk of damage to the property. If you are unsure where your stopcock or valve is located, please refer to your inventory document.
- If the leak is minor, you can place a bowl or bucket and towels if needed to manage the water escape.
- If the water is leaking from a neighbouring property, the tenant should attempt to contact the person located in the property and advise them of the leak.
- Contact Edwards & Plumb Property Management to advise us of the situation.
No hot water or heating?
- Check if your boiler is working. If your boiler is flashing a fault code on the display, you should use the manufactures instruction for guidance.
- Check your clock and timer settings for the boiler. If you have recently experienced a power cut, this may have reset the time which had previously been programmed.
- Check your room thermostat isn’t set too low.
- Contact Edwards & Plumb Property Management to advise us of the situation if the boiler is not working.
Power cuts
- Check if any switches have tripped on your fuse board.
- Call the National Electric emergency service number on 0800 31 63 105.
- You can access the UK power network live power cut information by visiting www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk.
- We advise that you keep a torch with spare batteries in a place that is accessible, so that you can find this easily if there is no light in the property.
- Contact Edwards & Plumb Property Management to advise us of the situation.
Your fuse box is usually a grey or black rectangular unit, typically located near the electrical meter. The exact location can be found in your inventory document.
If a fault occurs, a switch may trip, cutting power to the affected circuit. In this case, you can try restoring power by flipping the switch back on. If the switch does not reset, it may be due to a faulty appliance. To identify the issue, unplug all appliances on that circuit and try resetting the switch again.
If the problem persists, contact your agent immediately.
It’s important not to overload circuits, as this is a common cause of tripped switches or blown fuses. Avoid using multiple plug adaptors in a single socket.
Informing us of any damage
You will need to notify Edwards & Plumb Property Management of any minor or major damage to the property, this is included but not limited to appliances which are not working, water or heating issues and structural damage, i.e cracks in external walls or subsidence. We will then be responsible for contacting the landlord to advise on any repairs that may need to be made.
You may email, call or WhatsApp us to get in touch using the contact details above.
Tenant information pack
At the start of your tenancy, you will have been issued with a Tenant Information Pack. Please ensure you read through its contents carefully.
If any issues arise, or if the information in your Tenant Information Pack changes during the course of your tenancy, please notify Edwards & Plumb Property Management as soon as possible so we can update the records.
The Information Pack also includes details such as the location of your boiler, thermostat, stopcock (valve) for turning the water on and off, and any appliance manuals you may need to refer to during your tenancy.
