Hounslow Homes’ emergency repairs service operates 24-hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Reporting an emergency repair
If you have a repair that you consider to be an emergency, between the hours of 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday, you can report the problem to the Repairs Call Centre on free phone 0800 085 65 75.
If you are calling when the Call Centre is closed, you can contact the Out Of Hours Emergency Service on 0208 583 2222.
Please note: We may need to force entry to your property to carry out an emergency repair and if we cannot contact you, e.g. flooding causing damage to another property. If we need to gain entry the lock(s) to your property will be changed. Contact the Customer Service Centre for more information. Please make sure we have your up to date/preferred contact details.
Click on a link for more information about emergency repairs:
What work is carried out on an emergency visit?
What repairs are considered an emergency?
Waiting times for emergency visits
Minimum age requirement for access
What work is carried out on an emergency visit?
Emergency repairs are usually a ‘make safe’ only. If a further repair or parts are required, the Emergency Operative will report this back to the Repairs Call Centre. You will then be contacted with appointments for the work to be carried out.
What repairs are considered an emergency?
The following are examples of the types of repairs that are usually considered an emergency, however, the Repairs Call Centre will treat all calls on a case-by-case basis, and any circumstances will be considered.
- Serious leaks, burst pipes,
- Leaks from overflows,
- Blocked drains, stack pipes, WC's and kitchen sinks,
- No water in property (You should check that your mains water supply has not been interrupted before reporting a problem)
- Make safe to fire or storm damage
- Forced entry and lock changes. - If you are locked out as a result of keys being lost or stolen or left in the property. If the keys have been lost or left behind in the property there will be a recharge to you.
- Boarding up and make safe of broken window
- Make safe/secure ground floor window or window which is beside a walkway or balcony used by persons other than you, where there may be security risk.
- No electrics to property - make safe/check electrics following leak directly affecting fittings.
- No lights to kitchen, bathrooms without windows or staircases (including communal),
- Removal of offensive/obscene graffiti
- No heating/hot water - 1st October -1st May only – in summertime, loss of heating or hot water is not considered an emergency unless you have elderly or disabled persons, small children or persons living with you that could be at risk.
Generally, any repair that needs to have certain circumstances taken into consideration will be treated as an emergency. The Repairs Call Centre will determine whether your repair can be carried out as an emergency, and will advise you when you call. You must be available to wait in the property as the emergency operative could call at any time.
Daytime emergency visits
Daytime emergency visits are carried out within 2 working days and are not given an appointment. We will endeavour to visit you on the day you report your repair, however, this will depend on the number of other repairs reported in your area, and the type of repair you are reporting. Priority will be given to more urgent repairs. If you cannot stay in for an emergency visit, we will book you appointments.
Waiting time for emergency visits
If you are reporting an emergency you will be advised to stay at home, as the operative could visit at any time. If you go out and miss the operative, or they cannot gain access to the property, your repair will be cancelled and you will need to report the problem again.
If you are reporting a repair to the Out of Hours Service, you could be visited late at night depending on the number of emergencies reported that day.
If you cannot wait in for an extended period of time, and there is no one available at home to wait in on your behalf, we will offer you appointments for your repair.
Minimum age requirement for access
If you have a friend or member of your family waiting at home on your behalf, they must be at least 16 years of age. All our operatives carry identification, and you should always check a persons ID before letting them into your home.
Access to your property for emergency repairs
Please tell us any information that will help us to help you e.g. If you need extra time to answer the door, please let us know when you report your repair. If you live in a block and know the door entry system is faulty, please tell us so that the operative can contact you on arrival for access. We will also raise a repair for the door entry system to be repaired.
If you have any questions about emergency repairs, please contact the Repairs Call Centre on free phone 0800 085 65 75, or e-mail your query to repairs.team@hounslowhomes.org.uk
