Home emergencies and repairs

• turn off all gas appliances immediately 
• Do not create a flame or operate electrical switches (including light switches) 
• open all doors and windows 
• put out any naked flames including cigarettes 
• turn off the gas supply by closing the handle of the control valve next to your gas meter 
• do not switch on the lights or any electrical appliances until the National Gas Emergency Service tells you the fault is repaired. 

Don't use a landline or mobile phone in the affected property, leave the property before calling the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999 (24 hours). 

It doesn't matter who your gas supplier is. Always call the National Gas Emergency Service (24 hours) to report a gas or carbon monoxide emergency. 

It needs to be fixed quickly because it is a danger to health or safety. Emergencies might be:

• no heating or hot water*
• damage to a door or ground floor window leaving a home insecure 
• severe leak or burst pipe 
• leak that affects electrics 
• electrical fitting which is sparking or smoking or bare wiring. 

Do not report emergencies by email or online. 

*In summer months this is not an emergency except in some circumstances. See gas and heating information below.

If your repair is not an emergency, please see report a repair page for details of how to make a repair request.  

Report a repair

We will send someone out within two hours if your emergency is: 

• burst pipes 
• blocked or overflowing drains 
• blocked soil stacks (the pipe that takes all the waste water from the upstairs plumbing system of a building) 
• leaks from a header tank (used to fill the heating system and accommodate the expansion of water during the heating cycle) where this causes damage to your home 
• leaks from a hot water cylinder where this causes damage to your home 
• leaks from an incoming cold water pipe where this causes damage to your home 
• leaks from a roof to within your home where this causes damage to your home 
• other uncontrollable water leaks where this causes damage to your home 
• leaks from a toilet cistern (the part of the toilet that holds the water that is necessary to flush this appliance after it has been used) or to the pan (bowl) where this causes damage to your home.   

Sometimes we will carry out a temporary repair, to make your home safe. We will carry out a permanent repair later, during working hours. 

No water? Contact your water supplier 

Contact the supplier you pay your water bill to. In Waverley, it's likely to be: 

• Thames Water, tel: 0800 316 9800 
• South East Water, tel: 0333 000 0365 
• Affinity Water, tel: 0345 357 2407 
• Castle Water (for Senior Living accommodation), tel: 01250 718700 

Blockage from a drain or flood from public sewer 

If you think there is a blockage from a drain or if your property has been flooded by a public sewer contact Thames Water on 0800 316 9800.  

We will send someone out within two hours if your emergency is: 

• having no electric central heating in your home or block between 31 October and 1 May. This will be for a total loss of heating to a property and not just one storage heater not working. Between 2 May and 30 October, we will only treat  such a repair as an emergency if the tenant(s) or a member of their household has a medical issue, a disability, is elderly or there is a new born child). During this time we will send someone out within three days. 
• electrics that are sparking, smoking, very hot, or with bare wires 
• making safe electrics within your home as a result of water coming into your home    
• a temporary repair to a meter cupboard where this is in a shared area. 

Sometimes we will carry out a temporary repair, to make your home safe. We will carry out a permanent repair later, during working hours. 

No power? Contact your electricity supplier 

If your home has a total loss of electric power and your neighbours still seem to have power, you should contact your electricity supplier. 

If you suffer a power cut in your area, please call 105 for free. For further information on this service, please access the power cut 105 website.  

We will send someone out within 24 hours if your emergency is: 

• total loss of heating and hot water to your home or block between 31 October and 1 May. Between 2 May and 30 October, such a repair will only be treated as an emergency if the tenant(s) or a member of their household has a medical issue, a disability, is elderly or there is a new born child. During this time we will send someone out within three days. 
• Leaks from hot water systems where this causes damage to your home.  

If there is no heating in your home, our contractor will supply you with temporary heaters. We may need to organise a follow-up appointment during working hours to fix the issue. 

If you live in Senior Living (Sheltered) accommodation 

We will send someone out within four hours where the loss of heating or hot water affects more than one property or there is a major or uncontainable leak. 

If there is no heating in your home, our contractor will supply you with temporary heaters. We may need to organise a follow-up appointment during working hours to fix the issue. 

Smell gas?  

• turn off all gas appliances immediately 
• Do not create a flame or operate electrical switches (including light switches) 
• open all doors and windows 
• put out any naked flames including cigarettes 
• turn off the gas supply by closing the handle of the control valve next to your gas meter 
• do not switch on the lights or any electrical appliances until the National Gas Emergency Service tells you the fault is repaired. 

Don't use a landline or mobile phone in the affected property, leave the property before calling the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999 (24 hours). 

It doesn't matter who your gas supplier is. Always call the National Gas Emergency Service (24 hours) to report a gas or carbon monoxide emergency. 

We will send someone out within two hours if your emergency is: 

• problems with external door locks - when a forced entry is needed. 
• security locks when one or more of the occupants of your home has suffered domestic abuse 
• gaining entry if you are locked out of your home (you may be re-charged for this work). 

Sometimes we will carry out a temporary repair, to make your home safe. We will carry out a permanent repair later, during working hours. 

• loss of reception from a communal (shared) TV aerial 
• loss of heating between 1 May and 31 October* 
• lost keys to your home 
• faulty or dripping taps 
• a blocked sink or bath. 

*Unless in certain circumstances. Please see gas and heating.