Here’s a handy self-help guide for things that may go wrong in your home:
Online Help Guide
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Boiler Breakdown
It’s important that you troubleshoot a boiler problem by consulting the boiler manual, if you haven’t got a hard copy of the instruction manual then you can easily download a PDF version from the boiler manufacturer’s website; you will need to know the boiler make and model which can be found on the boiler itself or the latest Landlord Gas Safety Certificate that you will have been provided with.
Your boiler may appear to be faulty but in actual fact it may be something that you can easily rectify yourself. This will prevent both you being without heating and/or hot water and an unnecessary call-out charge that will be invoiced to yourself in the event of a non-technical fault:
Resetting your boiler
There are a number of reasons why you need to reset your boiler to enable it to work correctly again, watch this short video by BOXT Boilers which explains the top tips:
Boiler pressure
Your boiler may not be working due to insufficient pressure, below is a short video by Which? to explain how to repressurise your boiler:
Frozen condensate pipe
If you have a condensing boiler, during colder weather your boiler condensate pipe may have frozen that will be indicated as a boiler fault (please consult the boiler manual to see what the fault code is), here’s a helpful video by Which? explaining what one looks like and how do defrost it effectively:
Insufficient credit
If you have a pre-payment meter for gas and/or electric make sure it’s sufficiently topped up. Obvious as it may seem it’s the best place to start
Does your property have any cover?
Your property may be covered by a British Gas or Homeserve etc. policy, check your emails as this would have been sent to you at the start of tenancy. If you’re unsure please get in touch with us.
Think you can smell gas?
Follow the instructions in this short video by Cadent:
Leaks
The important thing to do on discovery of a leak is to turn off the mains water. Please watch this short video by United Utilities which explains what the water stop cock looks like and where it’s likely to be located. This will also more than likely be highlighted at the beginning of your inventory:
Do your best to contain any leak by placing a bucket or similar vessel under the leak as to mitigate any damage.
The leak may not be coming from an internal/external appliance and instead from the roof, in which case you will need to contain the leak and we will appoint a roofer to investigate.
Electrical fault
If your fusebox has tripped it may not be an electrical fault so you will need to check a few things first. Please read this guide by Homeserve that explains what you need to do before an electrician would get involved:
Locked out of your home
In the event you have locked yourself out of your home you will need to contact an emergency locksmith at your expense. You will need to inform the Belvoir office.
If your lock is faulty and you can’t get in your home and it is outside of Belvoir’s business hours then you will need to again contact an emergency locksmith. The landlord will reimburse you for any reasonable costs on provision of an invoice.
