Our working hours are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
If we come to fix a repair outside of working hours and it is not an emergency, we may charge for the service.
You can use My Gentoo to report a repair that is not an emergency.
We will make it safe and book an appointment for working hours to do a full repair when we have the materials we need.
No heating or hot water
We will ask you to check the boiler and prepayment meter before we book an emergency repair. Find out more about what to do when you have no heating or hot water.
Gas faults
Gas emergencies are:
- gas leaks
- gas emissions from an appliance
Alarms and detectors
Emergencies include a full sounding fire alarm or carbon monoxide detector. A beeping smoke alarm is not an emergency.
Electrical faults
Emergencies include when:
- electric cables are exposed or unsafe
- medical equipment, like a stairlift, lose power
- there is water in or on your electrics
- all the electricity and power in your home has gone off
If the fault affects lights, sockets or both:
- check the trip switches in your fuse box or consumer unit
- unplug all appliances
- reset the trip switches
- plug your electrical appliances back in one at a time and if the power trips you know that appliance is the source of the electrical problem
A power cut or your prepayment meter running out of credit are not emergencies we can help you with.
If it is a power cut, call 105. If your prepayment meter has enough credit, follow the instructions on your meter to reset it.
Doors and windows
Emergencies include when:
- an exit door is jammed open or cannot be locked
- external communal doors are not opening or closing
- a ground floor window is jammed open or cannot be locked
If a window is not on the ground floor, we will not repair it outside working hours.
You must get a crime number from the police before you report an emergency repair for a window damaged by vandalism.
Lost or stolen keys
Before you report lost or stolen keys outside working hours, check if there is someone else with keys you can use. Or we may charge you for the repair.
You must get a crime number from the police before you report an emergency repair for stolen keys.
Blocked toilet
It is only an emergency if your toilet is blocked and it is the only one in your home.
Do not use or flush a blocked toilet. If it is not overflowing, you may be able to unblock it yourself. Remove as much water from the toilet as possible and pour a few buckets of water down the toilet. You may be able to use a toilet plunger too.
Water leaks and blocked drains
Emergencies include:
- water leaks you cannot contain
- a blocked gully
A gully is outside and has a grating or grid to stop leaves, litter and larger objects from getting into the sewer.
Find out more about water leaks and blocked drains.
If a public sewer or manhole is blocked, call Northumbrian Water on 0345 717 1100.
Storm damage
Emergency repairs caused by a storm include:
- no heating or hot water
- damage caused by a fallen tree
- fallen fencing or boundary walls on footpaths
- damaged gas flues
- significant structural damage
Significant structural damage includes:
- roofing, including felt roofing
- collapsed chimneys or chimneys in a dangerous condition
- loose roof tiles hanging over a doorway or footpath
- collapsed gable ends
