HANDLING EMERGENCY SITUATIONS OUTSIDE OF OFFICE HOUR
EMERGENCIES
If you suspect a gas or a carbon monoxide leak call 0800 111 999 IMMEDIATELY.
For emergency services (fire, ambulance, police) ring 999.
During your tenancy you may find that property problems occur outside of normal office hours. Most of these problems should simply be reported when the Belvoir office is next open, however an emergency situation will need to be dealt with immediately. You can report a maintenance issue in Cardiff And Pontypridd to us from here.
If your property is managed by the Landlord (i.e. you pay your rent direct to the landlord) then please report ALL maintenance to your Landlord. Contact details will be found in your tenancy agreement.
For Belvoir Cardiff managed properties please determine if your maintenance is an emergency situation.
DEFINITION OF AN EMERGENCY
We deem an emergency situation to be an unforeseen situation that, if not dealt with quickly, would:
a) Endanger the occupiers.
b) Damage or lead to significant further damage to the property.
c) Render the property unfit or unsafe for habitation or insecure.
Only an emergency situation outside of office hours warrants contacting an emergency maintenance contractor.
As an emergency contractor callout may involve extra expense for the landlord, we must ensure that best practice is adopted and that all actions are fair and reasonable. You must ensure that emergency call outs are for GENUINE EMERGENCY SITUATUIONS ONLY.
The landlord will only accept responsibility for out-of-hours repairs in a genuine and clear emergency situation that cannot wait until the next working day and where the invoice is reasonable. We reserve the right to challenge any unsubstantiated call-outs and associated costs incurred on the Landlord’s behalf.
EMERGENCY MAINTENANCE PROCEDURE
1. Determine whether your requirement is an emergency situation. Guidance is provided in the table below.
2. If it is an emergency situation contact one of the recommended emergency maintenance contractors from our list below.
If our recommended contactors are unavailable you may opt to find your own, however before instructing a contractor you must check that they hold the necessary qualification for the job –
For gas works the contractor must be registered with the Gas Safe Register
For electrical works they should be NICEIC qualified
All contractors must have current Public Liability Insurance cover.
You will need to find out the hourly out of hours rate for the works and assess if this is reasonable. If you need to call out an emergency contractor you must report this to us at the first opportunity, either immediately by email or by phone the next working day.
Any emergency contractor should only be instructed to carry out a temporary job/sufficient work, to stop the cause of the problem (e.g. stop a flood, but not carry out works to make good the surroundings). A full repair will be organised by the Belvoir Property Management team during normal hours.
All out of office hours’ emergency situations must be reported to Belvoir Cardiff immediately by email or reported by phone on the next working day.
Non-emergency situations should be reported to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day.
Please make all of your decisions in the full knowledge of the above guidelines, and being aware that if you use a contractor out of hours, when it is not an emergency situation, you will be liable for the costs of the contractor.
| REPAIR/FAULT | EMERGENCY | ACTION REQUIRED |
| BLOCKED DRAINS | YES | Call emergency contractor. If deemed to be caused by the tenant through negligence (e.g. nappies, sanitary wear) then cost will be tenant responsibility. |
| BLOCKED SINK/BATH PIPES | NO | Basic tenant maintenance knowledge should be enough to unblock a household pipe. Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| BREAK-IN | YES | If security is compromised call emergency contractor. You must report the break in to the Police immediately and obtain a crime reference number. |
| BURST PIPES | YES | Firstly turn off the water at the stop cock to isolate the flow of water into the property. This will halt any further water damage. If electrics affected, turn off the power. Call emergency contractor. |
| DOORS AND DOOR LOCKS | See action required column | Only If security is compromised on an external fitting is it an emergency and, in this case, you should call an emergency contractor. For other faults report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| FIRE | YES | Call fire brigade on 999 immediately. Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| GAS LEAK | YES | Turn off the gas supply and call TRANSCO on 0800 111 999. The gas supply shutoff is usually, but not always, close to the gas meter. Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| EXTERNAL GUTTERING/ROOF | See action required column | Not an emergency unless loose debris is a danger or the internal fabric of the building is immediately at risk. |
| FENCING DOWN | NO | Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| NO HEATING | See action required column | If between October & March (or where young, vulnerable or elderly person is part of the tenancy agreement) then call emergency contractor. Outside the months of October to March it is not an emergency, report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| NO HOT WATER | See action required column | Not an emergency unless a young, elderly or vulnerable person is included in the tenancy, in which case call an emergency contractor. Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| LEAKING WASTE PIPES | NO | Catch water in suitable container and stop using the facility that empties to the waste pipe. (E.g. shower, washing machine). Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day. |
| LOST KEYS | NO | Tenant’s sole responsibility. If you require an out of hours’ locksmith you must arrange and pay for this. One of the new keys must be provided to Belvoir Cardiff on the next working day. |
| NO POWER | YES | Firstly check fuses. If any fuse has ‘tripped’ then reset it. If the power loss is isolated to one particular area/room then it is not an emergency situation. If a total power loss to property check with neighbours and Western Power for an area wide power cut. If the failure is a total power loss to only your property call an emergency contractor. |
| NO WATER | YES | Call the utility supplier, Welsh Water and check with your neighbours. If the failure is only within your property then call an emergency contractor. |
| SECURITY ALARM MALFUNCTION | NO | If there is an alarm maintenance contract call the company direct otherwise report to Belvoir Cardiff on next working day. |
| TOILET WON’T FLUSH | NO | As a temporary solution use a bucket/jug of water to flush the toilet. Report to Belvoir Cardiff on the next working day |
If you call a contractor and it is not an emergency situation you will be responsible for paying the contractors’ bill. See our earlier definition of an emergency situation.
If your emergency situation is within office hours contact the Belvoir Cardiff office immediately. – 02920 623860
RENTING AN APARTMENT?
If you are renting an apartment Belvoir only manage the inside of the apartment. Any issues ‘outside your apartment’s front door’ will be managed by an assigned Block Manager. For example, noise complaints, car parking issues, problems with communal entry doors / gates, corridor lighting and cleanliness. Ensure you are aware of who manages you apartment block. This should be displayed on the communal area notice board.
Recommended contractors (see earlier notes if a contractor is not available).
When reporting the problem to a contractor please ensure you can specifically describe the problem.
Problems with a gas boiler
If there is a British Gas homecare policy in place contact British Gas. Details would have been provided to you and British Gas would have performed your Gas Safety check.
Please call Ionic Plumbing – 07855839611.
Plumbing and leaks from pipework.
Please call Ionic Plumbing – 07855839611 or BC SERVICES – Rhys on 07891 346297
Electrical problems, including electrical heating system
If there is a homecare policy in place contact the provider, details would have been provided to you. If no homecare policy please call
NICK COGAN ELECTRICAL – Nick on 07971 575055 or Chris – 07971 264849
BC SERVICES – Rhys on 07891 346297
Locksmith.
If you have lost your keys or locked yourself out, then you are responsible for contractor payment and organising a locksmith to gain access and possibly replace the locks. To avoid this, we recommend you make a copy of the key and leave it with a trusted friend or family member. CURLEY LOCKS – 07814 814 184, LOCK LOGIC – 07920 119 117
Leaking roofs, BC SERVICES – 07891 346 297 or CARL DRISCOLL builders 07818 896627
Broken windows BC SERVICES – 07891 346 297
General Emergency Issues and Handyman BC SERVICES – 07891 346 297
Blocked Drains that are not within Welsh Waters’ responsibility. AR DRAINS – 02920 885660
