Tenant Maintenance & Repairs

Our out of hours service allows you to contact someone and discuss the issue and instruct an out of hours contractor if necessary.

What is an emergency?

• Fire
• Escape of gas
• Escape of water causing damage to property
• Threats to personal safety
• Threats to property security
• Complete lack of heating and/or hot water from 1^st November to 31^st March where there are vulnerable persons in residence
• Locked out of the property. If this is due to lost keys, we can provide the number of a locksmith however you will be liable for the call out charge.

What is not an emergency?

• Lack of heating and/or hot water from 1^st April to 31^st October where there are no vulnerable persons in residence
• An appliance not working
• General repairs and matters that can sensibly wait until the next working day

We can provide our management keys to allow tradesmen access to carry out repairs at the property. If you wish to be present while work is being carried out, you should be aware that this may delay response times as they may not be able to guarantee appointment times to suit.

If you lock yourself out of the property during office hours, please contact us and we can provide keys for collection. If you lock yourself out while our office is closed, please call our office number where you will be provided with a number to call for further assistance with our 24-hour help service. They will instruct or provide contact details for our approved Rettie contractors. You will be liable for any call out charges and key cutting costs.

If you smell gas, call the National Grid Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999 and listen to the instructions that are given.

• Turn off the gas if instructed
• Ventilate by opening windows and doors
• Turn off any naked flames
• Do not operate any electrical appliance or switches
• Contact your Portfolio Manager to advise of the situation

If you lose your electricity supply completely, it is possible there has been a power cut.

Check to see if your neighbours have lost their supply. If they have, it is likely that there has been a power cut in your area, and you will have to wait for the power company to deal with this.

Call Scottish Power on 0845 270 0700 or visit their website to check if they are aware of a power cut in your area: Power Cut in Your Area? - SP Energy Networks

If only your property is affected:

• Locate the fuse box
• Check to see if one of the fuse switches is out of line with the others. If so, realign it.
• The power should come back on. If not, there may be an appliance which has blown the fuse

If realigning fuse switches has no impact, contact us to report the issue.

If you find that all or some of your lights don't work, it is possible that a fuse has blown. This may have been caused by a blown bulb.

• Locate the fuse box
• Check to see if one of the fuse switches is out of line with the others. If so, realign it.
• The lights should come back on, and you can identify if one of the bulbs has blown which you can replace accordingly

If the lights do not come back on, please contact our office.

If you discover a water leak coming into or from your property, you need to act quickly to safeguard the property and your possessions.

If the source of the problem is coming from your property:

• Turn off the water immediately
• Try and mitigate any damage by catching any drips of water and mopping up any excess.
• Call Rettie as soon as possible to report the issue

If the water leak is from another property:

• Inform the occupants as quickly as possible and leave a note if they are not in, asking them to contact you or us.
• Try and mitigate any damage by catching any drips of water and mopping up any excess.
• Call Rettie as soon as possible and report the issue.

We cannot facilitate a repair or enter a property which do not manage. This is the responsibility of the owner of that property

If your property is on the top floor, or if it is a house, please contact us and we will take action to instruct an appropriate contractor.

If you have a problem with drains, please report this to us and refrain from using any related facilities until the repair has been carried out. Tenants are responsible for basic drain care such as resolving blockages due to hair or objects.

Please ensure that cooking fat and/or hot oils are not poured down the drains as this is likely to result in a blockage. If this is found to be the source of a problem, you will be responsible for the cost of repair. Recycling services are now available at most major supermarket outlets for used cooking oil.

If there is a Saniflo toilet in the property (a mechanical WC that operates a pump when flushed), please ensure that no solid items of any description are put in this toilet. It is designed for human waste only and repair costs resulting from misuse will be chargeable.

A common blockage in washing machines is coins or small particles left in pockets that block drains and jam pumps, so please ensure these are removed before washing. If the washing machine is not draining or working correctly, first check the filter for any blockages.

To do this:

Switch off the washing machine

• Remove the panel from the bottom of the machine to access the filter
• With a container beneath to catch any drips of water, unscrew the cap to filter to allow water to pour from the pipe. Once this has stopped, check this for any items or blockages and replace the cap.
• The washing machine can now be switched back on

If the filter has been checked and the washing machine is still not working, please contact our office.

Check the boiler for any error codes. These can be checked in the manual which will be available in the property or online.

If the code relates to pressure, follow the instructions on how to top this up.

If after doing so, or if the error code is relating another fault, please contact us.

If the central heating is working and the top of the radiator is cold, it needs to be bled to remove trapped air. This falls under normal living maintenance for which tenants are responsible.

To do this:

• Switch off the heating
• The valve you need to turn can be found at one end of the radiator at the top
• With an absorbent rag beneath to catch any drips of water, use a radiator key to slacken the air bleed valve. These can be purchased for a nominal amount from any hardware store.
• There will be a hissing sound as the air comes out. As soon as water appears, close the valve again
• Be careful not to either over tighten or indeed under tighten the valve. Ensure there are no drips
• The heating can now be switched back on
• If you have a combi boiler, you may need to top up the pressure after bleeding the radiator(s).

If the radiator still does not heat up fully, please contact our office.

If your vacuum cleaner has lost suction, it may simply be blocked. Make sure the vacuum cleaner is unplugged and check the following:

• If it has a bag, ensure it is not full. If it is, empty or replace it
• If it is bagless, then empty the container
• Turn the cleaner over and check all obvious air passages and hoses
• Check the filters - bagless vacuum cleaners in particular need to have their filters washed monthly for optimum performance.