Urgent tenant guidance

Water leak or escape of water?

Protect people first. Keep clear of water near electrics, wet equipment and bulging ceilings. Call 999 if there is immediate danger to life.

Urgent? Call, don’t wait for an email.

For fire or immediate danger to life, call 999. For managed-property repairs, call Tenant Link on (023) 8036 6555 and follow the answerphone when the office is closed.

Call 999 Call Tenant Link

Turn off the water safely

Find the internal stopcock/stop tap, usually under the kitchen sink, sometimes under the stairs or in a downstairs toilet. It often looks like a brass tap connected to pipework at both ends. Turn it clockwise until it closes naturally; do not force it or use tools. Water may take a few minutes to stop. If you cannot find or operate it, contact Tenant Link/your landlord urgently. An external stop tap may be near the water meter under a cover on the pavement, driveway or verge. It may supply other homes: do not operate a shared or unidentified valve or lift a heavy cover; ask the water supplier or plumber for help.

Southern Water: finding and using stop taps

Stored water and limiting damage

Turning off the mains stops a cold-water storage cistern refilling, but water already stored may continue leaking until the cistern is empty. Appliances fed from it, and hot water supplied by a hot-water cylinder and cold cistern, may also continue flowing. Only if safe, use a bucket to catch drips, towels to mop up water and move belongings away. For a burst pipe, switch off the boiler only if its controls are safely accessible. If water is near electrical fittings, isolate electricity only from a dry, safely accessible mains switch; never touch wet switches or equipment or stand in water to reach them.

Southern Water: leaks and burst pipes

Report the leak

If the leak cannot be stopped or contained, call urgently — do not wait for a form or email. If your landlord uses Tenant Link for tenant-find or rent collection only, contact your landlord to arrange repairs. If your property is fully managed and you pay rent to Tenant Link, call (023) 8036 6555; when the office is closed, follow the instructions on the answerphone. If the leak is safely contained and non-urgent, report it as soon as possible using the maintenance form. Tell us where it is, its severity, whether it is near electrics and what you have done; add any photos before submitting. The original water-leak and boiler guides also publish 0120 2045 101 as an emergency helpline. Its current routing has not been independently confirmed. Use (023) 8036 6555 and follow the answerphone for Tenant Link’s current out-of-hours instructions; do not wait for an online response for urgent help.

Report a non-emergency repair Published Tenant Link water-leak guide Maintenance and emergency overview

Need a person?(023) 8036 6555 lettings@tenantlink.co.uk