As part of the high levels of service a development benefits from under BNS’ custodianship, a provision of both dealing with and reacting to out of hours urgent maintenance issues is provided.
Should our clients have a communal maintenance issue that requires urgent attention outside office hours, then they can call our normal office phoneline (0117 957 0809) where our designated out of hours team are on hand to assist you with your issue.
This out of hours facility operates under a ‘make safe’ policy for any urgent maintenance issues that arise at our developments that require attention prior to the next working day.
For any communal emergencies the out of hours appointed sub-contractors are to make safe the urgent maintenance matter and to communicate this back to BNS of what the situation was, what was done and what further work or quotes are required.
BNS will then deal with any outstanding maintenance items arising upon their return to the office.
The local out of hours sub-contractors carry out a service at an hourly rate and are carefully selected for their reliability, responsiveness and cost-efficiencies. Where there is a requirement to attend, they shall attend asap and should inform you as to when they are expected to arrive.
Please note that any emails sent or MyBNS issues created by owners will receive responses within office hours and that this is not a platform to raise urgent maintenance matters.
It is important that the provision of the emergency out of hours telephone line is only utilised where there is a genuine requirement for out of hours assistance for urgent communal maintenance matters. The authorities (fire brigade, police, ambulance, gas and electricity board) should be contacted in the first instance where there is risk to life and not BNS in the first instance.
How do I report a gas leak?
- Turn off the gas meter by turning the valve at right angles to the gas.
- Open all windows and doors and keep them open until the leak is repaired.
- Don’t smoke or use electrical switches, matches or naked flames.
- Call the National Grid Emergency Line 0800 111 999.
Inside a demise/apartment/house
The fixing of a leak inside the owners demised property as opposed to a communal area is the responsibility of the homeowner as opposed to the Management Company/BNS.
There will be instances where the leak may need to be isolated to prohibit further damage to the building or a neighbouring property should the homeowner or resident not be in the premises.
Please ensure you are aware of where your own and your neighbours stop taps, electricity distribution boards and gas taps are located.
There may also be trace and access work required to ascertain whether the leak is coming from the leaseholders plumbing or a communal element of the plumbing to the building. This work would be covered by insurance typically with the actual fixing of a leak the homeowners responsibility.
Should you be unsure of where the leak is emanating from, there may be a conversation to have with the on-call providers that you agree to pay the costs associated with fixing the leak should it be found to originate from your property. This will be between the contractor and yourself as a homeowner with the invoice and payment being organised directly between the two parties. The responsibility to fix and repair any leak within a demised property would be the ultimate responsibility of the homeowner and not the Management Company or BNS in line with the terms of your Lease/Transfer.
