Tenant Support

If you think you have a gas leak, hear the carbon monoxide alarm or can smell gas, call the National Gas Emergencies number immediately on 0800 111 999 and follow the below steps;

• Open doors and windows

Open as many doors and windows as possible to allow fresh air to circulate and reduce the concentration of gas & carbon monoxide

• Turn off appliances

Turn off and stop using all the appliances that you suspect could be causing the leak or alarm.

• Evacuate the property

Get everybody, including pets, out of the property as quickly as possible and leave doors and windows open behind you.  Take clothing appropriate to the weather.

• Seek medical advice

If anyone is suffering ill effects seek medical advice immediately.

• Contact emergency numbers

If you haven’t already call the National Emergency Gas Helpline 0800 111 999 and then call Lucy Properties 01865 559973. Inform them you have smelled gas or had a carbon monoxide alarm alert.

• Inform your neighbours

Let any adjoining neighbours know about the alarm because gas & carbon monoxide can seep through walls floors and ceilings.

• Don’t go back inside

Don’t go back into the property until it has been properly checked and verified safe to enter by a certified professional.

• Remember don’t use your appliances

Don’t use the affected appliance until it has been checked and certified as being safe by an approved engineer.

A beeping smoke alarm indicates that the batteries need changing.

As a tenant this is your responsibility.

To change the batteries you will need to remove the cover of the alarm.

Replacing light bulbs is the responsibility of the tenant.

The only exceptions to this are if the light fitting has a fixed cover, or if the light in question is not accessible.

In the event of a power failure to any part of the house, the fuse box is the first area that should be checked.

This can usually be found in an obvious place, i.e. an understairs cupboard or in the hall. In older properties the fuse box can occasionally be found in the kitchen or in one of the ground floor rooms.

In the first instance please attempt to unblock the toilet yourself.

If you are unable to please contact maintenance and we will arrange for the maintenance team to attend.

Please check plug hole for any visible obstructions such as hair or food.

If you can’t see anything please contact us and maintenance will attend.

In order to avoid blockages please ensure that hair is regularly removed from the bath and shower plugholes and that food and fat is not disposed of down the sink.

For small leaks (drips/small trickles) please use containers to catch the water. Please email the maintenance department to notify us of the leak.

For larger leaks (constant water flow) locate the stop cock and turn the water off. Please contact the office ASAP.

Gas central heating
The first thing to do is to check the boiler to see if there is a fault code showing on the panel. If there is a code please report this to the maintenance department.

If there is no fault code then please check the following things:

Thermostat – not all properties will have a central thermostat but if your property does please check that it is set to the correct temperature.

Boiler settings – check if the boiler is set to timer or manual.

Night storage heating
Check that the input and output dials are set correctly and that the mains switch is turned on.

If you turn the mains switch on please note that you will not get heat until the next morning.

1. Switch off your boiler and allow it to cool down.
2. Find the filling loop and check both ends are securely attached ( you can find this located under the boiler or in the cupboard where the hot water tank is located ).
3. Open both black handled valves to allow cold water to enter the system, keeping an eye on the pressure gauge.
4. Close both valves when the pressure gauge reaches 1.5 bar and then switch the boiler back on for operation.

Gas

If you have a gas boiler and are experiencing no hot water, please switch on your immersion heater as this runs off electricity. The switches for these vary in location but can often be found near to the water tank or the bathroom. Please then report this to us so that we can arrange for a gas engineer to attend on the next working day.

If you have a combination gas boiler you will need to contact us to arrange for a gas engineer to attend.

Electric

For electric only properties, please ensure that your immersion is switched on and that you have left it a sufficient amount of time to allow the water to heat up. Some properties have two immersions, a top and a bottom one. In some cases one immersion might stop working but the second one will still provide hot water. If this is the case, please note that it might take slightly longer to heat up and the hot water may run out quicker than usual.

Please notify us about this so that we can then arrange for a plumber to attend on the next working day.

If you are locked out of your property during office hours (Mon – Thurs 08:15 – 17:00 and Fri 08:15 – 16:15), please come into the office with photo ID and we can lend you a spare set of keys.

If our office is closed you will need to find alternative accommodation or arrange for a locksmith to attend, both at your own expense.

Please note that some properties have suited locks and so extra costs might be incurred.

Please check the electric supply and plug socket before reporting the problem to maintenance – sometimes switches can be accidentally turned off.

There is a small drain hole at the back of a fridge which can become blocked.

This can be unblocked very easily using a thin flexible item such as a cable tie.

Please defrost the freezer by removing all of the items from the freezer (and fridge if fridge/freezer) and switching off at mains.

Put a towel on the floor in front of the freezer to absorb any water loss and melting ice.

Once all of the ice has melted and the water has been cleared, switch the mains back on.

We would recommend defrosting your freezer annually.

Please remove the shower head and clean away any built up limescale.

First check if the filter is blocked, please clear this and run a cycle again.

If the problem persists please report this to maintenance.

Please add more salt to the dishwasher softener unit as this stops items looking ‘misty’.

Please turn the extractor off and clear the filters of the fan as this may be stopping the fan from working correctly.