Moving home can be a stressful time and this guide has been designed to answer some of the most frequently asked maintenance queries to facilitate a smooth tenancy.
Who do I contact if something goes wrong?
- Please contact Smuts and Taylor on Office: 020 7193 9980 Email: lettings@smutsandtaylor.com
- Maintenance and emergency enquires will usually be handled between the hours of 9am-5pm Monday to Friday.
What do I do if your office is closed?
All matters that are not considered an emergency can be directed to the office during business hours the next working day.
Emergencies are considered to be something that is either an immediate danger to your safety and / or an issue which might cause additional or unnecessary damage to the property if not attended to immediately.
If however you have an emergency that requires immediate attention please contact our out of hours maintenance who can deal with your emergency.
Please ensure it is a genuine emergency if you need to contact our out of hours maintenance team, otherwise you may be liable for any charges relating to that call out.
- Please contact out of hours maintenance: 020 3131 0080
- Please inform them that you are are tenant of Smuts and Taylor and provide the passcode provided to you on check in.
- Out of hours maintenance and emergency enquires will usually be handled between the hours of 5pm-9am Monday to Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday
Note our out of hours maintenance company only cover London and surrounding areas. If your property is located out side their areas you will need to contact a local contractor. In using any other contractor please note this is not a free service and at the time of request you may be required to pay in advance. However, the costs will be known in advance, be reasonable, guaranteed for 12 months and you will be able to reclaim these costs from your landlord (assuming they are the responsibility of the landlord and not due to any act of negligence)
Warrantied Properties
If your property is under warranty you can call the emergency number provided to you on check In.
We do not want you to take risks with your personal safety, merely to use your discretion wisely. If you’re unsure then you can call a maintenance or another contractor and ask their advice before asking them to come out.
Please advise the office the next working day of any emergency
Common Out Of Hours Emergencies
Gas Leak
- Open door & windows, check that the gas supply to an appliance has not been left on and that no pilot light has gone out. Do not use matches or naked flames / Do not run any electrical switches and doorbells / Do not smoke.
- Switch the gas off at your mains / isolation point
- Contact National Grid (formally Transco) on 0800 111 999 (24 Hour Service)
Water Leaks
- For leaks in your property, turn off the water at the mains
- For leaks from another property coming into your property, contact the occupant of that property or the building management company, turn off the water at the mains if possible if no one is in or can be contacted.
- If still the water doesn’t stop or it is going to be more than 1 evening without water before the office is open then call the warranty provider (If provided) or our our out of hours maintenance contractor.
No Heating or Hot Water
- Problems with the boiler – If your boiler is covered by a Service contract please refer to the instructions in your information file.
- If severe weather conditions or it is going to be more than 1 evening without hot water or heating before the office is open, then call the warranty provider (If provided) or our our out of hours maintenance contractor.
Loss of Power Supply
- Check the fuse box, it may just need the switch turning back on, then advise Smuts and Taylor so that the electrics can be looked at if necessary.
- Power Cuts, check with energy supplier
- If it is going to be more than 1 evening without electrics before the of- fice is open, then then call the warranty provider (If provided) or our our out of hours maintenance contractor.
Lock Outs / Insecure Property
- Locked out / lost keys, this is tenants own responsibility and locks need to be replaced at your own cost. You can contact any locksmith, but please ensure you have enough keys cut to provide one to Smuts and Taylor for your Landlord.
- Faulty locks, where the property can’t be secured please contact our out of hours maintenance or a suitable contractor.
- If the property is insecure as a result of a break in e.g. damaged door, the tenant should notify the police in the first instance and obtain a crime reference number.
Blockages
- Clearing blocked waste outlets, traps and downpipes to the kitchen sink, bath, washbasins, etc is the tenants’ responbiliy. If our maintenance company or another contractor is dispatched, tenants will be recharged the cost of attending to any blockages if found to have been caused by tenants’ negligent actions e.g. flushing of nappies, disposal of food.
- Toilets – considered an emergency if the only toilet on the premises is blocked and only then if the tenants frequent attempts to flush with buckets of water has failed.
- Showers, baths or Sinks – considered an emergency only if there is no other means of washing available in the property.
- Drains – considered and emergency of the damage is caused or it’s causing a Health & Safety problem, or preventing the use of the toilet (see toilets
- If considered as an emergency please contact our out of hours maintenance or a suitable contractor.
Other Emergencies
We do not want you to take risks with your personal safety, merely to use your discretion wisely. If you’re unsure then you can call our maintenance or another contractor and ask their advice before asking them to come out.
Reporting Non-Emergency Maintenance
All maintenance is required to be emailed through to josh@smutsandtaylor.com or your property manager to be logged & to assist us in calling out the relevant contractor.
With your maintenance request please provide these details:
- The Property address, your name & daytime contact number & mobile number
- Details of the issue (Including when first spotted)
- If the issues relates to an appliance/electrics please could you confirm the following;
- Have you checked the fuse/fuse box?
- Make & Model No. of the appliance?
- Do you have instruction manual?
In most instances the contractor who is instructed will be given your contact details. Theymaycontactyoudirecttoarrangeaccessthroughyourselvesortogetmoredetails. Please bear in mind contractors may have other jobs to attend to and that more urgent works may delay them.
Am I Required To Be Present For Contractors Appointments?
Tenants will always need to be present for maintenance to be conducted unless arranged otherwise by Smuts and Taylor or the Contractor
Your Responsibilities As A Tenant
Drains & Sinks;
- It is the responsibility of tenants to ensure that nothing is put down the drain/sinks that could potentially block them, in the event of a blockage please use an advised product
Lights & Fuses;
- It is the tenant’s responsibility to replace any blown light bulbs or fuses
Keys / Locks;
- Locked out or lost keys, Smuts and Taylor hold keys for your property, during office hours you can call the office and borrow these to take a copy at your own cost.
Smoke Detectors Carbon Monoxide Alarms;
- These should be checked by the tenant throughout the tenancy and ten- ants are responsible for replacing any batteries as necessary.
Water Pressure;
- If the water pressure changes while in the shower / using washing machine / dishwasher / sink then check the other appliances that use water, if they are on at the same time this will affect the pressure and temperature.
Appliances
- Please ensure that you have read any instruction manuals for the appli- ances to ensure they are being used
correctly.
- Please check / change the fuse before reporting an item as faulty.
Ventilation;
- It is the tenant’s responsibility to ensure that the property is adequately ventilated, particularly in the kitchen and bathroom, this is to help pre- vent damp and condensation.
Refuse Disposal;
- Rubbish must be placed
in bins provided
or If you have communal rub- bish bins,
please place in advised location.
- If you have any bulky items that don’t fit in the bins provided, contact Local Council for advice on disposal
Gardening / Windows;
- Gardens to be kept and lawns mowed,
unless agreed otherwise
- Windows to be cleaned, unless agreed otherwise.