Cold weather advice for tenants

Freezing temperatures may cause damage to pipes and heating systems. Follow our guidance and if you need advice, call our Contact Centre.

• make sure pipes and tanks in your roof space are lagged - never insulate beneath the water tank in the loft - it needs some heat to penetrate from below
• in very cold weather keep your heating on all the time on a low heat - open the loft hatch to let some heat into the loft and help stop pipes from freezing
• know where your stop tap is - it will be where the water pipe enters the house - usually under the kitchen sink or in the bathroom
• know where the gate valves for the hot and cold water tanks are - they should be close to the tanks
• make sure that you can easily turn all taps and valves

If a pipe has frozen:

• turn off the water at the main stop tap
• it may be best to leave the pipes frozen or try to thaw them using hot water bottles
• if the hot water system is frozen, turn off the water heater

If a pipe bursts:

• turn off the water at the main stop tap
• turn off any water heaters
• turn on all taps to drain water from the system (this may take about 15 minutes)
• then after the water stops running, turn off all taps
• if electrics are getting wet, do not touch, turn off the electricity at the fuse box