Home Emergency Preparation — Be Ready Before Something Goes Wrong

Create a physical card (not just a phone contact — phones get lost or run out of battery) and stick it inside a kitchen cupboard. The card should contain: your plumber's name and mobile number; your electrician's name and mobile number; your locksmith's name and mobile number; your home insurer's policy number and emergency line number; National Gas Emergency Service: 0800 111 999 (free, 24/7); UK Power Networks (power cut): 105 (free, 24/7); your water supplier's emergency number (check on your water bill); your local council out-of-hours number; and the key location of your stopcock, gas isolation valve, and consumer unit, if these are not obvious. Share the card with anyone else who lives in the property.

Stopcock (water isolation): usually under the kitchen sink, in a cupboard under the stairs, or in a meter box near the front door. Turn clockwise to close. If it is seized (will not turn), get a plumber to service it before you need it in an emergency. Gas isolation valve: usually adjacent to the gas meter, typically in an external meter box. Fitted with a quarter-turn lever — the lever is in line with the pipe when open, at 90 degrees when closed. Consumer unit (fuse board): usually in a hallway or kitchen cupboard. Know which circuit breaker controls which room — label them if they are not already labelled. This takes 20 minutes once and saves significant confusion in an emergency. External stop tap: for the supply to the property from the road. Usually in a small box in the pavement. A stop tap key (available from any hardware shop) opens it.

Standard home insurance (buildings and contents) does not typically cover emergency call-out costs for plumbing or boiler failure — it covers the damage caused by the failure, not the cost of fixing the failed component. Home emergency cover (sometimes called "home assistance") covers emergency call-out costs for boiler failure, burst pipes, electrical faults, and lockouts. It can be added to most home insurance policies for £50–£120 per year, or bought as a standalone policy. For a London property, where a 9pm emergency call-out from an independent tradesperson can cost £200–£400, this is usually worth the premium. Check your current policy before buying additional cover — you may already have it.

Turn off the stopcock immediately — this is the first action regardless of anything else. Turn off the heating and hot water. If water has reached electrical fittings (sockets, light fittings), turn off the electricity at the consumer unit. Open all cold taps to drain water from the system above the burst. Place towels and buckets where possible. Call an emergency plumber. If water is coming through the ceiling from above, make small holes in the ceiling plaster to allow water to escape in a controlled way — otherwise water will accumulate and cause the ceiling to collapse. Document the damage with photos for your insurance claim before clearing up.

Do not use any electrical switches — including light switches. A spark from a light switch can ignite accumulated gas. Open all windows and external doors. Turn off the gas at the isolation valve (beside the meter) if you can safely reach it. Leave the property. Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 from outside. Do not re-enter until the emergency service has attended and given the all-clear. Do not assume a slight gas smell is minor — a gas accumulation can explode with devastating force.

Check the boiler pressure gauge (should be between 1 and 1.5 bar for most systems — if below 0.5 bar, the system needs represurising, which you may be able to do yourself from the filling loop). Check for error codes on the boiler display — look these up in the manual or manufacturer's website before calling an engineer. Press the reset button if there is one and wait 2 minutes. If the boiler restarts but the fault recurs within a day, call a heating engineer. If the boiler does not restart, call a Gas Safe registered heating engineer. In winter with no heating: electric heaters, hot water bottles, and extra bedding are your immediate solution while you wait. If you have a vulnerable person in the property, mention this when calling — some engineers prioritise these calls.

Before calling a locksmith, check: the back door and any ground floor windows (many lockouts involve a key that was actually left inside). Do not break glass or try to jimmy a door — this damages the frame and forces an expensive repair. If you have a spare key with a trusted neighbour or key safe, use it. If you genuinely need a locksmith, use an MLA-registered locksmith — verify on locksmiths.co.uk. Agree a total price before they attend (not just a call-out fee). A legitimate locksmith will attempt non-destructive entry before drilling. Most standard locks can be picked by a qualified locksmith — drilling should be the last resort.