The first thing you need to do when facing a maintenance issue is to decide whether or not it is an emergency. An emergency issue would be if the situation is dangerous, life threatening, or may result in an injury or serious damage to the property.
Next you’ll need to know if your property is managed by Family Homes or not. You can find this information in your tenancy agreement, or give us a call during office hours and we can let you know. If your property is not managed by us, you will need to follow the repairs reporting procedure as set out in your tenancy agreement.
What is classed as an emergency maintenance issue?
- Gas leak. If you can smell gas, call the National Grid on 0800 111 999 in the first instance.
- Dangerous electrical fault.
- Complete lighting or power failure. You should be sure to check your fuses or trip switch and contact your supplier in case there is a fault that they are aware of
- Total loss of water supply. Again, check with your supplier first in case your water mains has been turned off for some reason.
- Serious water leaks from tanks and pipes.
- Broken window or door causing a lack of security.
- Failure of heating or hot system in the winter if you are elderly, have young children, or are vulnerable.
If it IS an emergency call us on 01795 47 34 34. If it is NOT an emergency and you rent a managed property, for which we provide maintenance support, please use the FIXFLO link below to report the issue. (Note: if a contractor is called out to a non-emergency or non-managed property, any charge made by the contractor may be passed on to you).
What maintenance issues are tenants expected to deal with?
Tenants are responsible for minor DIY jobs such as replacing light bulbs, replacing smoke alarm batteries, and unblocking sinks/baths/toilet. The tenant and landlord repair responsibilities will be set out in your tenancy agreement.
Family Homes are an established letting agent in Sittingbourne. We have been in business for over 28 years and are the leading and largest independent specialists in property lettings and management in the area. If you need any advice, Family Homes are more than happy to help. We can talk over the phone or we can arrange an appointment. Simply fill in a contact form or call us on 01795 47 34 34.
