Emergency Maintenance

We understand that sometimes emergencies do occur, but don’t worry – you’re in good hands.

In the event of an emergency please read the below advice:

An emergency is deemed as “an unforeseen event that if not dealt with quickly would, via a reasonable opinion render the property unsafe/insecure; or cause further damage to the Property; or cause personal risk to the tenants”.

Tenants renting from a Fully Managed property through Redbrick

• What to do in case of an Emergency

  (In order of priority):

  1) At any time: If you smell gas or are worried about gas safety, you should call the National Gas Emergency Service Freephone number on 0800 111 999 at any time day or night.

  During office hours (Mon – Fri: 9am – 6pm): Contact your Property Manager. If you are unsure call the office on 0118 9567 660.

  Out of hours (Bank Holidays, weekends, weekdays: 6pm – 9am):

  Follow the emergency arrangements made by your Landlord. For example if your Landlord has provided 24/7 insured maintenance/emergency cover (for example: British Gas HomecareTM, Heat team Cover for Potterton boilers, Homeserve or other insured product), then please contact the relevant service as per the details supplied. If your property is covered by British Gas Homecare™ please call 0800 294 9650 in the first instance or any other Emergency cover provider as previously advised.

  2) If no emergency arrangements are in place or they do not cover your particular emergency, please call Redbrick Emergency Helpline on: 0118 9567 660.

  Please note: This emergency service is free at the time of request. However, if the emergency is due to any act of negligence or responsibility of the tenant then you will be liable to reimburse the cost of the call out and any works carried out.

  3) For the avoidance of doubt, you should only refer to the Yellow Pages or anything similar as a matter of last resort.

• General cold weather advice

  Please be aware that during periods of cold weather, the following precautions should be put into action if the above property is likely to be left vacant for any period of time.

  Pipes

  Freezing temperatures can cause devastation to properties if pipes freeze and burst. Please be reminded to leave the heating on low, even if the property is unoccupied to look to prevent this from happening.

• Water systems

  If it’s likely that your property will be empty for a significant period of time, turning off the water is not always sufficient as there is normally still a lot of water in the system which could cause damage. Please advise Redbrick if the property will be empty for any period longer than 14 days and check your insurance policy as Redbrick will also need to advise the Landlords of the situation so they can check their insurance policy as a plumber may be needed to drain down the system (water and central heating) to help eliminate this risk.

• Insurance obligations

  Again, if a property is likely to be empty for a prolonged period, make sure that the Insurers obligations are not compromised and advise Redbrick as “Empty Property Visits” may be required on a regular basis to provide independent photographic proof that the property has been monitored.
  Some or all of the actions below may be required:-

  Water to be turned off at the internal stopcock (in an attempt to prevent any further problems in case of an emergency, please be aware of the location of your stop cock and check that it is in working order).

  All taps should be opened up to drain down the main water storage tank, this will not affect the central heating

  Set the heating onto a constant low (150C) 24 hour setting & open loft hatch 3-4 inches to allow heat into the loft space

  For full protection the property should be drained down completely, we can arrange this on your behalf (please call the office for further details).

  We recommend that you advise your insurers that the property will be vacant and check their terms and conditions. Redbrick cannot accept any responsibility or liability should any problems arise from frozen pipes or advice given.

Tenants renting from a ‘Let only’ & ‘Tenancy Managed’ property through Redbrick

What to do in the case of an Emergency:-
Please follow the advice your landlord has provided and in any doubt contact the Landlord directly.