Advice - Baths

Blockages
You could try using a plunger to clear a blockage. If you do, remember to cover the overflow.

Leaks
For a major leak turn off your water at the stopcock and turn off the electricity at the meter. A leaking tap may require a new washer - this is your responsibility.

Damage
You will be asked how any damage occurred and you may be required to pay to repair damage that is your responsibility.

Advice - Basins

Blockages
You might be charged for clearing a blockage - see the section on rechargeable repairs. You could try using a plunger to clear a blockage. If you do, remember to cover the overflow. The waste outlet (underneath the basin and normally hidden by the pedestal) can be cleaned out by unscrewing the trap. Use a bowl or bucket to catch the water.

Leaks
For a major leak turn off your water at the stopcock and turn off the electricity at the meter. A leaking tap may require a new washer - this is your responsibility.

Damage
You will be asked how any damage occurred and you may be required to pay to repair damage that is your responsibility.

Advice - WC

Blockages
The blockage may be in the pan or in the soil pipe (which leads to the drains). If it is in the soil pipe the bath and basin will also be blocked.

You might be charged for clearing a blockage. You could try using a plunger to clear a blockage (but avoid using one with a metal disk that might damage the pan).

WC not flushing
The water may be temporarily turned off by the water company or because of a mains fault. See if there is still water to the cold water tap in the kitchen. If the cistern is not filling up the ball valve may be stuck. It might work again if moved by hand. Buckets of water can be used to flush the toilet as a temporary measure.

Overflows
If the cistern is overflowing it may be possible to stop this temporarily by tying the ball valve in the up position.

Leaks
For a major leak turn off your water at the stopcock and turn off the electricity at the meter.

Damage
You will be asked how any damage occurred and you may be required to pay to repair damage that is your responsibility.

Advice - Shower

Blockages
You might be charged for clearing a blockage. If you live in a hard water area, a blockage may be caused by limescale - you could try using descaling fluid.

Leaks
For a major leak turn off your water at the stopcock and turn off the electricity at the meter.

Damage
You will be asked how any damage occurred and you may be required to pay to repair damage that is your responsibility.

Showers
Showers may take water from the bath taps or may be powered by a separate electric unit. You can identify an electric shower because it will have a box on the wall connected to the shower head. Make sure that an electric shower is turned on - there may be a ceiling pull cord or a separate switch.

Advice - Water

Leaks from flat above
If the leak seems to be coming from the flat above, you should contact the occupant. You can report a leak from an empty flat on this system but if you are not sure the flat is empty but cannot contact the occupant, please get in touch with us.

Leaks
For a major leak turn off your water at the main stopcock and turn off the electricity at the meter. There will be other stopcocks for the tank, sink etc.

If a ceiling is bulging with water, you should let the water out before it brings down the whole ceiling. Put a bucket under the bulge and make a small hole to let the water through.

No water
If your pipes might be frozen you should turn off the water and open the cold taps.

If pipes are not frozen and there is cold water at the kitchen sink (which comes straight off the rising main) then the problem is inside the house. If there is no water to the house at all then the main supply may have burst. If other houses are affected it will be the water company's responsibility. The water may be temporarily turned off because of works by the water company, which should have notified everyone affected.

Advice - Hot Water

Gas
Check that your programmer/time clock is set to call for hot water at the expected times. It must, for example, be reset when the clocks go forward and back. Power cuts will also affect the programmer/time clock.

Electricity
If you have a prepayment meter, check that it has not run out of credit. Check also that the controls are set properly.

Gas or Electric water heating?
If you have gas central heating, then your hot water will be heated by gas (although there may also be a back up electric immersion heater). If you do not have gas central heating then your water may be heated by electricity (an immersion heater) or by a gas water heater.

Advice - External Doors

Locks and security
If you are locked out or your home is insecure, you will need to ring the emergency number or get your own locksmith.

You may be charged for lost keys or for any other work required, such as giving you access.

Advice - Internal Doors

Door closers
There are two types of closers: overhead ones and concealed ones that fit in the door frame (also called Perko closers).

It would help us if you can say which door is damaged - e.g. living room door, bedroom door.

It is possible that you may be asked to pay for damage to a door unless it is caused by fair wear and tear.

Advice - Window

Broken windows
Please let us know if your windows were broken deliberately and if your security is affected. If it is safe to do so, remove glass and wrap it in newspaper before putting it in a bin. The cost of repairing broken windows could be your responsibility if they were broken by a member of your household.

Damp/Mould
Damp patches on the wall - not at ground level. Damp patches below a window can be caused be condensation that has run down the window and onto the wall. A cloth at the bottom of the glass may help. More severe damp problems are likely to be caused by a cracked or damaged window cill which is letting water into the wall. You may be able to see the cause of the problem if you look out of the window.

Advice - Kitchens

Units
As well as telling us the type of units (floor, wall, corner or larder) and whether they have single or double doors, it would be helpful to know the colour and whether they are wood or plastic.

Cause of damage
Please note that if damage has been caused other than by fair wear and tear, it is possible that you could be asked to pay towards to the cost of repair or replacement.

Repair or replace
Please think whether the item can be repaired (e.g. a door that has come off its hinges) or will need to be replaced (i.e. a door with broken hinges).

Advice - Sinks

Blockages
You may be able to clear a blockage yourself with a plunger or by unscrewing the waste trap underneath the sink and cleaning it out (not a pleasant job!)

Leaks
If a leak is major and may be affecting the electricity supply, you should turn off the electricity at the fuse board. If a tap is leaking from its spout, it will require a new washer. Normally this will be your responsibility but do let us know if you are unable to fix it yourself for any reason.

Advice - Gas Heating

Safety
If you have a gas leak, contact the gas company immediately.

If there is a leak from your heating system see advice on water.

Basic heating problems
Before reporting a problem, please check that:

Type of heating system
Do you know if your heating system uses gas or electricity, and whether it is an individual system or a communal one? Gas central heating systems need electricity for the pump and controls so power cuts or electrical problems can affect them.

Radiator problems
If one radiator is not heating up, check that it is turned on. It may help to bleed the radiator.

Advice - Solid Fuel

Solid Fuel Systems
There are several different types of solid fuel system so it will help us if you know which type you have and whether you also have a backboiler behind the fire.

Advice - Electric Heating

Safety
If you have a gas leak, contact the gas company immediately.

If there is a leak from your heating system see advice on water.

Basic heating problems
Before reporting a problem, please check that:

Type of heating system
Do you know if your heating system uses gas or electricity, and whether it is an individual system or a communal one? Gas central heating systems need electricity for the pump and controls so power cuts or electrical problems can affect them.

Radiator problems
If one radiator is not heating up, check that it is turned on. It may help to bleed the radiator.

Advice - Electricity

Safety
If electrical fittings are smoking, turn off all power and call emergency number.

General power problems
Don't forget to make sure that any credit meter is topped up! If all your power is off, see if the neighbours are affected. If it is a general power cut, contact the electricity company.

If you have a fuseboard with trip switches and one is being activated, you could try plugging in appliances one by one to see which one causes the problem.

Lights not working
If one light is not working, check whether the bulb has blown or the fitting is faulty.

Appliances and sockets
If one appliance is not working, try plugging it into another socket. Check whether the fuse in the plug has blown. Remember that running too many appliances from one socket may cause fuses to blow (especially if you are using electric fires).

Advice - Exterior

Render
Render is the coating that can be applied to the outside of a house. It may crack or come away in sections. This might be associated with problems in the brickwork underneath.

Cracks in brickwork can range from minor and insignificant to major problems with the structure. As a rule of thumb, cracks are likely to be more of a problem if they are large, have appeared recently and are getting worse. Any new crack in brickwork should be taken seriously. Cracks may also be the cause of damp problems, especially below a window.

Walls
It is helpful if you can tell us if a wall is shared with a neighbour or it is a wall that just marks the boundary of your home.

Do tell us if you think that a wall might collapse, especially if it might collapse on someone walking past or a child playing nearby.

A pier is a part of a wall that projects from it (to give support) or a post on which a gate is hung. Piers can also stand by themselves and not be attached to a wall.

Advice - Garages

Garage
It would help us if you can say whether the door can be repaired or whether it needs replacement. Up and over garage doors often come loose from their mechanisms and this is easy to fix.

Advice - Garden

Rubbish and debris in garden
Do let us know if any rubbish that has been dumped in your garden might be dangerous or attractive to vermin. We would also like to know who dumped it, so please tell us if you know

Advice

Fences
Fences come in many different types so we will be able to fix problems much quicker if you tell us what type of fence you have.

Please also check if the fence simply needs refixing or if the posts are broken.

It is also helpful to know if your fence is shared with a neighbour or if it just marks the boundary of your home.

Advice - Gates

Gates
The gate post stop is the piece of wood or metal that stops the gate from going any further when it is shut.

Advice - Paving & Steps

Steps
Steps will either be brick, concrete or metal. Damaged steps can be dangerous so do let us know if you are worried for the safety of children or elderly people. It would also help if you could tell us the extent of any damage - is it just one or two steps that are a problem or do they all need repair?

'Insitu' concrete means that the concrete was poured on site so it is not in the form of slabs that were made elsewhere before being laid.

Paving
The main types of path are flagstones (also known as paving slabs) concrete and tarmac.

If you have paving slabs, please check whether they are square or rectangular. If the paving stones are just loose, we can refix them. If they are broken, they will have to be replaced.

It would help if you can tell us whether the path is at the front, side or rear of your home.

Advice - Roofs

Roof Leaks
Are you sure that your roof is leaking? A leak might be coming from a pipe or tank in the loft. If you are not sure then please let us know.

If you think that a leak might be affecting your electricity supply, turn off the power and call the emergency number.

If water is dripping from your ceiling and the ceiling is bulging then you could try putting a bucket underneath and making a small hole to let the water out. This could save the whole ceiling coming down and causing much more damage.

Sloping (also known as pitched) roofs will be covered with either slates or tiles (slates are usually a grey colour and tiles are usually a reddish colour). If the tiles are not flat, they are called profiled tiles.

Slates and tiles can come loose (you might see them sitting in the gutter or lying broken on the ground) or they may be broken.

It would be helpful if you could tell us how large is the damaged area to your roof and what part of the roof is affected.

Flat roofs can be covered with felt (not soft fuzzy stuff but a stiff greenish material with small bits in it), asphalt (black) or zinc (greyish metal). It is very helpful if you can tell us what is covering your roof.

It is often difficult to tell just by looking where a leak is in a flat roof but do tell us if you notice any obvious damage.

Advice - Chimneys

Chimneys
If you cannot tell what exactly is wrong with a chimney just tell us that there is a problem. Otherwise the most important thing you can tell us is whether the chimney is only part of your house or whether it is shared with a neighbour.

Advice - Gutters, downpipes & drains

Gutters, Downpipes and Drains
Do tell us if any work could be done without needing you to be in. This will save you having to make arrangements with the contractor.

Please make sure that the problem is caused by a gutter or drainpipe. Pipes that are just sticking out of the wall are the overflows from tanks, WCs, baths etc.

You might have a problem with a hopper. This is a funnel open at the top which takes the water from more than one pipe.

Look for stains on the wall near a gutter or pipe - these will show where water has been leaking for some time.

Do check to see what might be causing a drain to be overflowing. Gullies are often blocked with leaves that you can easily clear.

Drains can be blocked because unsuitable items, e.g. nappies, have been put down them. These blockages can be very expensive to clear and it is possible that you might be asked to contribute to the cost of this work.

Advice - Estate Services

Rubbish
We would like to know if any of the rubbish may be dangerous or need special disposal - like old fridges

Please let us know if graffiti is offensive as well as unsightly.

Please let us know if a tree is blocking a pathway or blocking light.

It is helpful if you can tell us which lights are affected and whether they are failing to come on or failing to turn off.

Advice - External Communal

Rubbish chute faulty
It is helpful if you can tell us if the chute is blocked or if the door is broken or jammed

Door entryphone
It is helpful to know if the entire entryphone system has failed or just the phone in your flat. If the door is jammed see External Doors.

Communal lighting
It is helpful if you can tell us which lights are affected and whether they are failing to come on or failing to turn off.

Advice - Internal Communal

Rubbish chute faulty
It is helpful if you can tell us if the chute is blocked or if the door is broken or jammed

Door entryphone
It is helpful to know if the entire entryphone system has failed or just the phone in your flat. If the door is jammed see External Doors.

Communal lighting
It is helpful if you can tell us which lights are affected and whether they are failing to come on or failing to turn off.

Advice - Walls & Floors

Plaster
Plaster provides a smooth surface for decoration. It is either in the form of plasterboard - sheets that are fixed to the wall or ceiling and covered with a 'skim' of plaster - or traditional plasterwork which is applied directly to the wall or ceiling. It will help us if you know which type you are having a problem with.

Small cracks in new homes are often caused by new plaster drying out.

Larger cracks and crumbling or loose plaster is often caused by a damp problem; perhaps a recent leak or an old leak that has been cured.

Skirting & Floorboards
These often become loose but if the wood is rotten or crumbling this may indicate a more serious problem

Damp patches on the wall
Damp patches on a wall at ground level sounds like rising damp (water being drawn up into the wall from the ground). You might see peeling wallpaper and discoloured patches on the lower part of the wall on the inside. The floor might also be damp. Rising damp could mean that the 'damp proof course' has broken down. Or there may be something piled up against the outside wall which is causing the problem. You might want to check whether the outside of the wall has earth or debris against it that could be removed.

Damp patches on the wall - not at ground level. Damp patches below a window can be caused be condensation that has run down the window and onto the wall. A cloth at the bottom of the glass may help. More severe damp problems are likely to be caused by a cracked or damaged windowsill which is letting water into the wall. You may be able to see the cause of the problem if you look out of the window.

Damp patches on the wall - not below a window and not at ground level. A common cause of damp on an outside wall is an overflowing gutter or leaking downpipe. The gutter may be broken or just blocked with leaves and other rubbish so that in dry weather you cannot see anything wrong. But if you look at the gutter or downpipe when it is raining you should see if the water is pouring down the wall. You may also notice that the damp problem is worse after rain.

Damp patches on the ceiling
Damp patches on the ceiling. The most likely cause will be a roof leak, especially if the roof is flat. It is also possible that a pipe is leaking in the roof space. You could have a look at the roof to see of there is an obvious problem like missing slates or tiles.

Damp patches on the ceiling - not immediately below the roof. You may have a leak from a pipe, especially if the ceiling is below the bathroom. Or you may have a leak from a radiator or water cylinder. You could check the room above the leak to see if there is an obvious cause. If this is another flat, contact the occupant).

Damp patches on the ceiling - not immediately below the roof. If the ceiling is bulging, it might collapse. You can prevent this by making a small hole to to let the water out. Don't forget to put a bucket underneath first.

Damp and black mould on walls or ceiling
Surface damp and mould is caused by water condensation. This usually happens in the kitchen or bathroom where hot water makes the atmosphere steamy, but it can affect other rooms as well. Other signs will be water running down the inside of windows. You can reduce condensation by keeping rooms warm and well ventilated. Use an extract fan if one os fitted or open the window. Make sure that any vents in the window are open.

Small patches of mould can be wiped off but please report if you have a major problem.

Advice - External Stairs

Stairs
Damaged stairs can be a hazard - do let us know if you think your stairs are dangerous.

Please also tell us if the stairs are inside your home or are shared with your neighbours.

Advice - Internal Stairs

Stairs
Damaged stairs can be a hazard - do let us know if you think your stairs are dangerous.

Please also tell us if the stairs are inside your home or are shared with your neighbours.