An emergency is a situation that presents a risk to someone’s safety, or that will cause serious damage to the property if it is not dealt with immediately. Almost everything else, however inconvenient, is a repair and is dealt with during office hours.
The distinction matters financially as well as practically. If you call out a contractor outside office hours for something that was not an emergency, the cost will be yours to meet.
Situation by situation
| Situation | Emergency? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fire | Emergency | Leave the property and call 999. |
| Gas leak | Emergency | Shut off the gas at the meter, open windows, leave, and call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. |
| Carbon monoxide alert | Emergency | Switch off all appliances, open all windows, vacate the premises, then call for help. |
| No power supply | Emergency | Only where it is a complete loss of power that is not also affecting neighbouring properties. If neighbours are affected too, it is a network fault, so contact the supplier. |
| No water supply | Emergency | Where there is no running water whatsoever. Check first whether your supplier has a known issue in the area. |
| Plumbing leak | Emergency | Where you cannot contain the leak and it is causing damage. If you can contain it, report it as a normal repair. |
| Roof leak | Emergency | Where the leak is affecting an electrical fitting or causing serious damage. |
| Roof damage | Emergency | Where it is causing substantial damage to the property, or where it is dangerous to people below. |
| Locks and doors | It depends | An emergency where it makes the property impractical to secure. Not an emergency if you have simply lost your keys. See the lockout guidance in the out-of-hours procedure. |
| Broken windows | It depends | An emergency where it makes the property impractical to secure. Unless you can show the damage was not caused by you, the cost is usually the tenant's. |
| Blocked toilet | It depends | An emergency where the property has only one toilet. Unless it can be shown the blockage was not your fault, it is usually the tenant's responsibility. |
| No heating | It depends | Depends on the circumstances and the time of year. Loss of heating in mid-winter, or where a vulnerable person is in occupation, is treated differently from a mild spell in May. |
| Gutters and downpipes | Not an emergency | Unless water is entering the building and causing major damage, or is hazardous to people. |
| No hot water | Not an emergency | Not an emergency, but we will always try to get a contractor out as soon as possible. |
| Smoke alarm beeping | Not an emergency | An intermittent beep almost always means the battery needs replacing, which is the tenant's responsibility. Never remove the unit from the ceiling. |
| Blocked sink, basin or bath | Not an emergency | Unless it can be shown the blockage was not your fault, this is usually the tenant's responsibility. |
| Broken cooker | Not an emergency | Not an emergency. Report it to maintenance@emluk.com. |
If it is not an emergency
Report it by email to maintenance@emluk.com, following the guidance on what to include. The inbox is worked Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 5.00pm.
Useful numbers
| Service | Organisation | Telephone |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency services | Police, Fire, Ambulance | 999 |
| Gas emergency | National Gas Emergency Service | 0800 111 999 |
| Power loss | Electricity network emergency | 0800 028 0247 |
| Water | Thames Water | 0845 9200 800 |
| Electricity supply | EDF | 0845 600 0102 |
| Telephone line | BT | 150 |
| Managing agent | Estate Management London | 020 7930 9333 |
Supplier numbers do change. If a number does not connect, your supplier’s website will carry the current one. For a suspected gas leak, 0800 111 999 is the number regardless of who supplies your gas.
Handling an emergency
If you are dealing with a genuine emergency outside office hours, act as you would if you owned the property: make the situation safe, contain the damage, and instruct help if help is needed. Reasonable costs properly incurred on a genuine emergency repair will be reimbursed. Keep the invoice.
Full details, including the contractors to call, are in the out-of-hours procedure.