How to report a maintenance issue, what counts as an emergency and what doesn't, who's responsible for what, and practical advice on the issues we see most often: boiler quirks, condensation, leaks.
For a burst pipe, no heat in winter, smell of gas, or anything else genuinely urgent, pick up the phone. We'll dispatch a contractor within four hours.
Out of hours emergencies routed to the duty agent
We treat repair requests proportionately. Emergencies get an immediate dispatch, urgent items get a same or next day visit, routine items are booked at a time that suits you. Here's how to tell the difference.
Emergency
We aim to dispatch a contractor within 4 hours, 24/7.
Urgent
We aim to have a contractor on site within one working day.
Routine
We'll book a contractor at a time that suits you, typically within 5 to 10 working days.
Most older Cambridgeshire properties, particularly cottages, older terraces and converted buildings, get a degree of condensation in cold weather. It's not a sign anything is wrong; it's usually a question of ventilation, heat, and how much moisture is being produced day to day.
Three quick wins
When to tell us
Under Awaab's Law your landlord is required to investigate damp and mould reports within a fixed timeframe. We treat every report on a Fully Managed property as a priority.
Tenants of properties on our Fully Managed service have access to our online maintenance portal. Log a new issue, attach a photo, and you'll get an automatic acknowledgement plus a contractor allocated within one working day. If you'd rather, the office is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm on 01480 436161. For Tenant Find or Rent Collection properties, please contact your landlord directly using the details we provided at the start of your tenancy.
The landlord pays for issues affecting the structure of the property, services, supplied appliances, or anything that's failed through normal use or age. The tenant pays for damage they've caused (intentional or negligent) or things they're explicitly responsible for under the tenancy agreement, for example replacing light bulbs, smoke alarm batteries, and damage caused by misuse. When in doubt, report it; we'd rather work out who pays after we know what's wrong.
Please don't, for two reasons. First, the landlord is liable for ensuring all work meets safety standards, which means using contractors with current qualifications (Gas Safe, Part-P electrical, etc.); a contractor you arrange yourself may not be acceptable, and the landlord may not pay the invoice. Second, our contractor network has agreed rates and prompt response times. If you've paid for something that should have been the landlord's responsibility, we'll work to reimburse you with valid receipts, but please get our authorisation in writing before commissioning any work.
Condensation is the most common issue we deal with in winter, and most cases are caused by a combination of factors: low ventilation, low background heat, and a lot of moisture being produced (drying clothes indoors, long showers without the extractor, and so on). The first response is always practical. Keep the property at a consistent temperature, run extractor fans during and after cooking and showering, avoid drying clothes on radiators, and ventilate the property briefly each day. Report it to us early; under Awaab's Law landlords have specific timeframes to investigate damp and mould complaints in rented properties.
Three quick checks before reporting. 1) Look at the pressure gauge. If it's below 1 bar, the boiler may have locked out for low pressure (we showed you how to repressurise on move in; if you can't remember, call us). 2) Check the boiler display for an error code and have it handy when you report it. 3) Check your gas supply more generally by testing a gas hob; if there's no gas at all, that may be a supply issue. If the boiler has truly failed in winter, we treat it as an emergency.
Turn off the water at the stopcock immediately. Yours is typically under the kitchen sink, in an airing cupboard, or in a downstairs cloakroom; we point this out on move in day. Catch the leak with a bowl, towels, anything to hand. Turn off electrics at the consumer unit if water has reached any sockets or fittings. Then call us; we'll dispatch an emergency plumber within four hours, day or night.
If a contractor is sent out and the issue turns out to be tenant responsibility (e.g. a tripped fuse you could have reset, a blocked toilet from misuse, a 'broken' boiler that just needed repressurising), the call out fee may be passed on to you. We avoid this by walking through the common quick checks before dispatching a contractor, so please bear with the questions we ask on the phone.
On Fully Managed properties we conduct an inspection every six months, always at a pre agreed time with you. We spend around 30 minutes walking through, taking dated photos, and noting any maintenance issues we spot. You receive a copy of the report afterwards, and we follow up on anything that needs attention.
Fastest by phone during office hours, by email any other time. You'll always get an acknowledgement within one working day.
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