Winter weather services

Published: 

Winter weather services Image

When the weather is very poor, we may struggle to get to some locations, therefore please bear with us. We will plan in advance, when possible, to provide winter weather services and run business as usual.

Getting in touch
During times of bad weather our phone lines are busier than usual with emergency repairs, so please be mindful of this and only contact us if it’s for an emergency repair. If your request isn’t urgent you can log into My Home, our online tenant account and pay your rent, report repairs, check your rent balance and more. To find out more about My Home visit our information page visit our information page or if you are already signed up login here.

Repairs

UPDATE 2 March 08:20:  Due to the large volume of emergency incidents over the last 24 hours we will still only be handing emergency calls, however, tenants can book non-urgent appointments through their online account at https://myhome.ongo.co.uk

UPDATE 1 March 16:00: Our Emergency Repairs Teams are working flat out to try and meet the current demands of customers who have reported emergencies. We have received 127 emergency incidents today, of which 27 are still outstanding. Even without further calls, and with our staff extending their working hours into tonight, it is unlikely we will be able to attend every report this evening. Of course, we will always do our very best in what are very hazardous conditions.

We are having to prioritise our calls for service to attend those reports which are deemed CRITICAL, ie serious risk to health or property.

This may mean that some emergency calls will not be dealt with until the morning. We know the difficulty and frustration this may create but we hope you understand that our teams are doing everything they possibly can to help you in unprecedented circumstances.

Our Offices

  • Ongo Head Quarters (Meridian House, Normanby Road, Scunthorpe) – Closed
  • Customer Contact Centre (Cole Street, Scunthorpe) – 10:00am – 4:00pm although we advise only getting in touch if it’s an emergency
  • Ongo Recruitment & Employment Support (Laneham Street, Scunthorpe) – open as usual
  • Choose 2 Reuse (Enderby Road, Scunthorpe) – 8:30am – 2:00pm
  • Market Hill Concierge
    • Friday 2 March: 7:30am – 4:00pm
    • Sat 3rd March: 7:30am – 5:00pm
    • Sun 4th March: 7:30am – 5:00pm
    • Mon 5th March: as normal.

Check on your neighbour
Bad weather is especially difficult for those that are elderly or have health conditions, so if you live next to someone that you think may need extra assistance, given them a knock and double check they’re ok. Or, if you know someone living in our properties who is particularly vulnerable and without heating please contact us on 01724 279900.

House viewings
If we need to cancel viewings due to bad weather, we will make every effort to contact you. We will send a message to your Home Choice Lincs (HCL) account so please check this regularly if the weather is bad. We may also email or text so keep an eye out for that.

Caretaking weather services
During the winter months, we know snow and ice can put some people off leaving their homes. So, when the weather gets bad, we want to help you carry on as normal. In partnership with tenants we have decided to remove snow and spread grit salt in some communal areas. To find out more, visit our neighbourhood services page.

Travel and schools
For weather updates take a look at BBC Weather website, and for the latest updates on travel and schools, listen to BBC Radio Humberside.

Advice and guidance for your home:

Keeping warm

  • Put on extra layers including extra socks
  • Wrap up in blankets
  • Use a hot water bottle
  • Drink hot drinks
  • Use any other form of heating if they have it e.g. plug in heaters

Frozen boiler pipes

These extreme weather conditions may mean you find your boiler condensate pipe has frozen.

To get your heating back on as quickly as possible you can follow the steps below.

  1. Pour over the end of the pipe where it is frozen hot water, only use hot water – not boiling.
  2. Place  a hot water bottle or heat pack over the end of the pipe.
  3. When the pipe has thawed you should re-set your boiler by holding in the re-set button for 10 seconds and wait for the boiler to restart.

You can watch how to do this here.

Before you start please note; to do this you do not need to move any pipes, open the boiler cover, pour water above waist level. Remember to use warm not boiling water and that it will become icy where you pour the water.

If you need help we can talk you through this by calling 01724 279900.