Emergency repairs

Emergency repairs are things we must repair quickly because there is a risk to life or danger to property. This includes gas leaks and when your home has no heating, hot water, or electricity.

Reporting an emergency repair

Call 0191 525 5000 and select option 2 to report an emergency repair, 24 hours a day.

If we come to fix a repair outside of working hours and it is not an emergency, we may charge for the service.

Our working hours are Monday to Friday, from 8am to 5pm.

If we cannot fully repair the damage

We will make it safe and book an appointment for working hours to do a full repair when we have the materials we need.

Reporting a repair that is not an emergency

You can use My Gentoo to report some repairs that are not emergencies.

What repairs we class as emergencies

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:

  • exposed or unsafe electric cables
  • medical equipment, like stair lifts, losing power
  • water in or on your electrics
  • total loss of power in your home

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.

If the fault affects lights, sockets, or lights and sockets:

  • 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

Doors and windows

Emergencies include when:

  • an exit door is jammed open or you cannot lock it
  • external communal doors are not opening or closing
  • a ground floor window is jammed open or you cannot lock it

If a window is not on the ground floor, we will not repair it outside working hours.

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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 you have a blocked toilet 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 3 or 4 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 stop
  • blocked waste pipes and drains

Find out more about water leaks and blocked drains.

If a public sewer or utility access hole 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