Emergency Tradespeople UK: What to Do When Something Goes Wrong

Home emergencies happen without warning. A burst pipe at midnight, a boiler failure in January, a gas smell when you wake up. Knowing exactly what to do in the first 5 minutes can prevent serious damage — to your property and to you. Here's a practical guide for the most common UK home emergencies.

Gas leak: do this first

If you smell gas:

1. Do not touch any switches. Don't turn lights on or off. Don't use your phone near the smell.
2. Open windows and doors to ventilate the building.
3. Turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve (usually next to the gas meter). Turn the handle a quarter turn so it's horizontal.
4. Get everyone out of the building.
5. Call the National Gas Emergency Service: 0800 111 999. Free, 24/7. Do not call from inside the building.
6. Do not re-enter until the emergency service has attended and declared the property safe.

After the emergency service has made the building safe, you'll need a Gas Safe registered engineer to inspect the appliances and pipework before reconnecting. EzeAla can dispatch one within the hour.

Burst pipe: stop the water first

A burst pipe can release hundreds of litres of water per hour. The first priority is to stop the flow:

1. Turn off your stopcock — the main water valve, usually under the kitchen sink or where the water pipe enters the property.
2. Turn off the central heating if the burst pipe is near the boiler or heating system.
3. Turn on all cold taps to drain the remaining water from the pipes.
4. Turn off the electricity to any areas where water may be dripping near electrics.
5. Call a plumber. For an active burst pipe, this is an emergency — book urgent.

If the pipe is in a communal area of a block of flats, contact your building manager or freeholder immediately, as their insurance may cover the repair.

Electrical fault or power cut

If you have a complete power cut, first check whether your neighbours are affected — if they are, it's a network fault and you should call UK Power Networks (0800 31 63 105) or your regional DNO.

If it's just your property: 1. Check your consumer unit (fuse box) — look for tripped circuit breakers and reset them. 2. If a breaker immediately trips again, stop. There's a fault on that circuit — don't keep resetting it. 3. If you see sparks, smell burning, or see scorch marks near sockets or switches, turn off the main switch at the consumer unit. 4. Call an emergency electrician.

Never work on your own electrics unless you are a qualified electrician. Notifiable electrical work requires a Part P certified contractor.

Lockout: locked out of your home

A lockout isn't life-threatening, but it's miserable — especially in cold or wet weather.

1. Check other entry points — side gates, back doors, windows you might have left unlocked.
2. Check with a neighbour if you have a spare key.
3. If you're a tenant, call your landlord — they should have a spare key.
4. If none of those work, call a locksmith. An emergency locksmith can typically reach you within 30–60 minutes.

Be cautious of unverified locksmiths. Emergency locksmith scams are common — artificially low call-out fees followed by inflated labour charges once they've started drilling. EzeAla's locksmiths provide fixed-price quotes before any work begins. Payment goes into escrow.

How to find an emergency tradesperson quickly

The fastest way to get a verified emergency tradesperson is:

1. Open EzeAla Fix and describe the emergency (or call us directly from the emergency page).
2. Ezra identifies the trade, marks the job as urgent, and dispatches simultaneously to all available verified tradespeople within range.
3. You receive the first response typically within 15–30 minutes.
4. Accept the quote. Payment goes into escrow. The tradesperson heads to you.

All EzeAla emergency tradespeople are pre-verified — qualifications, insurance, and ID are checked before they ever accept a job. You're never opening your door to an unknown contractor.