Helpful advice

The content of this page applies to the Department of Infrastructure Public Sector houses, although the other housing authorities apply similar rules and guidelines. If in doubt, contact your housing authority.

There are many things a tenant can do to prevent problems occurring in a home. See below for useful tips on a variety of matters.

Gas leak

What you should do if you smell gas:

Turn off the gas supply immediately
Contact the gas emergency service (see below)
Extinguish all cigarettes
Do not use matches or naked flames
Do not use electrical switches
Open doors and windows
Check if a gas tap is on and turn it off and
Let us know what has happened

Call the Manx Gas 24 hour freephone emergency service on +44 0808 1624 444.

Or, contact Manx Gas (in case of a leak) on +44 1624 644444 (press 1 when prompted)

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide poisoning can happen if:

a gas appliance is not working properly
the appliance was not put in properly
the appliance has not been checked for safety and maintained regularly
there is not enough fresh air in the room, or
your chimney or flue gets blocked

You should look out for signs that indicate a problem, such as:

yellow or orange flames
soot or stains around the appliance and
pilot lights that regularly blow out

Early symptoms can include:

tiredness
drowsiness
headache
chest pains and
stomach pains

Important safety issues:

Never use an appliance if you don’t think it is working properly
Never cover an appliance or block the air vents
You should keep any fixed ventilation grills or air blocks clear and
Never block or cover outside flues

Solid fuel

Make sure that your chimney is swept at least once a year. If you burn wood regularly, you should get your chimney swept twice a year to reduce the risk of a chimney fire.

The use of portable gas heaters is illegal in flats, and should not be used in other types of home as they cause excessive moisture and condensation.

Minimising the risk of electrical problems in your home

You should ensure that you:

do not overload your sockets
do not take electrical appliances into the bathroom
do not plug electrical appliances into light fittings
do not use a socket or light switch that is cracked, damaged, or charred
have frayed flexes and damaged cables replaced by a qualified electrician
pull out plugs on appliances that are not in use
check that fuse sizes are appropriate according to manufacturer’s instructions and
report any electrical faults immediately

In case of fire

IMPORTANT: In the case of a fire you should:

evacuate the building
close all doors behind you (this slows the spread of the fire)
call 999 for the Fire Brigade
alert your neighbours
do not go back into the building and
inform us if a fire occurs in your home

Reduce the risk of fire by:

using a fire guard in front of all fires
not airing clothes near a fire
putting matches out of children’s reach
never leaving chip pans unattended
closing doors at night to reduce the spread of fire and
ensuring that smoke alarms are properly maintained

Burst pipes

Avoiding burst pipes:

during cold weather try to keep your home reasonably warm at all times, particularly where water pipes are close to outside walls and
if you are away from home and do not want to leave your heating on, turn off the stopcock, turn on the cold taps in the bath and sinks and flush the toilet to empty the system. Remember to turn these taps off before you turn the main stopcock on again. If you are away from home for longer periods, you should also turn off the boiler and drain the hot water system by turning on the hot taps.

If you do get a burst pipe you should:

turn off the main stopcock immediately
turn on all the cold water taps
turn off the central heating boiler
inform the Department of Infrastructure Public Estates and Housing Division as soon as possible

Condensation

Condensation can cause black mould to grow. To see how to identify, prevent and treat the problem, please read the maintenance page.

Crime prevention

Help protect yourself and your home by taking a few simple precautions:

Always lock your doors and windows when you go out
Do not leave notes on your door saying that you are out and when you will be back
Never leave valuables lying around
If you are out late at night try to leave a light on where it will be visible from outside, for example, hall or landing
Beware of strangers calling, especially if they ask to enter your home, and always ask for identification if you do not know the caller - if you have any doubts, call the police and
Ask the police if there is a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in your area. To find out more see the Neighbourhood Watch page