Emergency Property Maintenance

Book Valuation

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/FAULTEMERGENCY                      ACTION REQUIRED
BLOCKED DRAINSYESCall 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 PIPESNOBasic 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-INYESIf security is compromised call emergency contractor.

You must report the break in to the Police immediately and obtain a crime reference number.

BURST PIPESYESFirstly 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 LOCKSSee action required columnOnly 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.
FIREYESCall fire brigade on 999 immediately. Report to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day.
GAS LEAKYESTurn 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/ROOFSee action required columnNot an emergency unless loose debris is a danger or the internal fabric of the building is immediately at risk.
FENCING DOWNNOReport to Belvoir Cardiff by email or by phone on the next working day.
NO HEATINGSee action required columnIf 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 WATERSee action required columnNot 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 PIPESNOCatch 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 KEYSNOTenant’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 POWERYESFirstly 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 WATERYESCall 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 MALFUNCTIONNOIf there is an alarm maintenance contract call the company direct otherwise report to Belvoir Cardiff on next working day.
TOILET WON’T FLUSHNOAs 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, plumbing and leaks from pipework.

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.

For Cardiff, Newport and Barry Properties. First call RS GASCARE – 07792 099982. If no answer call Ionic Plumbing – 07855839611

For Properties North of Cardiff, such as Pontypridd etc. First call Ionic Plumbing – 07855839611, if no answer call RS GASCARE – 07792 099982.

Electrical problems, including electrical heating system

If there is a homecare policy in place contact the provider, details would have been provided to you.

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, walls and broken windows BC SERVICES – 07891 346 297 

General Emergency Issues and Handyman BC SERVICES – 07891 346 297 SR MAINTENANCE – 07964 389 043

Blocked Drains that are not within Welsh Waters’ responsibility. AR DRAINS – 02920 885660

Contact the Cardiff and Pontypridd team

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