What to do if…
your heating system stops working and your home is getting cold

What to do now

1. Reduce heat loss now: choose one main room, shut internal doors, close curtains or blinds, block obvious draughts with towels, put on extra layers, and keep people off cold floors with shoes, slippers, rugs, or blankets.

2. Check for gas or carbon monoxide danger before doing anything else:

   • If you smell gas or strongly suspect a gas leak, get everyone to fresh air and call the gas emergency number for where you are: 0800 111 999 in England, Wales and Scotland, or 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland.
   • If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or you suspect carbon monoxide from a boiler, fire, cooker, heater, or other fuel-burning appliance, stop using the appliance if you can do so safely, move everyone outside or into fresh air, and call the gas emergency number for where you are if a gas appliance may be involved.
   • If anyone may have carbon monoxide symptoms such as headache, dizziness, feeling sick, weakness, confusion, chest pain, muscle pain, shortness of breath, or loss of consciousness, use NHS 111 where available, your local urgent medical advice service, or 999 for emergency symptoms. Call 999 or go to A&E for breathing difficulty, sudden confusion, loss of consciousness, weakness, chest pain, or muscle pain.

3. Do only safe basic checks: confirm the heating is set to on, the timer has not switched it off, the thermostat has power or working batteries, and your electricity and gas supply are on, including any prepayment credit. If anything looks damaged, smells of gas, sparks, leaks, or feels unsafe, stop checking and get professional help.

4. If the home is rented: report it immediately to the landlord, agent, housing association, council repairs line, or emergency out-of-hours repairs service. Say: “No heating and the indoor temperature is dropping quickly. This is urgent, especially because the home is becoming too cold to stay in safely.” Send the same message in writing and keep screenshots, photos of displays, and any room thermometer readings.

5. If you own the home or are responsible for repairs: contact your boiler cover provider or an emergency heating engineer. For any gas appliance work, use a Gas Safe registered engineer and check the engineer or business before work starts.

6. Use short-term warmth safely: use warm drinks, warm food, layers, blankets, and a hot water bottle filled with warm, not boiling, water. Use a portable electric heater only if it is undamaged, on a stable surface, plugged directly into a wall socket, kept well away from bedding and curtains, and switched off when you leave the room or go to sleep.

7. Reduce frozen or burst pipe risk: open cupboard doors under sinks so warmer room air can reach pipes, especially on outside walls. Find your stop tap now, usually under a sink or in a cupboard, so you can turn off the water quickly if a pipe freezes or bursts.

8. If you find a frozen or burst pipe: turn off the water at the stop tap. If water is leaking near electrics, stay clear of the wet area; switch off at the fuse box only if you can do so without standing in water or touching wet fittings, then get urgent help.

9. Decide early whether the home is safe enough for tonight: if babies, older adults, disabled people, or anyone with health conditions are getting too cold, arrange to stay with family, friends, neighbours, or in paid accommodation if you safely can. If you cannot stay warm and have nowhere safe to go, contact your council or housing provider’s emergency out-of-hours line and explain that you have no heating and the home is becoming too cold to stay in safely.