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🚪 Security Issues at Your Rental Property
Step 1 – Check Whether There Is Immediate Danger
Call 999 immediately where:
- A break-in is happening now.
- An intruder may still be inside.
- Someone is using or threatening violence.
- You or another person is in immediate danger.
- The property has been seriously damaged and presents an immediate risk.
Move to a safe place and follow the instructions given by the emergency services. The Metropolitan Police advises using 999 where there is an immediate danger to life, violence or a crime in progress.
Step 2 – Do Not Enter an Unsafe Property
If you arrive home and notice:
- A forced door.
- A broken window.
- An unfamiliar person inside.
- Signs that someone may have entered.
- Serious damage around the entrance.
Do not enter to investigate.
Move away from the property and call the Police.
Avoid touching doors, windows or objects that may contain evidence.
Step 3 – Report Non-Emergency Crime
Where the incident is no longer in progress and no one is in immediate danger, contact the Police using:
Police Non-Emergency
☎️ 101
You may also be able to report the incident online through your local police force.
The national 101 service is intended for non-emergency police enquiries and reports.
Ask the Police for a crime reference number, as this may be required by the landlord, insurer or contractor.
Step 4 – Contact Yes Properties
Once you are safe and the Police have been contacted where appropriate, report the issue to us immediately.
During Office Hours
☎️ 0208 191 3717
Out-of-Hours Emergency
☎️ 07337 200950
Please provide:
- Your full name.
- Property address.
- Contact telephone number.
- A description of what has happened.
- Whether the property can be secured.
- Whether the Police have been called.
- The crime reference number, if available.
- Photographs of the damage, where safe.
Examples of Urgent Security Issues
Contact us urgently where:
- The main entrance door cannot be locked.
- An external door or ground-floor window has been forced open.
- A lock has been damaged following an attempted burglary.
- A window is smashed and leaves the property accessible.
- A communal entrance door is not securing properly.
- Keys have been stolen with information identifying the property.
- The property has been vandalised and cannot be secured.
Temporary Security Measures
Yes Properties may arrange an approved locksmith, glazier or contractor to make the property secure.
Depending on the circumstances, temporary works could include:
- Boarding a broken window.
- Repairing or replacing a damaged lock.
- Securing an external door.
- Replacing keys.
- Installing a temporary locking device.
- Arranging permanent repairs after the Police have completed any necessary examination.
Do not make permanent alterations to doors, locks or windows without prior approval unless immediate action is genuinely necessary to protect people or secure the property.
Preserve Evidence
After a burglary or attempted break-in:
- Do not clean the affected area before speaking to the Police.
- Avoid touching forced doors, broken windows or displaced objects.
- Keep damaged locks and other relevant items.
- Save doorbell, CCTV or mobile-phone footage.
- Record when you first noticed the incident.
- Take photographs only where it is safe and will not disturb evidence.
Broken Communal Entrance Doors
If you live in a block of flats and the communal entrance is damaged:
- Report the issue to Yes Properties.
- Do not allow unknown people into the building.
- Tell us whether the door closes and locks.
- Report suspicious behaviour to the Police.
- Call 999 where a crime is happening or someone is in immediate danger.
Responsibility for communal-area repairs may rest with the landlord, freeholder, managing agent or block manager, depending on the property arrangements.
Domestic Abuse or Personal Safety Concerns
Where the security issue relates to domestic abuse, stalking, harassment or threats:
- Call 999 if you are in immediate danger.
- Move to a safe place where possible.
- Contact the Police on 101 for a non-emergency report.
- Tell Yes Properties only when it is safe to do so.
If you call 999 from a mobile and cannot speak, respond to the operator’s prompts and press 55 when instructed so the call can be transferred to the Police.
Who Pays for the Repair?
Responsibility will depend on what caused the damage and the terms of the tenancy.
The landlord may normally be responsible for repairing structural or external defects, including damage to doors or windows that forms part of the property. Government guidance confirms that landlords have responsibilities for keeping rented homes in repair and free from serious hazards.
A tenant may be responsible for reasonable costs where damage resulted from:
- Lost keys.
- Deliberate damage.
- Negligence.
- Misuse.
- An unauthorised alteration.
- The actions of the tenant or their visitors.
Charges should only be considered after the circumstances and available evidence have been reviewed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I call Yes Properties before the Police?
Call the Police first where a crime is happening, an intruder may be present or anyone is in immediate danger.
Contact Yes Properties once you are safe.
What if the property cannot be locked?
Contact Yes Properties immediately. Outside office hours, call 07337 200950 so that urgent security assistance can be considered.
Can I call my own locksmith?
Contact Yes Properties first wherever reasonably possible.
Where immediate action is genuinely necessary and you cannot reach us, keep all invoices, receipts and photographs. Reimbursement cannot be guaranteed and will depend on the circumstances and your tenancy agreement.
Can I change the locks myself?
Do not change locks or make permanent alterations without prior written approval, except where immediate emergency action is genuinely required.
Where a lock is changed, Yes Properties or the landlord may require a complete set of replacement keys.
What if only an internal bedroom door is damaged?
Report it to us promptly. It may not qualify for an out-of-hours emergency unless it creates an immediate safety, fire or security risk.
Emergency Contacts
Crime in Progress or Immediate Danger
☎️ 999
Police Non-Emergency
☎️ 101
Yes Properties Office
☎️ 0208 191 3717
Yes Properties 24/7 Emergency Line
☎️ 07337 200950
For genuine out-of-hours property emergencies only.
Need Urgent Assistance?
Where your rental property cannot be secured:
- Move to a safe location.
- Call 999 if a crime is in progress or anyone is in danger.
- Call 101 for a non-emergency Police report.
- Contact Yes Properties immediately.
- Preserve evidence and obtain a crime reference number where applicable.
