Gas & electrical servicing
Gas safety inspections
We are responsible for safely maintaining the gas services in all council homes in the city
By law, we have to carry out a gas safety inspection at your home every 12 months.
You must let us have access to do the inspection as part of your tenancy agreement. We take our obligations to our customers very seriously and work hard to make sure we meet all the necessary regulations. If we are refused access to your home or you do not keep your appointments with us, we reserve the right to take legal action to make sure this essential safety work is completed.
An automatically generated appointment will be made and we will send you a letter 14 days before the inspection is going to take place. The appointment will be either a morning call up until 1pm or an afternoon call from 12pm onwards. If the date and time is not convenient, we can change it for you.
A qualified gas engineer, working in partnership with Unitas, will carry out the inspection. The engineer will be gas safe registered and carry ID cards.
Following completion of the gas safety inspection, we will send you a copy of the new gas safety record by post within 14 days.
We carry out inspections to make sure your gas appliances are working safely. If they aren’t working properly, they can give out carbon monoxide fumes.
These fumes, which cannot be seen and have no smell, can cause serious health problems or even death.
We will inspect and service any appliances that we supply to you. The engineer may remove parts from these appliances for replacement or cleaning. We will check ventilation and smoke detectors and replace any smoke detectors that are missing or not working properly.
We will check the flues or chimneys are working correctly. To carry this out, we’ll need to remove and refit any gas appliances the flues or chimneys are connected to.
We will carry out a visual inspection of the gas appliances you own. The engineer has a responsibility to disconnect any gas appliances found to be unsafe.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for the service of any gas appliances you own and making sure the manufacturer’s guidelines are being followed.
- Normally it takes between 30 and 90 minutes but it may take longer if the engineer finds a problem.
- If you can’t keep an appointment, phone the number on your appointment letter to arrange another time.
- The person who is at home must be over 16.
- If you are not at home when we call, we will leave a card offering you another appointment date.
- If you don’t keep this second appointment, a sticker will be put on your door, asking you to phone urgently.
- If you don’t respond, or fail to keep further appointments, the council will start court proceedings.
If you think your gas appliances are not working properly:
- turn off the appliance immediately
- turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve, normally next to the gas meter
- open your doors and windows to let fresh air in
- do not turn electrical switches or appliances on or off – even a tiny spark can cause an explosion
- do not smoke, use flames such as matches or candles or other things which could ignite a fire
- phone the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
- then phone Unitas on 01782 234100 and let us know what is happening
- do not turn on the gas supply or appliance until it has been checked by a Gas Safe Registered engineer
- never try to repair the problem yourself or to install gas appliances or supply pipes – you could be breaking the law and you will be putting yourself and your neighbours in danger
- never block things like air bricks which let in fresh air to your home or obstruct the flue
Electrical safety inspections
Keeping your home safe
As a landlord we have an obligation to maintain the electrical installation in your property, so your property must be:
- Safe when a tenancy begins
- Kept in a safe condition throughout the tenancy
Every electrical installation deteriorates with use and age. It is important we ensure your home is safe by checking the electrics are in a safe, serviceable condition and suitable for continued use
Unitas carries out electrical inspections to each property every five years in line with current guidance. We do this by completing an electrical installation condition report to identify any hazards.
You must let us have access to do the inspection as part of your tenancy agreement. We take our obligations to our tenants very seriously and work hard to make sure we meet all the necessary regulations. If we are refused access to your home or you do not keep your appointments with us, we reserve the right to take legal action to make sure this essential safety work is completed
An automatically generated appointment will be made and we will send you a letter 14 days before the inspection is going to take place. The appointment will be either a morning call up until 1pm or an afternoon call from 1pm onwards. If the date and time is not convenient, we can change it for you
A qualified electrical engineer, working in partnership with Unitas, will carry out the inspection. All our engineers carry ID cards.
Lifts Maintenance and Servicing
If you live in a flat block which has one or more lifts, these will be maintained by a specialist contractor on a regular basis
If you find a fault in a lift please report this by calling 01782 234100
In the event that a lift fails while you are in it please:
- Remain calm
- Call 01782 234100
- An engineer will be called to release you
This will be carried out as quickly as possible but could take up to an hour as the engineer may have to travel to attend.
Fire Safety
We maintain a variety of fire safety equipment in homes across the city. This will be different depending if you live in a flat or a house.
Flats:
- Fire doors
- Smoke and heat detectors – and these are checked by us every year and replaced as required
- Sprinklers
- Fire stopping
- Signage and information
Houses
- Smoke detectors
- Information on fire safety when you move into your home
If any appliances or <something> does not work, please report this on 01782 234100
Normally an appointment takes between two and three hours but it may take longer if the engineer finds a problem.
If you can’t keep an appointment, phone the number on your appointment letter to arrange another time.
The person who is at home must be over 16.
If you are not at home when we call, we will leave a card offering you another appointment date.
If you don’t keep this second appointment, a sticker will be put on your door, asking you to phone urgently.
If you don’t respond, or fail to keep further appointments, the council will start court proceedings.
Reporting repairs
Power supply in Stoke-on-Trent comes from Western Power Distribution. If there is a power cut affecting more than just your house, contact them by clicking on the button below. .
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We are committed to keeping your home in a good, safe condition, that is why we carry out surveys to check everything is in working order.
