Emergency help
Is your home dangerous right now?
If there is danger to life, call 999 now. For everything else, the right number depends on the problem. Find yours below. The claim can wait until you are safe.
You can smell gas
Call the National Gas Emergency Service straight away. It is free and open 24 hours. Open windows and doors. Do not touch light switches or use anything with a flame.
Call 0800 111 999Your carbon monoxide alarm is going off
Get everyone outside into fresh air. Then call the same free gas emergency line. If anyone feels dizzy or sick, call 999.
Call 0800 111 999Sparking sockets, burning smell, or bare wires
If it is safe to reach, turn the electrics off at the fuse box. Do not touch anything that sparks. If there is smoke or fire, get out and call 999. For a power cut, call 105, free from most phones.
Call 105 for a power cutWater is pouring in or flooding your home
Turn the water off at the stopcock if you can find it, it is usually under the kitchen sink. Then call your landlord's emergency repair line. For river or surface flooding, call Floodline.
Call Floodline 0345 988 1188No heating or hot water, and someone is at risk
If a baby, an older person, or someone who is ill is in a cold home, tell your landlord it is an emergency and ask for their emergency repair line. Councils and housing associations must treat danger to health as urgent.
Council emergency repairsAfter you are safe
- Tell your landlord in writing, text or email counts. Say what happened and when.
- Take photos and videos of the damage before anything is cleaned up or repaired.
- Keep receipts for anything you had to buy or replace because of the emergency.
If your landlord knew about the problem and did not fix it, you may be able to claim compensation as well as get the repair done. That part is what we help with.