Firstly, electricity is extremely dangerous, so please do not fiddle with the electrical installation in your property. Even if you are a trained electrician, you do not have permission to make any changes to the electrical installation in the property without the landlord giving such permission in writing beforehand. The below advice should be followed at your own risk, using common sense, and should not be attempted by someone who is not capable of doing so.
Why has my electricity cut off?
There are a lot of different reasons that can leave you with no electricity in your property and not all of these issues are emergencies. Some of these problems are easier to fix than others, however, you may be able to deal with the majority of electrical issues yourself, using common sense. The most common causes of power outages are listed below:
Did you pay your bills/have you got credit on a pre-payment electricity meter?
If you haven't paid your utility bills then your gas and electricity provider may have cut your energy supply off. They should normally provide you with notice they disconnect you, although sometimes mistakes can happen.
If you have a pre-payment meter, then lack of credit in the pre-payment meter can also lead to "no power". Check that you have topped up the meter. If the meter has run out of credit then your electrics should turn back on again when you add more credit. If the meter is broken, then contact your energy supplier.
Is there a power cut?
Take a quick look outside to see whether your neighbours have power, if not then your local area may be experiencing a black-out. If your area has a black-out then please visit http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/power-cuts/ for more information.
Have the fuses on the fuse board (consumer unit) tripped?
If your electricity cut off just as you turned on a light/appliance or just as you plugged something in, then this most likely means that it was that appliance/light that caused your problem. Please immediately switch off and unplug the appliance (if the appliance has a plug). Fuses can trip at any time, however, so you won't always know which appliance/light caused the fuse to trip. Your first action should be to check the fuse board (consumer unit) and check whether any of the fuse switches are in the "off" position (this is usually that the switches are facing down). Try to carefully switch the fuse back into the "on" position (usually facing upwards). Sometime this will fix the issue straight away for you.
If you switch the tripped switch back into the up position and nothing happens, then you may need to "reset" the fuse board by switching all of the fuse switches into the off position and then slowly, one by one, start switching them back on. One should usually start with the main fuse switch and then slowly switch the other switches back into the on position (sometimes you need to press a little "reset" button located by the main fuse switch at the same time).
If you find that the above advice works but that when you switch on a particular fuse switch the power trips again, this means that there is still something on that circuit that is causing the power to trip. We recommend switching off all light switches and plug sockets and unplugging all plugs and appliances and trying again. Then you can switch on each light, appliance, and plug socket one by one until you find the faulty one and you can report this faulty one to us without having to go without power for a few days while that issue is dealt with.
Can’t resolve the problem?
Please see the following article for information about how to report matters to us if the above advice does not solve your problem. Remember that we will not usually reimburse you for hiring your own electrician or contractor to repair something for you, so it is important that you properly report the issue to us (after trying everything reasonable to correct the matter yourself) so that we can deal with it (if it is something that your landlord is responsible for).
Remember, if you report an issue to us and it turns out to be something that you should have done yourself or it is something that is caused by your (or your visitors) actions or failure to act, then you will be liable for the contractor charges.
For more information on the suggested steps above, you can search online to find articles that might be helpful. Our advice is provided in good faith, without any liability accepted by us. You should follow any suggestions with care and attention and if you do not have the skills or know-how required to carry out your tenant-like responsibilities then you ask a competent friend or hire someone to help you.